by Adam Kario

When the director of Dubai’s tourism board invited me to perform for the city’s first ever comedy festival, I was all-in. Not only was it an honor to be selected, but also I would get to cross Dubai off my bucket list.

It was the perfect visit – five days and nights. A light show schedule left plenty of time to explore the city. Shows took place at “Skydive Dubai” – a facility built especially for the comedy festival. I performed my glow juggling routine at night on stage with Dubai’s amazing skyline in the background. I was blown away at the enthusiasm of the crowds. There were only a few cultural differences to be mindful of and everyone spoke English. They loved the comedy and went wild for my juggling routines.

The city is the very definition of excess. Imagine if NYC were built from scratch today. That’s Dubai. I often get asked about the highlight of my trip. There were so many. I drove a desert dune buggy, saw the view from the 125th floor of the world’s tallest building, visited the world’s largest shopping mall, and saw about a dozen Bugatti Veyrons (a few of them covered in sand) but seeing Dave Chappelle absolutely bring the house down at the comedy festival was the highlight for me. I like to think that Dave Chappelle’s highlight was seeing my show. Hey, it could happen.

-Adam Kario