New Year’s Eve 2026 in Abu Dhabi

By the ULTIMATE Abu Dhabi Editorial Team

Galas at the Palace and by the sea

Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental closes its festive season with a New Year’s Eve gala dinner on 31 December to celebrate the arrival of 2027: fine dining, live entertainment and, at midnight, fireworks over the Arabian Gulf. The palace has not printed prices; the gala is booked by telephone on +971 2 690 7999 or through its restaurant reservations team.

Earlier in the day, the palace spa runs a New Year’s Eve Circuit Fit & Ice Bath Challenge, a circuit session followed by a guided ice bath, from 9am to 6pm (AED 1,100). Its Christmas at the Palace village of chalets stays under the Grand Dome from 11 December to 6 January.

Rosewood Abu Dhabi, on Al Maryah Island, pairs a night in the hotel with three New Year’s Eve parties. Midnight on the Fairways is a black-tie gala at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club from 10pm to 2am, with a festive buffet, live cooking stations, a band and a DJ, and the countdown on the Dolphin Lawn and Terrace; rates are printed from AED 449 (soft package) and AED 689 (house package), with children aged 6–12 at AED 199.

Midnight by the Sea takes guests to Saadiyat Beach Club for an international buffet, a live band and DJ and fireworks over the water at midnight, from AED 899 (soft beverages) to AED 1,399 (premium beverages), with cabanas for up to eight at AED 16,000. Midnight on Yas, at Yas Links, offers the Lawn from AED 570 or the Sunset Terrace from AED 758, with a buffet, live music and a DJ.

Our advice: Rosewood’s rates are for a stay and a party together and exclude taxes; confirm with the hotel exactly what your rate covers before you book.

Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental: Festive Season →   Rosewood Abu Dhabi: Midnight on the Fairways →   Rosewood Abu Dhabi: Midnight by the Sea →   Rosewood Abu Dhabi: Midnight on Yas →

Dinner by the creek: Fairmont Bab Al Bahr

Fairmont Bab Al Bahr welcomes 2027 across its restaurants and bars. The New Year Gala Dinner at Cuiscene runs from 8pm to midnight, from AED 495 with soft drinks to AED 865 with French Champagne. Marco’s Italian serves a six-course set menu (AED 595–1,000), and Marco Pierre White Steakhouse & Grill a five-course menu (AED 795–1,225).

Cafe Sushi has an all-you-can-eat menu at AED 395, and Mazaj Bab Al Bahr runs from 9pm to 2.30am with a singer and a belly dancer (AED 650–995). Bridges Bar has a buffet with house drinks from 9pm (AED 545), and at midnight the after-party moves to the terraces of Marco’s Italian and Bridges Bar, with fireworks and live bands until 2am.

Our advice: the hotel asks for a 50% deposit when you reserve; children under 6 dine without charge and those aged 6–12 pay half.

Fairmont Bab Al Bahr: New Year’s Eve →

Yas Island: a concert and a long weekend

Diljit Dosanjh brings his AURA World Tour to Etihad Live on Yas Island on Thursday 31 December 2026, a one-night show and the tour’s only stop in the Middle East, to welcome 2027. Tickets are sold through Live Nation and the venue’s own site; the start time is printed on the ticket page.

Yas Island’s New Year Package covers stays from 28 December 2026 to 2 January 2027 at participating Yas Island and neighbouring hotels: at least two nights, including 31 December, with breakfast, a New Year’s Eve gala dinner for two at your hotel and two days’ entry for two adults to one of Ferrari World, Warner Bros. World, Yas Waterworld or SeaWorld. Live entertainment is at selected hotels only.

Our advice: Yas Island is a long weekend in itself; book the package for the gala, then spend New Year’s Day in the parks.

Live Nation: Diljit Dosanjh Live in Abu Dhabi →   Etihad Live, Yas Island →   Yas Island: New Year Package →

Festivals on the Corniche and in the desert

The Liwa International Festival returns to the Empty Quarter in Al Dhafra from 11 December 2026 to 2 January 2027, open daily from 4pm to midnight. Drivers take on the 300-metre Tal Moreeb dune by day, and evenings at Liwa Village, with its craft souk, Ferris wheel and concerts under the stars, end in fireworks and drone shows over the desert.

In the city, MOTN Abu Dhabi fills the Corniche from 9 December 2026 to 3 January 2027, from 4pm to 11.30pm, with rides, live music, food from around the world and festive celebrations for all ages.

Our advice: if you want New Year in the dunes, book a desert stay early; the festival brings the region its busiest weeks of the year.

Visit Abu Dhabi: Liwa International Festival →   Visit Abu Dhabi: MOTN Abu Dhabi →

Public fireworks, and what is still to come

Last New Year’s Eve, the Abu Dhabi Media Office reports, the Sheikh Zayed Festival in Al Wathba welcomed 2026 with a 62-minute fireworks display that set five Guinness World Records and a show of 6,500 drones, before more than 163,000 visitors. The festival’s programme for 31 December 2026, and any displays on the Corniche, Yas Bay or Al Hudayriyat Island, had not been published when we checked.

When we checked, The St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort, The Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi, Grand Canal, W Abu Dhabi – Yas Island and Etihad Arena had not published New Year’s Eve 2026 events that we could read on their own sites; we will add them as they are confirmed.

Our advice: on the night, roads to the beaches, Yas Island and Al Wathba fill early. Arrive at your dinner in good time, or book a room where you celebrate.

Abu Dhabi Media Office: Sheikh Zayed Festival on New Year’s Eve →   Visit Abu Dhabi: events calendar →   Abu Dhabi essentials →

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