The popular food and music festival returns for another year on Yas Island. Photo: Taste of Abu Dhabi
The popular food and music festival returns for another year on Yas Island. Photo: Taste of Abu Dhabi
The popular food and music festival returns for another year on Yas Island. Photo: Taste of Abu Dhabi
The popular food and music festival returns for another year on Yas Island. Photo: Taste of Abu Dhabi

Taste of Abu Dhabi 2025: Food festival returns to Yas Island in November


Evelyn Lau
  • English
  • Arabic

Taste of Abu Dhabi is set to return to Yas Island later this year, with the food and music festival taking place from November 14 to 16 at Gateway Park North.

Now in its third year, the event will once again bring together restaurant pop-ups, workshops with celebrity chefs, pasta-making classes, a dedicated children’s zone and upgraded VIP experiences with fast-track entry and lounge access. There will also be live music throughout the weekend, with DJs, acoustic performances and bands on stage.

Fifteen restaurants will be taking part, and each will offer three to five tasting dishes. The names confirmed so far include Paradiso, Fouquet’s Abu Dhabi, Ilios, Craft by Side Hustle, Lento, Gala Gourmet, Catch by St Regis, Oak Room, Taparelle and The Director’s Club. Gala Gourmet joins as the first fully vegetarian restaurant.

The celebrity chef programme is also expanding, with appearances from Gino D’Acampo, Matt Preston and Jenny Morris. They will be joined by Warren Mendes, Annika Panikker, Omaka Marie, Fred Casagrande and Andrew Dickens, as well as regional names including Emirati chefs Khaled Al Saadi and Faisal Naser.

BMW Abu Dhabi will return as headline partner, offering festival-goers the chance to explore and test drive its latest models, including the BMW X3 and 3 Series.

Early bird tickets are now on sale. Packages available are – standard entry at Dh60 (free for children under 12); Dh175 Taster package with two food and two drink vouchers; and the Dh299 VIP package, which includes fast-track entry, access to the lounge, three food vouchers, four drink vouchers and other perks.

Contracted list

Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Aaron Finch, Peter Handscomb, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Marsh, Tim Paine, Matt Renshaw, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, Billy Stanlake, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Andrew Tye.

Results

57kg quarter-finals

Zakaria Eljamari (UAE) beat Hamed Al Matari (YEM) by points 3-0.

60kg quarter-finals

Ibrahim Bilal (UAE) beat Hyan Aljmyah (SYR) RSC round 2.

63.5kg quarter-finals

Nouredine Samir (UAE) beat Shamlan A Othman (KUW) by points 3-0.

67kg quarter-finals

Mohammed Mardi (UAE) beat Ahmad Ondash (LBN) by points 2-1.

71kg quarter-finals

Ahmad Bahman (UAE) defeated Lalthasanga Lelhchhun (IND) by points 3-0.

Amine El Moatassime (UAE) beat Seyed Kaveh Safakhaneh (IRI) by points 3-0.

81kg quarter-finals

Ilyass Habibali (UAE) beat Ahmad Hilal (PLE) by points 3-0

The specs

Engine: 1.5-litre turbo

Power: 181hp

Torque: 230Nm

Transmission: 6-speed automatic

Starting price: Dh79,000

On sale: Now

THE SPECS

Engine: 4.4-litre V8

Transmission: Automatic

Power: 530bhp 

Torque: 750Nm 

Price: Dh535,000

On sale: Now

Brief scoreline:

Manchester United 0

Manchester City 2

Bernardo Silva 54', Sane 66'

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%3Cp%3EDirectors%3A%20John%20Francis%20Daley%20and%20Jonathan%20Goldstein%3Cbr%3EStars%3A%20Chris%20Pine%2C%20Michelle%20Rodriguez%2C%20Rege-Jean%20Page%2C%20Justice%20Smith%2C%20Sophia%20Lillis%3Cbr%3ERating%3A%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs
 
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
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The story in numbers

18

This is how many recognised sects Lebanon is home to, along with about four million citizens

450,000

More than this many Palestinian refugees are registered with UNRWA in Lebanon, with about 45 per cent of them living in the country’s 12 refugee camps

1.5 million

There are just under 1 million Syrian refugees registered with the UN, although the government puts the figure upwards of 1.5m

73

The percentage of stateless people in Lebanon, who are not of Palestinian origin, born to a Lebanese mother, according to a 2012-2013 study by human rights organisation Frontiers Ruwad Association

18,000

The number of marriages recorded between Lebanese women and foreigners between the years 1995 and 2008, according to a 2009 study backed by the UN Development Programme

77,400

The number of people believed to be affected by the current nationality law, according to the 2009 UN study

4,926

This is how many Lebanese-Palestinian households there were in Lebanon in 2016, according to a census by the Lebanese-Palestinian dialogue committee

If you go...

Etihad Airways flies from Abu Dhabi to Kuala Lumpur, from about Dh3,600. Air Asia currently flies from Kuala Lumpur to Terengganu, with Berjaya Hotels & Resorts planning to launch direct chartered flights to Redang Island in the near future. Rooms at The Taaras Beach and Spa Resort start from 680RM (Dh597).

Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
 
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Updated: September 04, 2025, 6:48 AM