VINYL SOUK’S MINI FESTIVAL RETURNS TO DUBAI FOR ITS BIGGEST EDITION YET

Vinyl Souk’s Mini Festival is returning to Dubai this November, expanding across two days and three venues for its fourth edition.

Taking place on Saturday, November 14 and Sunday, November 15 at 25hours Hotel One Central, the festival will spread across The Plaza, Nomad Day Bar and Cinema Akil in 25hours, with each space offering a different side of Vinyl Souk’s music and cultural programming.

Running from 4PM until 10PM across both days, the festival brings together live acts, DJs, vinyl selectors, a marketplace, art, food experiences, talks, screenings and workshops, with a focus on discovery and homegrown and regional talent.

At the heart of this year’s edition is a three-venue format designed to give each part of the festival its own identity.

The Plaza will act as the festival’s main stage, hosting live acts and DJs alongside a marketplace, art and food experiences. The space is strictly 21+ and ticketed, with passes available via Platinumlist and District.

Nomad Day Bar will host Vinyl Souk’s Souk Sessions, combining live acts and DJs with a marketplace and day bar. Unlike The Plaza, the space will be free to enter, open to all ages and pet-friendly.

The third space, Cinema Akil in 25hours, will become the home of Souk Lab. Also free and open to all ages, the programme will focus on the wider culture surrounding music through live AV sets, talks, screenings and workshops.

All three spaces will operate between 4PM and 10PM on November 14 and 15.

Dubai-based artist Abri & The Everlasting are among the acts confirmed for the fourth edition, performing on The Plaza main stage on Saturday, November 14.

The performance fits into Vinyl Souk’s wider approach to programming, which puts selectors and discovery ahead of traditional headline culture.

The festival describes its fourth edition as being “curated with intention”, with a cross-generational and multi-space approach that gives audiences room to move between different sounds and experiences.

Local and regional artists will remain at the centre of the programme, continuing Vinyl Souk’s focus on music coming out of the UAE and the wider region.

Vinyl Souk’s approach to the festival is built around four ideas: being curated with intention, prioritising selectors over headliners, choosing discovery over algorithms and putting homegrown talent first.

Rather than building the weekend solely around major names, the programme is designed as a journey through different artists, sounds and spaces.

That same discovery-first approach extends to the record marketplace, giving visitors the chance to dig through crates, speak directly with sellers and find music away from streaming recommendations.

The wider festival programme also creates space for conversations and education around music culture through Souk Lab, while Souk Sessions provides a more accessible, free-entry setting for live music and DJ sets.

Established in April 2023, Vinyl Souk has developed into a UAE-based platform centred around alternative music, vinyl culture and the communities surrounding them.

Alongside Mini Festival, its programming includes Souk Sessions, bringing together listening sessions, DJ sets, live performances and record fairs, and Souk Lab, which explores music and culture through workshops, talks, screenings and creative projects.

Its Mini Festival first launched in 2024, with the November event marking its fourth edition and its biggest format yet.

With three distinct spaces operating across two days, the festival continues to move beyond the traditional music festival format, creating a meeting point for music, vinyl, film, art and the independent creative community.

Vinyl Souk Mini Festival takes place on November 14 and 15 at 25hours Hotel One Central, Dubai, from 4PM until 10PM. The Plaza is a ticketed 21+ space, with tickets available via Platinumlist and District, while Nomad Day Bar and Cinema Akil in 25hours are free to enter and open to all ages.