What’s On Yas Island in 2026, Concerts, Comedy and the F1 Weekend
What’s on Yas Island comes down to three venues. Etihad Arena at Yas Bay takes the concerts and the comedy. Etihad Live, the big outdoor amphitheatre renamed from Etihad Park in June 2026, takes the festivals. Yas Marina Circuit takes the Formula 1 finale on 3 to 6 December. We last went through this calendar on 21 August.
Dates move and shows get added. We stamp the date we checked, so you can see how fresh this is before you book a flight around it.
Stay on Yas Island, view the apartment →The calendar
| Date | Event | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| 19 + 20 Sep | Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live: Glow ‘N’ Fire (Sat shows 11:30 AM and 6:30 PM) | Etihad Arena |
| 26 Sep | K-Pop Fever, tribute show (doors 2:00 PM, starts 3:00 PM) | Etihad Arena |
| 27 Sep | The Corrs, live | Etihad Arena |
| 11 Oct | Morgan Jay, comedy | Etihad Arena |
| 25 Oct | Russell Peters, comedy | Etihad Arena |
| 31 Oct + 1 Nov | Riverdance, 30th anniversary (matinee and evening, both days) | Etihad Arena |
| 6 Nov | Mo Amer, comedy | Etihad Arena |
| 7 Nov | Maz Jobrani, comedy | Etihad Arena |
| 27 Nov | Tarkan | Etihad Arena |
| 2 Dec | Andrea Bocelli, Yasalam Classics, 8:00 PM (separate ticket, see below) | Etihad Arena |
| 3 to 6 Dec | Abu Dhabi Grand Prix + Yasalam After-Race Concerts | Yas Marina Circuit + Etihad Live |
The F1 weekend, and the thing most guides leave out
The Grand Prix runs 3 to 6 December, and the after-race concerts at Etihad Live are the other half of the weekend. Zara Larsson and Lewis Capaldi play the Thursday, Imagine Dragons the Saturday, with more names still to come.
Here is the part that catches people out. The Yasalam concerts are not a public gig you can buy a ticket to on the night. Access comes with a Grand Prix ticket, and a 4-day ticket covers general admission to every concert across the weekend. If you are coming for the music, buy the race ticket first, then book somewhere to sleep.
F1 weekend is the busiest of the year here and it fills months ahead. See our F1 weekend page →
Getting home after a show
This is the bit nobody writes about, and it is the whole reason to stay on the island.
Etihad Arena empties in about fifteen minutes. Everyone walks out at once, and almost everyone is heading off the island. The queue that forms is not really for taxis, it is for the bridges, because the island has a handful of them and they all fill at the same moment. During race week there are controlled access zones on top of that, and the standard advice for drivers is to park at Yas Mall and shuttle in.
If you are already staying here, none of that applies. You are inside the ring before the show starts and you never cross a bridge to get home.
From Water’s Edge, where our homes are:
- Etihad Arena, 7 minutes by car
- Yas Marina Circuit, 8 minutes by car
- Yas Mall, 5 minutes by car
- Ferrari World, 5 minutes by car. SeaWorld, 3.
Every one of those is a drive, not a walk.
Where to stay for an event night
For a show night the useful part is simple. You get ready in a flat instead of a hotel room, you eat what you want beforehand, and you are home ten minutes after the encore.
We are run by two brothers, Muhammad and Ramey. ★5.0 across 25 verified guest reviews, Superhost on Airbnb, DCT-licensed (CN-5654594 / PER25000250).
See the apartment and check dates →See the home and check dates on Airbnb · or message us on WhatsApp at +971 58 580 2785 if your dates are around a show and you want us to sanity-check the timing.
Common questions
What’s coming up at Etihad Arena?
Next up are Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live on 19 and 20 September, K-Pop Fever on the 26th and The Corrs on the 27th. The full run to December is in the calendar above.
When is the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2026?
3 to 6 December at Yas Marina Circuit, with the Yasalam After-Race Concerts at Etihad Live each evening.
Do I need a race ticket for the Yasalam concerts?
Yes for the After-Race Concerts at Etihad Live. Concert access comes with a Grand Prix ticket, and a 4-day ticket includes general admission to all of them. Andrea Bocelli on 2 December is a separate event, Yasalam Classics, indoors at Etihad Arena, on its own ticket. You do not need a race ticket for that one.
Is Etihad Park the same place as Etihad Live?
Yes. Etihad Park was renamed Etihad Live in June 2026. Same outdoor venue on Yas Island, and it is where the F1 concerts happen.
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