Music just hits better outdoors…

We’re about to head, eardrums first, into one of the most intense events seasons Abu Dhabi has ever seen. This, ladies and gentlemen, is not a drill. With so much that’s already confirmed, more that’s almost confirmed and still a pretty sizable nugget of music festival awesomeness still to be announced in the next six months — we’ve put together a guide of how, where and when you can get your groove back. Advance warning to our credit card suppliers, there’s going to be some suspicious looking activity on our accounts, but it’s all us… It’s all us.

Willy William at Saadiyat Beach Club

Making landfall on Saturday, October 8 a typhoon of talent arrives at Saadiyat Beach Club in the form of French DJ and vocalist, Willy William. He’ll be bringing his unique sound to the bougie shoreline of the beat-drop-shop, for a special La Loca Pool Party. If you want to be living your best vida Loca, entrance for ladies is just Dhs90, and you get four free drinks. Fellas, you know the drill, it’s Dhs250 and you get a big wet zero on the gratis tab (although table packages are available). Backing Willy, is some of the UAE’s hottest turn table talent — DJs Kaboo & Saif & Sound, and there’s the option of scoring yourself some super exclusive cabana privacy.

Saadiyat Beach Club, Saadiyat Island, Sat Oct 1 from 9pm, ladies Dhs90, gents Dhs250. Tel: (054) 581 6260, @saadiyatbeachclub

Club Social

Club Social 2022 is set to take place on the rolling green pastures of Yas Links Golf Course, Yas Island between October 28 and October 30. Music lovers can look forward to three days of alfresco raving, alongside dining adventures and fun activations still yet to be announced. Live and loud, confirmed headliners so far include Brit-pop-rock indie outfit Kaiser Chiefs; electro-banger G-unit, Clean Bandit; and the lead of legendary British band Oasis, Liam Gallagher.

Yas Links Golf Course, Yas Island October 28 to 30. Tickets will be available through Ticketmaster and Platinum List, three-day pass priced from Dhs235. 

HYPE Festival

Earlier this year W Abu Dhabi — Yas Island announced that it was launching a brand new carnival of cutting-edge music — HYPE Festival. It’s taking place on Saturday November 5, at the stunning Palm Garden at W Abu Dhabi – Yas Island, a breezy alfresco venue with the UAE’s famous Grand Prix racetrack as its dramatic backdrop. And the HYPE is already building for what will be the very first electronic music festival of this magnitude in the capital. Tickets for the event are on sale now via Platinumlist and you’re still in time to get those discounted early bird tickets for just Dhs150. Headliners include Claptone, Joris Voorn and The Mambo Brothers.

HYPE Festival, W Abu Dhabi — Yas Island, Saturday November 5, from Dhs150. Tel: (050) 642 0893. platinumlist.net

Amplified

Just when you thought Abu Dhabi’s events schedule couldn’t get any wilder, the emirate has pulled back the crossfader for another epic beat drop  — Amplified Music Festival will be coming to Abu Dhabi between November 11 and 13 of this year. Taking place at Yas Links Abu Dhabi, headliners for the event include OneRepublic, a live Ministry of Sound disco band, and Cigarettes After S** (if you know, you know) and tickets for this massive, regional first event go on sale, today Monday, October 3 from midday and will be available via the livenation.me website.

Yas Links Abu Dhabi, November 11 and 13, tickets from Dhs149. livenation.me 

Yasalam After-Race Concerts

Organised by Flash Entertainment and staged at what is now known as Etihad Park (the artist hub formally known as du Arena) Abu Dhabi’s Yasalam After Race Concerts are the stuff of legend. A gloriously eclectic mix of triple A, off-track on-tracks talent, is jetted in the capital to perform for one night and one night only after each day’s motorsport sessions. And the only way to see the four of them play, is to hold track tickets for whichever day the artist is performing. You cannot purchase concert tickets separately. The confirmed artists for the Abu Dhabi F1 2022, are EDM maestros, Swedish House Mafia — headlining the show on Friday, November 18 and member of the rap aristocracy, Kendrick Lamar taking his brooding philosophical bars to the stage on Saturday, November 19. That still leaves Thursday’s opener, which tends to be something catering for the younger, on-trend audiences; and Sunday — the mega artist, to close out proceedings with a back catalog of sing-a-long bangers. Flash Entertainment love a surprise announcement, so finding out when and who will be playing, is always an exciting game of musical Cluedo.

Etihad Park, November 17 to 20. @yasalamae

Post Malone at Etihad Park

Post Malone, real name Austin Post — with the Malone half of his stage moniker allegedly spat from a rap name generator — is confirmed as returning to the capital on December 3. The ‘always tired’ Rockstar rap impresario, will take to the stage of alftresco venue — Etihad Park, (formally du Arena). Tickets for the event are now live and available to purchase on the ticketmaster.ae and virginmegastore.ae websites.

Etihad Park, Yas Island, December 3. Tickets from Dhs295 via the ticketmaster.ae and virginmegastore.ae websites.

Wireless

The UK’s number one ‘urban music festival’ – Wireless, will be making its debut in Abu Dhabi in March 2023. It’s a sonic celebration of beats from the streets and showcases the best artists from cutting edge musical genres such as hip-hop, grime, electronica, trip-hop, trap and afrobeats. We know Wireless Festival Abu Dhabi 2023 will take place at Yas links Golf Course in March, but the exact dates, along with the artists set to be performing have not been announced yet. Rest assured, as soon as we have that information, we will let you know.

Images: Provided/Unsplash