Client: Dubai Culture & Arts Authority
Venue: Al Shindagha Historic Neighborhood
23 January – 1 February, 2025
Project Description:
Sikka 2026, in its 14th edition unfolded under the theme “Imagining Dubai: Identities of the Future,” transforming the festival into a space for reflection on who we are today and who we might become tomorrow. Rooted in Dubai’s history of movement, exchange, and reinvention, the programme invited visitors to consider how heritage, innovation, and lived experience continue to shape the city’s evolving cultural identity.
Bringing together artists, designers, performers, and storytellers from the UAE, the GCC, and beyond, Sikka 2026 became a platform for exploring ideas of identity, belonging, and transformation through a wide range of artistic disciplines. Across historic alleyways and intimate courtyards, the festival encouraged imagination, dialogue, and experimentation, while remaining grounded in Dubai’s layered histories and everyday realities.
Over 200,000 visitors
More than 1000+ participating creatives
Over 1000 submissions
Over 310 artworks spread over 16 houses, courtyards and alleyways
13 murals, 9 public art installations spread throughout al shindagha
990 workshops with over 8733 participants
86 speakers and 12 moderators
3 music stages with 106 music performances and over 350 performers
8 orchestras, 2 marching bands, 20 emerging talent performances
50+ emirati & UAE based artists & designers participating in the retail market
43 homegrown F&B concepts
9 Supper club experiences by 11 Chefs (7 Emirati & 4 UAE Based) attended by 144 guests