Bred Abu Dhabi has arrived at Yas Bay.
The outdoor parking space at the waterfront destination has been turned into an urban festival showcasing music, fashion, sport and art. The five-day event runs until Sunday.
There is a bright, giant red sign beaming "Bred" at the entrance of the festival. There are graffiti walls filled with art as well as open space exhibitions that greet visitors. Artists such as Adam Tallaa, Alexy Goguet, Alia Bent Sultan and Camil Karam have their unique works displayed.
Around the festival, there are alleys with local and international brands selling artwork, clothing and trainers. Brands such as Mallet, Umbro and Daily Paper from the UK, Pleasures and Two Jeys from the US and South African streetwear Grade Africa have also made their way to Abu Dhabi.
Home-grown labels such as amongst few, Swey, Monkeys Everywhere and youbetterfly to name a few have also set up shop.
For sports fans, there’s a basketball hub as well as a midfield futsal court with players enjoying the grounds. There’s also a gaming lounge for those who prefer esports with arcade games as well as computer or console games available to play.
There are also international food brands, including Sweet Chick from Brooklyn, the US, Hypebeans with locations in New York, Hong Kong and Tokyo, London’s Meltsmiths, Paperboy Paris and New York’s Librae Bakery.
Local food brands that have pop-up shops include Ravi Restaurant, Ugly Noodles, Mattar Farm, Gonuts, To the Moon and Back and Marmellata.
Meanwhile, there’s a large outdoor arena created for performances throughout the five days. Armani White, 2 Chainz and Dave East perform on Thursday and 6lack and Headie One take to the stage on Friday. Other headliners include Big Sean, Digga D and Giggs on Saturday while Afroto, Tagne and Balti will close out the event on Sunday.
HBX Space, an experiential and cultural platform presented by Hypebeast, has a cafe inside as well as a funky exhibition from Ali Khalifeh that showcases his personal collection, which includes Air Jordan's over the decades as well as customised fashion pieces such as a Virgil Abloh Light Up Keepall Bag. There's also a pop-up library from Bootleg Griot, a roving public library based in Ajman.
Bred Abu Dhabi is until Sunday; more information at www.bredabudhabi.com
