Since launching in 2024, the Saadiyat Nights concert series has become one of the region’s most distinctive live music events, welcoming an eclectic mix of artists from Mariah Carey and Michael Buble to Christina Aguilera and Omar Khairat.
Held in a purpose-built amphitheatre alongside its tent-shaped stage on Saadiyat Island's Jacques Chirac Street, the series offers a spacious concourse with picnic tables and kiosks serving upscale menus. The atmosphere is relaxed yet refined. With parking a short walk away and the Mamsha Al Saadiyat dining strip nearby for pre-show meet-ups, it’s an appealing alternative to those looking to see big-name acts at a relatively intimate setting.
Here’s a look at the shows to come in for the 2026 season:
1. Ludovico Einaudi, January 10
The Italian pianist and composer will bring his intimate scores to begin the Saadiyat Nights concert series. His set will draw from his latest album, The Summer Portraits, as well as signature pieces including I Giorni and Nuvole Bianche.
Doors open 5pm; tickets from Dh345
2. Lewis Capaldi, January 17
Lewis Capaldi will make his Abu Dhabi debut in January. The Scottish singer-songwriter, known for hits such as Someone You Loved and Before You Go, will also perform songs from his new album, Something In The Heavens.
Doors open 5pm; remaining tickets from Dh1,990
3. John Mayer, January 24
The American singer-songwriter John Mayer will make his UAE debut for the Saadiyat Nights series. A seven-time Grammy Award winner, Mayer is known for hits such as Gravity, Your Body Is a Wonderland and Slow Dancing in a Burning Room. His Abu Dhabi show follows acclaimed tours in North America and Europe.
Doors open 5pm; tickets from Dh345
4. Ricky Martin, January 31
Puerto Rican superstar Ricky Martin will make his Abu Dhabi debut at Saadiyat Nights. The Grammy and Latin Grammy Award-winner brings a three-decade catalogue of multilingual hits, from Livin’ la Vida Loca and The Cup of Life to Maria and Vente Pa’Ca.
Doors open at 5pm; tickets from Dh295
5. Bryan Adams: February 11
Bryan Adams’s show will bring his Roll With The Punches world tour to the capital. The set will feature songs from his 15th studio album alongside crowd favourites such as Summer of ’69, Heaven and (Everything I Do) I Do It for You.
Doors open at 5pm, ticketing information to be announced
6. Layali Ramadan, daily during Ramadan 2026
A nightly space for reflection and community through music, food and cultural rituals. With Ramadan expected to begin around February 17 — and the official date to be announced closer to the time — each evening will feature cultural performances alongside traditional crafts such as calligraphy and Al Talli embroidery, as well as games including carrom and backgammon.
With food outlets on site, it’s an opportunity to spend evenings with family and friends, a reminder of the communal spirit the month brings.
Open daily for suhoor during Ramadan, from 9pm to 3am
What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
How has net migration to UK changed?
The figure was broadly flat immediately before the Covid-19 pandemic, standing at 216,000 in the year to June 2018 and 224,000 in the year to June 2019.
It then dropped to an estimated 111,000 in the year to June 2020 when restrictions introduced during the pandemic limited travel and movement.
The total rose to 254,000 in the year to June 2021, followed by steep jumps to 634,000 in the year to June 2022 and 906,000 in the year to June 2023.
The latest available figure of 728,000 for the 12 months to June 2024 suggests levels are starting to decrease.
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
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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
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Price: From Dh117,059
Heather, the Totality
Matthew Weiner,
Canongate
World record transfers
1. Kylian Mbappe - to Real Madrid in 2017/18 - €180 million (Dh770.4m - if a deal goes through)
2. Paul Pogba - to Manchester United in 2016/17 - €105m
3. Gareth Bale - to Real Madrid in 2013/14 - €101m
4. Cristiano Ronaldo - to Real Madrid in 2009/10 - €94m
5. Gonzalo Higuain - to Juventus in 2016/17 - €90m
6. Neymar - to Barcelona in 2013/14 - €88.2m
7. Romelu Lukaku - to Manchester United in 2017/18 - €84.7m
8. Luis Suarez - to Barcelona in 2014/15 - €81.72m
9. Angel di Maria - to Manchester United in 2014/15 - €75m
10. James Rodriguez - to Real Madrid in 2014/15 - €75m
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
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Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
Jewel of the Expo 2020
252 projectors installed on Al Wasl dome
13.6km of steel used in the structure that makes it equal in length to 16 Burj Khalifas
550 tonnes of moulded steel were raised last year to cap the dome
724,000 cubic metres is the space it encloses
Stands taller than the leaning tower of Pisa
Steel trellis dome is one of the largest single structures on site
The size of 16 tennis courts and weighs as much as 500 elephants
Al Wasl means connection in Arabic
World’s largest 360-degree projection surface
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
The Equaliser 2
Director Antoine Fuqua
Starring: Denzel Washington, Bill Pullman, Melissa Leo, Ashton Sanders
Three stars
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Countdown to Zero exhibition will show how disease can be beaten
Countdown to Zero: Defeating Disease, an international multimedia exhibition created by the American Museum of National History in collaboration with The Carter Center, will open in Abu Dhabi a month before Reaching the Last Mile.
Opening on October 15 and running until November 15, the free exhibition opens at The Galleria mall on Al Maryah Island, and has already been seen at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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