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There are so many more incredible performances to look forward to next year when internationally renowned and critically acclaimed artists from all over the world will descend on the UAE to perform their biggest hits to captivate fans of music from across the country – and those travelling from around the region.
Here is a list of the biggest concerts set to take place in the UAE in 2025 – and a reminder for you to get your tickets for some of your favourite artists while they’re still on sale!
Coldplay (with Elyanna) – January 11, 12, 14
For the last two months, people from all over the UAE (and abroad) have been overcome with excitement as the legendary alternative pop-rock group is set to come to the UAE for the first time in eight years. The band will play three shows at the 45,000-capacity Zayed Sports City Stadium in Abu Dhabi as part of their Music Of The Spheres World Tour – which has already sold over 9 million tickets to become the highest-attended world tour in history.
Coldplay will be supported by an opening act by Palestinian-Chilean singer Elyanna, who features on the song We Pray from Coldplay’s tenth and most recent album Moon Music. Elyanna also released her first studio album, Woledto earlier this year.
Tickets for all three shows have already sold out – and if you were lucky enough to get your hands on a few, you will start the new year off by being a part of history – of the biggest world tour of all time. If not, don’t fret because there are plenty more exciting concerts to look forward to in 2025.
Michael Bublé – January 16
Just two days after Coldplay’s final show, celebrated Canadian singer and songwriter Michael Bublé will perform at Saadiyat Island.
The Grammy-winning artist, who has sold over 75 million albums globally, will croon timeless swing, jazz and pop classics like Home, Sway, and Feeling Good, in what is set to be an unforgettable night at the stunning open-air venue in the heart of Saadiyat Island, in Abu Dhabi.
Bublé will be followed by Boyz II Men (January 25), Omar Khairat (February 1), and Christina Aguilera (February 15) at Saadiyat Island, all of whom will follow Bublé in performing at the venue as part of the Saadiyat Nights’ concert series.
From Dhs295, Saadiyat Island, get your tickets here
Ludovico Einaudi – January 19
If you are not able to cap 2024 off with Andrea Bocelli’s concert at the Emirates Palace, don’t worry because esteemed Italian composer Ludovico Einaudi will also visit Abu Dhabi, to perform at the iconic Eithad Arena.
Einaudi has composed the soundtracks for celebrated and critically acclaimed films, including Shane Meadows This is England and French comedy-drama Intouchables. He has also composed 16 studio albums and has won multiple awards for his work as a classical composer who is unafraid to experiment with elements of pop, folk, and rock. He is set to showcase decades of dedication to his craft in a single performance on January 19.
From Dhs490, Etihad Arena, get your tickets here
Metro Boomin – January 24
“Metroooo!”
You can now hear the celebrated Atlanta DJ and producer’s infamous producer tag live for the first time in Dubai when Metro Boomin will perform at the Coca-Cola Arena on January 24, just months after his explosive performance at BRED Abu Dhabi in April 2024.
Hip-hop’s most distinguished producer, Metro Boomin has collaborated with some of rap music’s biggest names – Drake, Future, 21 Savage, and Young Thug, among others – and he will play some of his most celebrated hits, including Like That from his and Future’s Grammy-nominated album We Don’t Trust You, which played a central role in intensifying Drake and Kendrick Lamar’s rap-beef, which defined hip-hop music in 2024.
From Dhs199, Coca-Cola Arena, get your tickets here
Steve Aoki – January 25
From one iconic DJ to another, Florida-born record producer and one of EDM’s pioneers, Steve Aoki, is set to electrify Barasti Beach in Dubai less than 24 hours after Metro Boomin’ raises the roof at the Coca-Cola Arena.
Aoki has been ranked among the top 10 best DJs in DJ Magazine‘s annual ‘Top 100 DJs’ list every year since 2013. So, if you’re a fan of house music, be sure to mark the evening of January 25 on your calendars – you won’t want to miss Aoki’s set.
From Dhs250, Barasti Beach, get your tickets here
Green Day (with The Offering) – January 27
The celebrated and globally renowned punk rock trio will perform in the Middle East for the first time ever on January 27, when Green Day will take the stage at Dubai Expo City’s 30,000-capacity open-air venue.
Since coming together 37 years ago, Green Day has sold over 75 million records worldwide and secured seven number-one hits, including Boulevard of Broken Dreams and Wake Me Up When September Ends. The band released its 14th studio album, ‘Saviors’, earlier this year.
Green Day will be supported by punk rock compatriots The Offspring, who have enjoyed similar success, selling over 40 million records across the planet since coming together in 1984.
Two of the most beloved and recognisable bands in punk rock history will come together at the Expo City’s state-of-the-art venue for what will undoubtedly be one of the biggest concerts in the entire region in the coming year.
From Dhs445, Dubai Expo City, get your tickets here
Cigarettes After Sex – January 31
One of the biggest indie bands in the world, Cigarettes After Sex will come to Dubai to form their first-ever major concert in the city at the Coca-Cola Arena two and a half years after playing an intimate gig at the Hard Rock Café in Dubai.
Since coming together in El Paso, Texas, in 2008, the Alt/Indie band has released three studio albums and the song Apocalypse from the group’s self-titled 2017 album has racked up over one-and-a-half billion streams.
From Dhs195, Coca-Cola Arena, get your tickets here
Sting – April 3 (AD)
There aren’t very many names in rock music that are bigger than Sting. The 17-time Grammy-winning songwriter and bassist, who was the frontman of the new wave band the Police until their breakup in 1986, will bring his Sting 3.0 world tour to the capital on April 3.
Since launching his solo career in 1985, Sting has released 15 studio albums spanning the wide world of rock and infusing them with elements of classical, jazz, reggae, and worldbeat music, and the 73-year-old musician from Wallsend, England, is still going strong. He will be joined by long-time collaborator and guitarist Dominic Miller, as well as drummer Chris Maas, when he performs the hits that have endured across his 40-year-long solo career at the Etihad Arena.
From Dhs395, Ethiad Arena, get your tickets here
These monumental figures in the world of music only make up a fraction of the live entertainment that 2025 will offer those in the UAE. Renowned Pakistani singer and songwriter Atif Aslam, German-born British composer and pianist Max Richter, and traditional Irish punk rock band The Corrs are just some of many other notable international performers set to grace the UAE in the coming year. A host of other artists will join them as we get deeper into 2025. It’s going to be an exciting year in music, one that seems destined to top even the highs of 2024.
Words: Hamza Shehryar
