What's on in Abu Dhabi: events and festivals
Saadiyat Travel Guide editorial team · Published 2 October 2026
Abu Dhabi's events season runs from October to March. On Saadiyat Island, two dates are set for 2026: Frieze Abu Dhabi at Manarat Al Saadiyat on 19 – 22 November 2026 and the opening of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi on 11 December 2026. The 2026–27 Saadiyat Nights concert season had not been announced as of October 2026. Dates can move, so check each event with its organizer close to the date.
Contents
Events in Abu Dhabi by month
Dates below have been published by the organizer or a government media office. Where an event usually takes place but has no 2026–27 dates yet, we say so. Status as of October 2026.
Ramadan and Eid dates depend on the sighting of the moon. Weather and crowds for each month: best time to visit Abu Dhabi.
Saadiyat Nights
Saadiyat Nights is an open-air concert series in the Cultural District on Saadiyat Island, run by the events company Ethara. The 2025–26 season ran from January to mid-February 2026, with Ludovico Einaudi, Lewis Capaldi, Mariah Carey, Bryan Adams, John Mayer and Ricky Martin. In Ramadan 2026, the venue also hosted Layali Ramadan, with suhoor meals under the stars.
As of October 2026, Ethara's page lists no dates or artists for 2026–27, and no Layali Ramadan for 2027. Watch the organizer's site for the announcement.
Concert and show venues
Abu Dhabi's big concerts and shows move between a few places:
- Etihad Arena, Yas Bay on Yas Island: the indoor arena for concerts, sports and comedy; its program has recently included UFC and the UAE National Orchestra. It seats about 18,000.
- The Cultural District on Saadiyat, where Saadiyat Nights is staged outdoors, plus the exhibitions and talks at the Louvre Abu Dhabi and Manarat Al Saadiyat.
- The Cultural Foundation, in the Al Hosn area of downtown, with exhibitions, performances and heritage events.
Tickets for each venue are sold by the venue or its named seller; we do not list prices that change by show.
Frieze Abu Dhabi and art in November
Frieze Abu Dhabi, the first edition of the art fair in the city, takes place at Manarat Al Saadiyat on 19 – 22 November 2026. It replaces Abu Dhabi Art, the fair held at Manarat in previous years, so if you searched for Abu Dhabi Art 2025 or 2026, this is its successor. Frieze has announced more than 80 galleries from 64 cities in 37 countries. Ticket prices had not been published as of October 2026.
Around the fair:
- Frieze Sculpture Abu Dhabi accompanies the fair; check its dates and venue on frieze.com.
- The Louvre Abu Dhabi has two exhibitions on in November: Spices and Wonders, from mid-October, and Art Here 2026, from 11 November 2026 – 28 February 2027.
- The Guggenheim Abu Dhabi opens three weeks later, on 11 December 2026. Tickets have been on sale since 18 September 2026, at AED 70 (≈ $19) for adults; see our Guggenheim page.
- The Public Art Abu Dhabi Biennial opens in the city on 15 November 2026, with works in public spaces.
New Year's Eve in Abu Dhabi
As of October 2026, venues, times and prices for New Year's Eve 2026 had not been announced. For reference, this is how Abu Dhabi saw in 2026:
- Al Wathba: at the Sheikh Zayed Festival, a 62-minute fireworks and drone show with 6,500 drones and five Guinness World Records; entry was AED 10 (≈ $3).
- Yas Island: fireworks at 21:00 and at midnight.
- The Corniche: 8 km of waterfront to watch from.
The Sheikh Zayed Festival has announced that its 2026–27 program again includes New Year celebrations, with fireworks and drone shows; times are not out yet. If you want to spend New Year on Saadiyat, book a Saadiyat beach hotel early: late December is peak season.
Christmas in Abu Dhabi
As of October 2026, we found no announced Christmas 2026 events. Hotels usually publish their Christmas offers closer to the date; we'll add events once they are announced.
Christmas services are held in the city's churches, which are legally recognized places of worship in Abu Dhabi. St. Joseph's Cathedral, the Catholic cathedral, has held Christmas Eve vigils and a midnight Mass in past years, with further Masses on Christmas Day. The Catholic St. Francis Church is part of the Abrahamic Family House on Saadiyat; ask the church or the house for its own schedule. Times change each year, so check the parish pages in December.
Festivals and national holidays
- Al Hosn Festival. A heritage festival at the Qasr Al Hosn site in the city centre, run by the Department of Culture and Tourism. The 2026 edition ran 17 January – 1 February 2026, and the dates for 2027 had not been announced as of October 2026. For the fort itself, see our things to do in Abu Dhabi.
- Sheikh Zayed Festival. The longest festival of the season: 136 days at Al Wathba, inland from the city, with music, fireworks and drone shows, and programs for National Day, New Year and Ramadan.
- UAE National Day, 2 December. Eid Al Etihad marks the union of the emirates in 1971, with fireworks and celebrations. The government confirms the public holiday dates each year.
- Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The final race of the season is at Yas Marina Circuit on 4 – 6 December 2026, with the race on Sunday, 6 December. More in our Yas Island guide.
- Mother of the Nation Festival. The 10th edition opens in Al Dhafra and Al Ain in late November, then moves to the Abu Dhabi Corniche for December; sources give different end dates, so check before you go.
- Liwa International Festival. A desert festival in Liwa, in the Al Dhafra region, on 11 December 2026 – 2 January 2027.
National Day, the Grand Prix and the Guggenheim opening all fall in the first ten days of December. If you are traveling then, book hotels and tickets well ahead; for a stay on Saadiyat, see the island's hotels below.
Ramadan and Eid
Ramadan 2027 is expected to begin around 8 February 2027 and last 29 or 30 days; Eid Al Fitr is expected on 9 or 10 March 2027 and Eid Al Adha on 16 or 17 May 2027. Exact dates depend on the sighting of the moon.
For visitors, daytime life gets quieter: don't eat or drink in public during the day, and expect changed hours at the Grand Mosque, museums and cafés. The rules are in our Abu Dhabi travel tips.
What's on this week: where to check
For what is happening now, use the official events calendar at visitabudhabi.ae/en/events, which lists events by category (arts and culture, sports, family, music and nightlife). For venues, check the organizer directly: Ethara for Saadiyat Nights, frieze.com for Frieze Abu Dhabi, etihadarena.ae for Etihad Arena, and the Louvre Abu Dhabi's website for its exhibitions. Our table above is updated as organizers publish dates.
How to get tickets
Buy from the organizer's own site or the ticket seller it links to; which seller is official differs by event. Sites such as saadiyatnights-concert.com are not the organizer's. Tours and attraction tickets for your dates are below.
