Abu Dhabi Festival 2026 is returning to the capital this October for its 23rd edition. Scheduled from Saturday, 10 October to Saturday, 19 December, the festival’s theme this year is ‘The Wisdom of Culture’. The 2026 season celebrates the UAE as a living embodiment of cultural wisdom and a platform for global dialogue.
The festival will run across the capital and brings together leading UAE cultural institutions, Emirati performers and international artists, from orchestral performances, jazz, ballet, dance, recitals and other large-scale productions at Abu Dhabi’s landmark cultural venues.
The UAE National Orchestra will inaugurate the season at Etihad Arena on 10 October with a performance. Pianist David Khrikuli will put up a show on the opening night.
On the festival lineup is a standout performance by composer Hans Zimmer at Etihad Arena on Friday, 13 November. The performance reimagines the producer’s most iconic cinematic scores as immersive orchestral and electronic soundscapes. Other highlights are a recital series by Elham Al Marzooqi and Sooyeon Jun and opera by Sondra Radvanovsky and Vincenzo Scalera
To honour the UAE’s declaration of 2026 as the Year of the Family, the festival will also deliver its long-running community and education initiatives, for better access to arts, culture and music for schools, young people and families.
Families can also look forward to the debut of the Children’s Biennale in November. The biennale invites kids to co-create artworks with teaching artists, using sustainable materials. The artworks will be displayed throughout Umm Al Emarat Park in November.
For the full line-up of performances happening across Abu Dhabi, visit Abu Dhabi Festival. Tickets can be booked on the site as well.
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