What's on in the UAE in December 2026

The 55th National Day is a two-day holiday on 2 and 3 December. Programmes for each city had not been published when we checked, so confirm them closer to the date.

Andrea Bocelli plays Etihad Arena on 2 December with his Romanza programme, from AED 295. The Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend runs 3 to 6 December, with the Yasalam after-race concerts each night and the 16/360 DJ nights at Yas Marina Circuit. Read our Grand Prix concerts guide.

In Dubai the Bolshoi Theatre is at Dubai Opera from 2 to 6 December, with The Tsar's Bride, an orchestra evening and The Nutcracker.

The Dubai Shopping Festival runs 4 December to 17 January, its 32nd edition. The DXB Winter Festival is listed from 1 December to 10 January on the waterfront by Dubai Festival City Mall, although the festival's own site prints no dates.

Sheikh Zayed Festival and Global Village continue, and the Liwa International Festival is listed from 11 December.

Abu Dhabi Finance Week runs 7 to 10 December at ADGM Square, and the Culture Summit follows on 8 to 10 December on Saadiyat. GITEX Global is listed for 7 to 11 December.

On 11 December the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi is announced to open. Mariah Carey: Christmastime is at Etihad Arena on 12 December, from AED 249. Classical evenings include Enrico Macias (10 December) and Denis Matsuev (16 December) at Dubai Opera, and Lisa Batiashvili with Giorgi Gigashvili at NYU Abu Dhabi (10 December).

Chicago the Musical plays Coca-Cola Arena from 16 to 20 December, with tickets listed from AED 49. Dubai Opera has Abracadabra on 18 and 19 December and Dhafer Youssef plays NYU Abu Dhabi on the 19th.

On 31 December Katy Perry headlines the gala at Atlantis, The Palm, with tickets listed at AED 6,500 for children and AED 8,500 for adults. See what is announced in our New Year's Eve guide.