Top 21 concerts and events coming to the UAE in 2025, from Usher to Coldplay

Rock, rap, opera, ballet and classical music concerts are some of the performances coming soon to the UAE. A host of big names and star attractions from around the world will be taking centre stage, from pop star Christina Aguilera and Canadian crooner Michael Buble to an anticipated restaging of Les Miserables . Arena shows by classical music star Ludovico Einaudi and Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer are also in the cards. The year is set to wrap up with a New Year's Eve gala concert by Lionel Richie and Andrea Bocelli, before next year begins with Coldplay's four stadium shows in Abu Dhabi. Here, The National rounds up the best live events coming up. Say goodbye to 2024 and ring in the new year with the celebrated Italian opera star. Bocelli is no stranger to the UAE, having already performed in the country several times. He has an extensive catalogue of music, including his biggest hits Time to Say Goodbye , The Prayer and Ave Maria . Tickets and timings will be announced soon Dubai revellers will say goodbye to the year with Hello singer Lionel Richie. The Grammy Award-winning pop star will perform at Atlantis, The Palm’s annual New Year’s Eve Gala Dinner. Attendees will have the chance to celebrate the beginning of 2025 with the singer performing a collection of the greatest hits from both his solo and The Commodores catalogue, including All Night Long , Dancing in the Ceiling , Penny Lover and Sail On . Doors open at 6pm; dinner packages tickets start at Dh295 The Iranian pop star Ebi (real name Ebrahim Hamedi) will launch the Saadiyat Nights open-air concert series. He has had an impressive career that has spanned more than five decades, in which has released more than 30 albums and almost 100 singles, earning a dedicated fan base throughout generations. Expect to hear hits such as Shab-e Yalda , Gole Yakh and Jaan-e Man . The British band will return to the UAE with their Music of the Spheres World Tour for four stadium shows in the capital. They will be the first concerts at the nearly 45,000-capacity Zayed Sports Stadium since 2008, when George Michael and Alicia Keys rocked the venue. Known for his deadpan delivery and sharp, vicious one-liners, the popular British comedian will return to Abu Dhabi as part of his Laughs Funny tour. Carr is also recognised for his numerous television appearances, including as the presenter of hit UK shows I Literally Just Told You, The Big Fat Quiz of the Year and 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown. Doors open at 6.30pm; tickets start at Dh295 Svetlana Zakharova, an internationally renowned ballerina, will perform in a double-bill ballet called Modanse . She will be joined by a cast of well-known dancers from the Bolshoi Theatre, as well as modern dance star Ildar Young-Gainutdinov. It will be split into two parts, with the second a tribute to Coco Chanel called Ballet Gabrielle Chanel , which will feature more than 80 costumes. Show starts at 8pm; tickets start at Dh330 The Canadian crooner is coming to Abu Dhabi for the first time as part of Saadiyat Nights. Fans of the singer can expect a night filled with smooth, soulful vocals and timeless charm while listening to hits such as Haven't Met You Yet , Feeling Good and Home . Buble is known for his charisma on the stage, blending classic jazz standards with his own hits, and backed by a full band for an immersive musical experience. Doors open at 5pm; tickets start at Dh295 After selling out all of his previous shows at Dubai Opera, Italian pianist and composer Ludovico Einaudi returns to the UAE for his biggest show to date. His haunting compositions, which can be best described as minimal, not only helped him build a successful solo career, but also afforded him the opportunity to score numerous Italian films in the 1980s, before landing international gigs, including 2011's French blockbuster The Intouchables and 2020 Oscar winner Nomadland. Doors open at 6pm; tickets start at Dh250 The veteran American punk rock bands will make their Middle East debut in a purpose-built open-air concert venue that will host up to 30,000 people. Expect to hear three decades' worth of Green Day hits, including Holiday , Boulevard of Broken Dreams and Longview . The Offspring also has an extensive catalogue of tracks, including the 1998 hit Pretty Fly (For a White Guy), as well as early favourites Come Out and Play and Self Esteem. Doors open at 5pm; tickets start at Dh445 The American RnB trio will perform as the open-air Saadiyat Nights event returns for a second year. The