Art fairs, biennials and design weeks in the UAE
Abu Dhabi Art Week brings Frieze and NOMAD into the same November week, and the Guggenheim opens on Saadiyat in December. Dubai answers with Design Week in November and Art Dubai in spring.
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Culture·SharjahSharjah International Book Fair 2026 (45th)
Nov4to 154 to 15 Nov 2026Expo Centre SharjahThe 45th Sharjah International Book Fair runs from 4 to 15 November 2026 at Expo Centre Sharjah under the theme “Made of Stories”, with Oman as guest of honour, more than 2,600 publishers and exhibitors from 124 countries and some 1,500 cultural events.
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Art and design·Abu DhabiFrieze Abu Dhabi 2026 and Abu Dhabi Art Week
Nov18to 2218 to 22 Nov 2026Manarat Al Saadiyat and Old Abu Dhabi AirportFrieze Abu Dhabi makes its debut on 19 to 22 November 2026 at Manarat Al Saadiyat, the same week as NOMAD Abu Dhabi (18 to 22 November, Old Abu Dhabi Airport) and the opening of the Public Art Abu Dhabi Biennial in the city on 15 November.
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NOMAD Abu Dhabi
Nov18to 2218 to 22 Nov 2026Terminal 1, Old Abu Dhabi AirportAn international art and design fair in the disused Terminal 1 at Old Abu Dhabi Airport, 18 to 22 November 2026.
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Culture·Abu DhabiGuggenheim Abu Dhabi opens
Dec1111 Dec 2026Saadiyat Island, Abu DhabiThe Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, a museum of modern and contemporary art designed by the late Frank Gehry, is scheduled to open on Saadiyat Island on 11 December 2026, completing the Saadiyat Cultural District's major museums.