What’s On Dubai Awards Returns to The Agenda After 25 Years

The Agenda is proud to welcome the What’s On Dubai Awards 2026, one of the city’s most respected hospitality and entertainment awards ceremonies. Celebrating Dubai’s best restaurants, leisure destinations, attractions, events, and entertainment experiences, the annual awards are known as the largest food and entertainment industry awards in the city and the only awards voted for by the public.

After 25 years, this marks a special full-circle moment for The Agenda. What’s On Dubai Awards first took place at our venue 25 years ago, and we are honoured to welcome this prestigious event back once again. Hosting the awards at The Agenda, Dubai Media City, is a proud moment for our team, and we are delighted to be part of this renewed collaboration with What’s On Dubai.

The evening will bring together leading names from Dubai’s hospitality, lifestyle, and entertainment industries for a glamorous celebration of the city’s finest venues, experiences, and homegrown success stories. The official What’s On page lists the 2026 awards at The Agenda, Dubai Media City.

Jason Momoa Makes Live Music Debut in Dubai with Öof Tatata at The Agenda

Jason Momoa made his live music debut in Dubai on January 28, 2026, performing as the bassist for his rock band Öof Tatata at The Agenda in Dubai Media City. The event, part of the Meili Society Nights launch, offered an intimate, high-energy festival atmosphere stripped of Hollywood polish.  

Event Highlights:  The Band: Momoa traded the big screen for the stage, playing bass alongside guitarist/vocalist Mike Hayes and drummer Kenny Dale.    

The Vibe: Rather than an elaborate stadium production, the concert offered a raw, music-first experience that brought the audience right into the heart of the performance.   

Supporting Lineup: The event featured powerful vocals from Abri Hamdan, followed by high-octane sets by Cancelled Music (Kris Fade and DJ Dean Curtis). Dubai radio icon and Dubai Bling star Kris Fade served as the MC.  

A Historic Fight Night at The Agenda: IBA Champions’ Night 2023

Throwback Thursday commemoration to The Agenda hosting IBA Champions' Night that took place on December 6, 2023, marking a historic conclusion to the International Boxing Association's calendar year. 

Key facts about Technical Production: 

mediaPro International Middle East was appointed to deliver the technical production. 

Cross-functional teams comprising 40+ individuals from various departments: Audio, Video, Lighting, Rigging, Fabrication & Stage hands brought this one-of-a-kind production to life. 

✔️LED: A sum of 429sqm was installed from flat to curved surfaces. Brand used: Gloshine LM P3.9mm

✔️Lighting — A sum of 652 fixtures was installed throughout the event space of 2400sqm. Flagship brands like Chauvet, Astera, Martin, Luxibel, MI Bar & Krypton were used to create a flawless lighting atmosphere. 

✔️Truss & Rigging — 300+ running meters of Litec Truss were used with a diverse range of QX30, QD30, QX30SA & QD40. 

✔️Audio — Industry-leading audio from L’Acoustics delivered unmatched sound quality for this energetic fight night. Main PA comprised of 16 K2, 8 KS28 & 4 Kara II. 

✔️Grandstand — Comprised of 5 seating sections with a total of 1,548 seats, was delivered by All Events Services with industry-leading practices & reliability.

✔️ Cameras & livestream - A sum of 10 cameras with various functionalities such as: 3 Super Slow Motion, 2 Ultra Slow Motion, 2 Steady-cams, 2 Beauty shots & 1 Jimmy Jib with a redundant broadcasting OB Van were delivered by Prime Vision Studio. 

All our contracting partners did exceptionally well to deliver the event with a total build time of less than 48 hours. 

Famous Figures in Attendance:

The event attracted prominent boxing icons, sports legends, and top executives: 

✔️Manny Pacquiao – Legendary multi-division boxing world champion.

✔️Roberto Durán – Highly decorated boxing icon and multi-weight world champion.

✔️Amir Khan — WBA light welterweight world champion.

✔️Dmitry Bivol — WBA light heavyweight world champion.

✔️Artur Beterbiev — Unified light heavyweight world champion.

✔️Michael Buffer — World-famous, legendary American ringside announcer.

✔️Umar Kremlev — President of the International Boxing Association. 

180 Countries: A total of 180 national federations participated across the entire IBA event cycle in Dubai (which included the Ordinary Congress and the Global Boxing Forum). 

Livestream & Broadcast Reach 60 Countries.