Today's Edition
ABU DHABI (ALETIHAD)
The Cultural Foundation has announced its September–December 2026 season, featuring international performances, art exhibitions, community activities, and the launch of the literary programme El Marmas.
Admission to Cultural Foundation is free, with tickets required for specific activities. Opening hours are 9am–8pm from Saturday to Thursday, and 2pm–8pm on Fridays.
-The performing arts programme at the facility opens on September 17 with Mid-Autumn Festival: A Moonment to Remember, featuring the China National Peking Opera Company, in partnership with the Chinese Cultural Centre.
-Dance of the Emerald Isle, created by former Lord of the Dance star Chris Hannon, follows on September 19 and 20, while Barcelona Flamenco Ballet presents Flamenco Romeo and Juliet on September 26. Both productions are presented in partnership with Art For All.
-Jalsat Nights returns on October 4 with Emirati artist Muaded Al Kaabi, winner of the Najm Al Khaleej 2006 title and a member of the UAE National Orchestra.
-Anime Memories follows on October 17, celebrating anime soundtracks through a live concert.
-From October 21-24, Cultural Foundation hosts SCHLiNGEL ABU DHABI, an international children’s and youth film festival, in partnership with the Goethe-Institut Gulf Region.
-On October 24, Tenors of the XXI Century: World Hits About Love features opera arias, tangos and international classics.
-Family performances include Jonathan Rockefeller’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show on November 6 and 7, featuring more than 75 puppets.
-S4K’s child-friendly musical adaptation of Macbeth will be staged on November 15.
-On November 20 and 21, Akram Khan Company presents Thikra: Night of Remembering, created with visual artist Manal AlDowayan. The all-female ensemble blends Bharatanatyam and contemporary dance.
-Enrico Macias closes the performance season on December 12 with a concert celebrating six decades of music. His concert, Anime Memories, Tenors of the XXI Century and The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show are presented in partnership with Art For All.
-The visual arts programme includes Zuleya 2026 – Year of the Family Exhibition Series and Auction, running from October 15, 2026 to January 15, 2027. Organised by the Fatima Bint Mohamed bin Zayed Initiative (FBMI), in partnership with Mubadala and Dolphin Energy, it explores the theme of “family unity” through artworks, talks, and workshops. A charity auction will support FBMI’s health and education initiatives for disadvantaged children.
-A solo exhibition by Emirati artist Shaikha Al Mazrou runs from November 12, 2026 to March 15, 2027, bringing together existing sculptures and new commissions exploring materiality, gravity, and spatial tension.
-Shezad Dawood’s mid-career retrospective, Shezad Dawood: Skin of Dreams, remains open until September 20, 2026.
-Launching this season, El Marmas will support reading, authorship and public dialogue through December. Its programme includes the monthly reading series Memory Endurance, literary discussions under Read the World, the children’s Awal Badi Book Club, informal Writers Detox gatherings, and a Poetry Night marking National Day celebrations.
-Cultural Foundation will also participate in the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair from September 13 to 18, offering film and literature talks and children’s activities.
-The Awal Badi Forum, on December 14 and 15, will explore culture, memory and heritage through discussions, performances and public activities. Applications for the next Art Residency Programme cycle open in December.
-Abu Dhabi Children’s Library will continue its multilingual reading and creative learning programmes for children aged up to 14, with its annual Winter Camp running from December through January.
-The Children’s Art Centre will offer classes and workshops, while Al Marsam Al Hor and Bait Al Khatt will provide courses and activities in disciplines including painting, sculpture, pottery, fashion design, and Arabic calligraphy.
