ABU DHABI (ALETIHAD)

Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the UAE and Founding Honorary Patron of Abu Dhabi Festival, and under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Shamsa bint Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Nahyan, Chairperson of the Higher Committee of the Ataya Initiative, this autumn Abu Dhabi Festival brings the Middle East's first outdoor Children's Biennale to Umm Al Emarat Park from November 6 – December 6.

Abu Dhabi Festival is the flagship initiative of the Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation. Its Children's Biennale will be held under the theme ‘How the World Feels’.

It invites children to become custodians of the park, encouraging them to be curious and uncover the stories that lie beneath its surface.

Presented in partnership with National Gallery Singapore, Umm Al Emarat Park and Salayel Hospitality, the Biennale features eight interactive installations exploring touch, sound, movement and light, transforming Abu Dhabi’s cherished park into an unfamiliar landscape of possibility, where play becomes a way of thinking and learning.

It also celebrates a milestone for Umm Al Emarat Park, honouring over a decade of bringing communities and families together through education, recreation and a connection with nature.

The programme includes family activities, workshops and school tours as part of the UAE’s 2026 Year of Family.

Nine Artists, One Park, Countless Ways to Discover

Curated by Dana Almazrouei, the seven newly commissioned installations are designed by UAE artists Alia AlShamsi, Aya Afaneh, Hana El-Sagini, Moza Almatrooshi, Moza Almazrouei and Meera Almazrooei, Nada Almosa in collaboration with UT-R Studio and Sarah Afaneh. The works demonstrate the richness and diversity of the UAE's contemporary creative community, while placing children's perspectives at the heart of the experience.

Set among the trees and open spaces of Umm Al Emarat Park, the installations will encourage children explore themes of ecology, biodiversity and humanity's relationship with the natural world, alongside Emirati culture and heritage.

Adding a global dimension to the experience, internationally acclaimed Indonesian artist Eko Nugroho will present Kenangan Kunang-Kunang (Memories of Fireflies), an immersive installation inspired by traditional Eastern Javanese lanterns. First commissioned by National Gallery Singapore for the Gallery Children's Biennale 2019: Embracing Wonder, the work is now reaching new audiences in the UAE through a landmark partnership between ADMAF and National Gallery Singapore (NGS).

Marking the institution's first collaboration in the region, the presentation extends the impact of NGS’ Gallery Children's Biennale beyond Singapore, while strengthening cultural exchange between the UAE and Singapore.

"Children are not just visitors to this park — we want them to be its custodians," says curator Dana Almazrouei. "We wanted to ask the kind of questions adults often stop asking: what stories lie beneath the soil? How does sound travel through a park? Working with each artist, we thought first about how a child would experience the piece, and what they might carry with them afterwards.

"Play is how children come to understand the world. As historian Johan Huizinga observed, play creates temporary worlds shaped by shared rules and imagination, and that's what we hope this park becomes. It isn't just a way to make art accessible; it's how children think, discover and build their own stories, together."

Something for Every Age

In celebration of the UAE's 2026 Year of Family, the Children's Biennale extends beyond the artworks with a public programme designed to bring children, parents and educators together through shared creative experiences:

· For Schools: Morning guided tours will run throughout the exhibition period, offering students opportunities to engage with the artworks in an open-air setting that encourages curiosity and imaginative thinking.
· For Visitors and Families: On November 6-7 and November 13-14 from 6:30pm, the public programme will invite children and parents to take part in artist-led workshops — including drawing, weaving, lantern making, sound exploration and collective making — bringing the entire family together for shared discovery and moments of togetherness in nature.

· Panel Discussion in Collaboration with Public Art Abu Dhabi: The discussion, titled 'From Place to Belonging: How Art Shapes the Way We Feel the World' will explore how art, imagination and participation shape the ways in which we experience, understand and connect with the places around us. The discussion will take place at AGORA: A Dance of Umbrella Forests, at the Public Art Abu Dhabi Biennial’s main hub in Mina Zayed on Friday, 20 November 2026.

As the first outdoor Children's Biennale in the Middle East, the initiative establishes Abu Dhabi as a leader in creating innovative cultural experiences for young audiences. 

Taking place during the UAE's 2026 Year of Family, the Biennale also reflects Abu Dhabi Festival's wider cultural mission, contributing to the UAE's position as a global centre for culture, artistic innovation and international dialogue, while bringing families together and inspiring the next generation of artists, thinkers and creative citizens to play, learn and grow.