The UAE’s live events season is nearing full swing, with a wave of rescheduled concerts joining newly announced shows to create another busy calendar.
From pop and rock to ballet, opera, comedy and musicals, the months ahead offer a packed line-up across Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Offlimits Music Festival will return in November with retained headliners Shakira and the Jonas Brothers, while other major dates include The Beach Boys, Def Leppard, Christina Aguilera, Tarkan and Cats.
Abu Dhabi Festival will also bring a strong classical programme later in the year, including American Ballet Theatre, Dhafer Youssef and Sondra Radvanovsky, while Dubai audiences can look forward to shows by Richard Marx, Blue and Hiba Tawaji with Ibrahim Maalouf.
Here, we round up the concerts and live events still to come this year.
1. Tony Ann: April 29 at Dubai Opera, Dubai
Canadian composer and pianist Tony Ann will make his Dubai debut with a performance showcasing his blend of classical technique and contemporary composition. He built a global following through online performances before moving into solo releases and pop collaborations, including co-writing The Chainsmokers hit Sick Boy. Support act Arkai is also on the bill.
Doors open 8pm, show starts 8.30pm; tickets from Dh229
2. Blue Note Celebrates International Jazz Day: April 30 at Dubai Opera, Dubai
Dubai Opera marks International Jazz Day with a programme centred on the catalogue of Blue Note Records, performed by a sextet led by bandleader Peter Long and vocalist Sara Oschlag. The set draws on material associated with artists including John Coltrane and Herbie Hancock, with guest appearances including Italian saxophonist Francesco Cafiso.
Show starts 8pm; tickets from Dh290
3. Cats: May 14 to 24 at Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats arrives at Etihad Arena for a 10-day run, bringing one of musical theatre’s most successful productions to Abu Dhabi. First staged in London in 1981, the show went on to become a long-running West End and Broadway hit, with songs such as Memory helping secure its place in popular culture.
Show starts 8.30pm, with Saturday and Sunday matinees at 12.30pm; tickets from Dh90
4. Svetlana Zakharova – Modanse: May 17 at Dubai Opera, Dubai
Internationally renowned ballerina Svetlana Zakharova returns to Dubai Opera for a one-night performance of Modanse, a double bill produced by MuzArts. Joined by dancers from the Bolshoi Theatre, the evening opens with Mauro Bigonzetti’s Come Un Respiro, set to music by George Frideric Handel, before moving into Gabrielle Chanel, a ballet tracing the life and influence of the French fashion figure through choreography by Yury Possokhov and music by Ilya Demutsky.
Show starts 8pm; tickets from Dh290
5. Ivan Vasiliev’s Farewell Performance: May 30 at Dubai Opera, Dubai
Dubai Opera will host the Alexandrite Gala, an international ballet evening built around the farewell performance of Ivan Vasiliev. The programme will bring together principal dancers from companies including the Bolshoi Theatre, La Scala Theatre Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet and Dutch National Ballet, with a bill of classical works and a tribute inspired by Freddie Mercury and Queen.
Show starts 8pm; tickets from Dh290
6. Rumi The Musical: June 4 to 7 at Dubai Opera, Dubai
Rumi: The Musical, from Qatari composer Dana Al Fardan and British-Lebanese actor Nadim Naaman, returns to Dubai Opera to tell the story of the 13th-century poet’s transformative bond with the mystic Shams Tabrizi.
Show starts 8pm, including a Saturday matinee at 2pm; tickets from Dh290
7. The Beach Boys: June 11 at Coca-Cola Arena, Dubai
Call it Surfin' UAE. Famous California band The Beach Boys are returning to Dubai, led by original member Mike Love for their 60 Years of Pet Sounds tour, a celebration of their most acclaimed album. Expect songs from the release including Caroline, No, Sloop John B and Wouldn't It be Nice from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member and Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award recipient.
Show starts 7pm; tickets from Dh199
8. Def Leppard: August 2 at Coca-Cola Arena, Dubai
Formed in Sheffield in 1977, Def Leppard have become leaders of the “new wave of British heavy metal” with early albums such as High ’n’ Dry (1981), which featured the breakthrough single Bringin’ on the Heartbreak. The group last performed in the UAE as part of the 2022 F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix race-day concert.
Doors open 8pm; tickets from Dh595
9. Christina Aguilera: September 25 at Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi
Christina Aguilera will return to Abu Dhabi just more than a year after her Saadiyat Nights performance. The seven-time Grammy Award winner last appeared in the emirate in February 2025, a show that was described in The National as a masterclass in live performance, underlining her reputation as one of pop’s most formidable vocalists. Her return follows earlier UAE appearances including Expo 2020’s closing ceremony.
Doors open 7pm; tickets from Dh395
10. Richard Marx: October 3 at Coca-Cola Arena, Dubai
Grammy-winning singer Richard Marx will perform in the Middle East for the first time. He has sold more than 45 million albums. with hits including Right Here Waiting, Hazard, Hold On to the Nights and Satisfied.
Marx is also known for his role in writing hits for artists such as Luther Vandross, as well as for his work with Keith Urban, Nsync and Barbra Streisand. The Dubai event will feature selections from four decades of chart success alongside material from his latest album, After Hours.
Show starts 8pm; tickets from Dh225
11. Shawn Chidiac: October 5 at Coca-Cola Arena, Dubai
Comedian Shawn Chidiac will now bring his Laughing In Translation Remix show to Coca-Cola Arena on October 5 rather than on March 29. The Lebanese-Australian performer has built a following through online sketches before moving into stand-up, with the show drawing on cross-cultural humour. Tickets remain valid for the new date.
