The British rapper last performed in the UAE at the end of 2019…

British rapper and songwriter Stormzy has been announced as the headliner for the Friday night after-race concerts in Abu Dhabi. He will join Lewis Capaldi and Khalid already confirmed as ‘on the bill’ for the four-night event on Yas Island.

Taking place on December 10, ticket holders for that day’s race warm-up will be able to catch the UK Hip-Hop sensation slinging his signature smooth bars to a revved-up audience.

Stormzy last performed in the UAE at Dubai’s RedFestDXB festival in 2020 as part of his Heavy Is the Head world tour. Since then he has been spotted holidaying in the emirates, but this will be the first time he’s played in the capital.

Known for chart-topping hits such as Big For Your Boots; his breakout, UK smash Shut Up; and Vossi Bop, the wordsmith has earned countless nominations and built up an impressive stack of awards in his seven-year career.

One emotional, critically-lauded, if slightly controversial highlight being his appearance at 2019’s Glastonbury festival.

Who’s next?

You don’t need a calculator or a Fields Medal for mathematics to work out that there is of course still one headline artist (or ‘artists’) left to be confirmed for the Yasalam after-race parties.

We don’t yet know but the smart money, looking back at previous years, would be either some old school masters of rock, or a talented songwriting soulstress.

On track for a thrilling conclusion to the 2021 F1 Season

The Yas Marina Circuit race serves as the season finale to the 2021 F1 race schedule and with just four races to go, it’s looking tight at the top. Max Verstappen of the Netherlands has a wafer-thin lead over arch-rival Lewis Hamilton in the 2021 Driver Championship.

And it’s a big deal, Hamilton needs just one more trophy to take pole in the record for Drivers’ Championship titles.

Yas Marina Circuit has also announced that there have been “significant track upgrades” to the course, which it hopes will lead to its most exciting, and hotly contested, high octane petrol fest yet.

How to get tickets

Taking place between December 9 to 12, tickets for the thrilling conclusion to this championship start at Dhs699, include access to the Yasalam after-race concerts, and are available for purchase now from yasmarinacircuit.com. 

Recently we learned that attendance for the event will be permitted to go ahead at 100 per cent.

It’s important to note that the new government guidelines issued by the Department of Culture and Tourism — Abu Dhabi (DCT — Abu Dhabi) require those attending any event or exhibitions to have received a negative PCR test within the last 96 hours.

The requirement for masks also still remains and there will be temperature and EDE scanning on all event space entry points.

It has also been confirmed that children under 12 will now be able to attend the event, with ticket bundles now on sale to reflect that.

Images: Getty