The Ras Al Khaimah Art Festival is one of the emirate’s most vibrant and important cultural events. A homegrown concept, the festival offers the city a cultural and sensory experience, allowing both residents and visitors to experience Ras Al Khaimah beyond its beachfront holidays and wadis.
The festival brings together various artforms and provides a much-needed platform for artists, authors, creative professionals and the UAE’s creative community as a whole.
As of June 2026, the Ras Al Khaimah Art Festival has officially opened its call for submissions for the 2027 edition, calling to artists and filmmakers across the world to submit their works for the theme ‘Lost in Translation’.
RAK Art Festival 2027 Dates
Organised by the Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi Foundation for Policy Research, the festival is held annually in the historic heritage pearling village, Al Jazeera Al Hamra. Dates for artists to submit their work was 5th June, 2026. Artists of all nationalities and backgrounds can apply. These include emerging and established artists, as well as filmmakers and students.
The next edition of the festival is scheduled to begin on 22nd January, 2027. Selected sculptures and installations will arrive on site by 11th December this year.
‘Lost in Translation’
The 2027 theme, ‘Lost in Translation’ explores the emotional and cultural complexities of navigating unfamiliar places and environments. It invites artists to think beyond the boundaries of language to evaluate identity, belonging and the limbo-like feeling of existing between places, cultures and emotions.
Artists are expected to reflect on elements of memory, migration, displacement, cultural barriers, emotional connection, distance, and the transformation of the human personality through such experiences.
The festival accepts and showcases a variety of creative mediums, including photography, painting, drawing, sculpture, installation, video art and short films, which can be in narrative, documentary or animation form. Applicants can submit a maximum four works, up to two per medium across two mediums.
Why the RAK Art Festival Matters
The Ras Al Khaimah Art Festival not only showcases the works of young artists who need to be seen but also offers Ras Al Khaimah the opportunity to come alive every year. Set on a preserved Emirati heritage site, the festival merges modern-day art from sensibilities across the world in a local historical backdrop.
For artists and art enthusiasts in Ras Al Khaimah and the UAE, the festival is a compelling cultural celebration to exchange ideas and build connections to the UAE’s creative community and beyond.
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