Show starts 9pm; tickets from Dh199
12. Sondra Radvanovsky and Vincenzo Scalera: October 17 (venue to be confirmed), Abu Dhabi
Soprano Sondra Radvanovsky will perform arias and songs by Bellini, Verdi and Puccini, accompanied by pianist Vincenzo Scalera. The programme, as part of the Abu Dhabi Festival also includes music by Rachmaninoff, Tchaikovsky and Richard Strauss.
Show starts 8pm; ticket and venue to be announced soon
13. Blue: October 25 at Expo City Dubai
British pop group Blue will celebrate 25 years of hits with a Dubai show built around fan favourites such as All Rise, One Love and Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word, alongside newer material from their Reflections album. The four-piece remain one of the UK’s most successful boy bands, with three number one albums and 11 Top 10 singles.
At Dubai Millennium Amphitheatre, doors open 6.30pm, show starts 8pm; tickets from Dh239
14. Russell Peters: October 25 at Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi
Known for his rapid-fire delivery, crowd banter and cultural observations, Indian-Canadian comedian Russell Peters built an international following through specials such as Outsourced, Red, White and Brown and Deported. Peters remains one of the highest-grossing comedians globally, with a touring career spanning more than two decades.
Show starts 8.30pm; tickets from Dh275
15. Hauser: November 15 (venue to be confirmed), Abu Dhabi
Cellist Stjepan Hauser will perform both solo and ensemble pieces, presenting classical and contemporary works with the expressive style that has made him a global concert and online presence.
Show starts 8pm; ticket and venue to be announced soon
16. American Ballet Theatre: November 20 (venue to be confirmed), Abu Dhabi
American Ballet Theatre will present works by three choreographers: Twyla Tharp’s playful Sextet, Alexei Ratmansky’s meditative Serenade after Plato’s Symposium, and George Balanchine’s Theme and Variations, set to music by Tchaikovsky.
Show starts 8pm; ticket and venue to be announced soon
17. Offlimits Music Festival: November 21 at Etihad Park, Abu Dhabi
The Offlimits Music Festival, originally scheduled for April, has been moved to November 21. The line-up is expected to remain intact, including Shakira and the Jonas Brothers, positioning the event as one of the season’s biggest pop-led concerts in the capital. Tickets remain valid for the new date.
Doors open 3pm; tickets from Dh495
18. Algarabia: November 26 (venue to be confirmed), Abu Dhabi
Algarabia presents a theatrical production blending flamenco with Arabic poetry, performed by musicians from Spain’s University of Navarra Symphony Orchestra alongside dancers and actors. The work follows the journey of an Arab girl drawn to ancient botanical theory and poetic tradition.
Show starts 8pm; ticket and venue to be announced soon
19. Hiba Tawaji and Ibrahim Maalouf: November 27 at Dubai Opera, Dubai
Hiba Tawaji and Ibrahim Maalouf will unite for a one-night performance at Dubai Opera, with the programme drawing on French musical heritage through a blend of chanson, jazz and contemporary composition. Tawaji’s emotive vocals and Maalouf’s genre-crossing trumpet work make this one of the more distinctive concert pairings on the calendar.
Show starts 8.30pm; tickets from Dh355
20. Tarkan: November 27 at Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi
Known internationally for the global hit Simarik and a catalogue that has defined Turkish pop for more than two decades, Tarkan is making his Abu Dhabi debut is further proof of Turkish’s pop growing popularity in the region.
Doors open 7pm, show starts 8.30pm; tickets from Dh295
21. Verdi’s Opera Gala: November 29 (venue to be confirmed), Abu Dhabi
Marking 125 years since Giuseppe Verdi’s death, this programme is led by soprano Maria Agresta and tenor Giorgio Berrugi, and includes selections from Nabucco, I Vespri Siciliani, Otello and La Traviata, alongside overtures and duets drawn from Verdi’s wider catalogue.
Show starts 8pm; tickets to be announced soon
22. Lewis Capaldi and Zara Larsson: December 3 at Etihad Park, Abu Dhabi
Lewis Capaldi and Zara Larsson will open the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2026 after-race concert series with separate sets at Etihad Park.
Capaldi returns to the capital following his Saadiyat Nights performance in January, bringing a catalogue that includes Someone You Loved, Before You Go and Forget Me. Larsson joins the bill with pop staples such as Lush Life, Never Forget You and Symphony, offering a high-tempo contrast to Capaldi’s ballad-driven set. The show launches the four-night programme running alongside the race weekend at Yas Marina Circuit.
Showtime yet to be announced; access exclusive to Abu Dhabi Grand Prix ticket holders
23. Lisa Batiashvili and Giorgi Gigashvili: December 10 (venue to be confirmed), Abu Dhabi
Georgian musicians Lisa Batiashvili and Giorgi Gigashvili will perform works by Beethoven, Bartok and Franck, alongside a contemporary piece by Israeli-Georgian composer Josef Bardanashvili.
Show starts 8pm; tickets to be announced soon
24. Minsoo Sohn: December 12 (venue to be confirmed), Abu Dhabi
Pianist Minsoo Sohn will perform Book One of Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier, presenting the 24 preludes and fugues that explore every major and minor key. The recital highlights both the intellectual depth and emotional breadth of the landmark work.
Show starts 8pm; tickets to be announced soon
25. Dhafer Youssef: December 19 (venue to be confirmed), Abu Dhabi
Oud maestro Dhafer Youssef will perform with his quintet, bridging sounds from the East and West through jazz, Arab and North African traditions, as well as European classical and electronic elements. He is expected to perform material from his latest album Shiraz, described as his most personal work to date.
Show starts 8pm; tickets and venue to be announced soon
