ABU DHABI // Tickets for British band Coldplay’s New Year’s Eve show in Abu Dhabi have turned up online at inflated prices, barely hours after the concert sold out in record time.
Fans hoping to see the band are angry that some were able to buy batches of tickets to resell for profit.
General admission tickets, priced at Dh395 for the du Arena gig, were being resold on Dubizzle and online ticket exchange Viagogo for as much as Dh920 only hours after official outlets had sold out.
Flash Entertainment and telecom du were offering 20 per cent discount on the Coldplay performance for F1 Grand Prix concert-goers and its customers.
But for fans such as Briton Ruth Bagnall, that offer was irrelevant after the fastest ticket sales in the company’s history.
“I went to the F1 in Abu Dhabi and was sent an email offering a discount on New Year’s Eve tickets to watch Coldplay,” said the teacher from Dubai.
“I clicked on the email link yesterday, but they were all sold out. They started at Dh395 and went up to Dh1,400 for the VIP tickets through the registered seller.
“I’ve always found it easy to get tickets for any kind of high-profile artist performing in the UAE, even the day before.
“I understand Coldplay have a big reputation and it’s New Year’s Eve, but I never expected them to sell out so quickly.
“It’s unusual to see so many tickets for sale on Dubizzle. It’s always been on my bucket list to see Coldplay live, but it’s not going to be this year.”
The British band’s show on Yas Island is part of the A Head Full of Dreams tour, in support of the release of the album of the same name. The four-piece previously performed in the UAE in 2009 and 2011.
Viagogo was doing a brisk trade in Coldplay tickets on the resale market. Tickets can be resold on the site free of charge, with people in possession looking to cash in on the huge mark-up generated from the band’s global appeal.
More than 45,000 Coldplay fans were looking at tickets for gigs around the world, with 650 tickets available for resale for the Abu Dhabi concert.
Amar, who had been trying to get tickets for two days, was shocked by the online resale price.
“I can’t seem to find any tickets that I can afford,” she said.
“It’s really depressing because I notice that many people buy about 10 tickets just to resell them for double the price when no more are available.”
Nina, who was hoping to buy a pair of tickets, said one seller had tried to scam her by trying to sell a ticket in a friend’s name. “Unfortunately, the tickets sold out way too fast,” she said.
“People are buying extra to sell them at a higher rate.”
Things could be worse for Coldplay fans. Such was demand for One Direction tickets in 2014, tickets for the sold-out gig were changing hands for four times their face value, commanding a fee of Dh3,000 to watch the teen idols at the Dubai Sevens stadium.
Under UAE law, selling on tickets from an unauthorised vendor is a criminal offence.
nwebster@thenational.ae
Company profile
Name: Dukkantek
Started: January 2021
Founders: Sanad Yaghi, Ali Al Sayegh and Shadi Joulani
Based: UAE
Number of employees: 140
Sector: B2B Vertical SaaS(software as a service)
Investment: $5.2 million
Funding stage: Seed round
Investors: Global Founders Capital, Colle Capital Partners, Wamda Capital, Plug and Play, Comma Capital, Nowais Capital, Annex Investments and AMK Investment Office
Trump v Khan
2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US
2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks
2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit
2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”
2022: Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency
July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”
Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.
Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”
Ziina users can donate to relief efforts in Beirut
Ziina users will be able to use the app to help relief efforts in Beirut, which has been left reeling after an August blast caused an estimated $15 billion in damage and left thousands homeless. Ziina has partnered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to raise money for the Lebanese capital, co-founder Faisal Toukan says. “As of October 1, the UNHCR has the first certified badge on Ziina and is automatically part of user's top friends' list during this campaign. Users can now donate any amount to the Beirut relief with two clicks. The money raised will go towards rebuilding houses for the families that were impacted by the explosion.”
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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4pm: Maiden; Dh165,000 (Dirt); 1,400m
Winner: Solar Shower; William Lee (jockey); Helal Al Alawi (trainer)
4.35pm: Handicap; Dh165,000 (D); 2,000m
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5.10pm: Maiden; Dh165,000 (Turf); 1,800m
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Bugatti Chiron Super Sport - the specs:
Engine: 8.0-litre quad-turbo W16
Transmission: 7-speed DSG auto
Power: 1,600hp
Torque: 1,600Nm
0-100kph in 2.4seconds
0-200kph in 5.8 seconds
0-300kph in 12.1 seconds
Top speed: 440kph
Price: Dh13,200,000
Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport - the specs:
Engine: 8.0-litre quad-turbo W16
Transmission: 7-speed DSG auto
Power: 1,500hp
Torque: 1,600Nm
0-100kph in 2.3 seconds
0-200kph in 5.5 seconds
0-300kph in 11.8 seconds
Top speed: 350kph
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- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
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The Facility’s Versatility
Between the start of the 2020 IPL on September 20, and the end of the Pakistan Super League this coming Thursday, the Zayed Cricket Stadium has had an unprecedented amount of traffic.
Never before has a ground in this country – or perhaps anywhere in the world – had such a volume of major-match cricket.
And yet scoring has remained high, and Abu Dhabi has seen some classic encounters in every format of the game.
October 18, IPL, Kolkata Knight Riders tied with Sunrisers Hyderabad
The two playoff-chasing sides put on 163 apiece, before Kolkata went on to win the Super Over
January 8, ODI, UAE beat Ireland by six wickets
A century by CP Rizwan underpinned one of UAE’s greatest ever wins, as they chased 270 to win with an over to spare
February 6, T10, Northern Warriors beat Delhi Bulls by eight wickets
The final of the T10 was chiefly memorable for a ferocious over of fast bowling from Fidel Edwards to Nicholas Pooran
March 14, Test, Afghanistan beat Zimbabwe by six wickets
Eleven wickets for Rashid Khan, 1,305 runs scored in five days, and a last session finish
June 17, PSL, Islamabad United beat Peshawar Zalmi by 15 runs
Usman Khawaja scored a hundred as Islamabad posted the highest score ever by a Pakistan team in T20 cricket
The biog
Nickname: Mama Nadia to children, staff and parents
Education: Bachelors degree in English Literature with Social work from UAE University
As a child: Kept sweets on the window sill for workers, set aside money to pay for education of needy families
Holidays: Spends most of her days off at Senses often with her family who describe the centre as part of their life too
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
AIR
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Ultra processed foods
- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns
- margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars;
- energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces
- infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes,
- many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