Grammy-winning group are known for hits One Sweet Day , I'll Make Love to You and End of the Road . Doors open at 5pm; tickets start at Dh225 The American rockers' UAE fan base is getting bigger. After an intimate sold-out show at Hard Rock Cafe Dubai in 2022, Cas will bring their cinematic sounds to Coca-Cola Arena as they perform songs from new album Xs. Show starts at 9pm; tickets start at Dh295 The celebrated Pakistani singer is well known for bridging the cultural gap between Pakistan and India by contributing to Bollywood with hit songs such as Tere Bin and Jeena Jeena . Fans of Aslam can expect to hear popular numbers including Woh Lamhe , Tu Jaane Na and O Saathi from the Bollywood film Baaghi 2 . Show starts at 9pm; tickets start at Dh150 The Egyptian pianist and composer is synonymous with some of the greatest Egyptian films, including 1984's Lailat al-Qabd Ala Fatima (The night they arrested Fatima) and 1994’s The Terrorist , which were pan-Arab hits. He will bring his celebrated compositions to Saadiyat Nights. Doors open at 6pm; tickets start at Dh250 Irish group the Corrs are coming to Dubai to deliver their famed blend of folk and pop, complete with gorgeous Celtic harmonies. Emerging on the scene in the 1990s, the band scored several global hits, including Breathless , Runaway and Dreams . Show starts at 8pm; tickets start at Dh195 The American singer will take to the stage as part of the Saadiyat Nights open-air concert series . Aguilera rose to fame in the late 1990s with her debut single Genie in a Bottle , and quickly established herself as one of the biggest stars in pop music. She has won five Grammy Awards, including Best New Artist, and has sold more than 75 million records worldwide. Show starts at 5pm; tickets start at Dh295 The German electronic composer will return for a show dedicated to his latest album In a Landscape , out on September 26. He will be accompanied by the American Contemporary Music Ensemble. Show starts at 8pm; tickets start at Dh330 The Grammy Award winner is bringing his Sting 3.0 world tour to the UAE capital. He'll be joined by virtuoso guitarist and long-time collaborator Dominic Miller and drummer Chris Maas (Mumford & Sons, Maggie Rogers) to perform some of the biggest hits from his discography. Timings to be announced soon; tickets start at Dh395 The world's longest-running musical is based on a novel by Victor Hugo and was adapted into a popular film in 2012 starring Anne Hathaway and Hugh Jackman, receiving eight Academy Award nominations the following year. The new stage show has a grander production design built for larger venues and features a cast and orchestra of more than 65 people. Tickets and timings will be announced soon Usher, Snow Patrol and Raye are set to perform in Abu Dhabi for the Club Social music festival. Snow Patrol will launch the event on April 18, playing hits like Chasing Cars and tracks from their new album The Forest is the Path , with British rockers the Kooks will also join them. Usher will take to the stage on April 19, blending club anthems like Yeah with ballads from his Confessions era and songs from his latest album Coming Home . His appearance will mark a break from his Las Vegas residency. The festival will finish with Raye’s debut full-length concert in the capital on April 20, featuring viral hits Escapism and Prada . She’ll be joined by London Grammar, performing tracks from their latest album The Greatest Love . Tickets and timings will be announced soon Ed Sheeran and the Kaiser Chiefs will headline the first Off Limits music festival. The event is planned as a 12-hour extravaganza, with doors opening at 2pm. Sheeran and the Kaiser Chiefs will lead a bill of more than 20 artists performing across two stages. Sheeran will play a full-length concert set, of around two hours, after which other artists will perform into the early hours. The remaining acts will be announced in the lead-up to the event. Doors open at 2pm; tickets start at Dh495 The Academy Award-winning composer will bring his globally acclaimed Hans Zimmer Live concert to Abu Dhabi for the first time. Known for his extensive catalogue of work, expect to hear soundtracks from films such as Interstellar , The Lion King and Dune . The performance will also celebrate Abu Dhabi’s role in the Dune films, with Zimmer and his ensemble being joined by the original vocalists from Dune , Gladiator and The Lion King on stage. Tickets and timings will be announced soon

Top 21 concerts and events coming to the UAE in 2025, from Usher to Coldplay

From comedy to music and dance to drama, the next six months offer an eclectic mix of shows