From Rahma Riad, Nassif Zeytoun to Al Shami: Concert lineup for Dubai Summer Surprises 2026

Dubai: Dubai Summer Surprises is back, and this year's entertainment line-up is one of the strongest in its recent history. Organised by Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), part of Dubai's Department of Economy and Tourism, the 60-day festival opens with a free weekend of live music before handing over to the Beat the Heat concert series through July and August.

Here is the full run-down of who is playing, and where to find them.

Opening weekend: Dubai Hills Mall

The opening weekend kicks off with free concerts across two of the city's malls. At Dubai Hills Mall, the first night belongs to Amanda Maalouf, a Lebanese singer now based in Dubai who has quietly become one of the city's most in-demand voices. She was the one chosen to close out the Dubai World Cup in March, delivering an orchestral rendition of a beloved Emirati song backed by the UAE Philharmonic at Meydan.

She takes the stage straight after, at 7pm, is Saif Al Ali, an Emirati oud player and singer with the National Orchestra whose classical training and love of Mohammed Abdel Wahab and Umm Kulthum shape a sound that bridges old and new.

The second night brings a genuine local discovery in Arqam Al Abri, an Emirati-Omani soul singer, born and raised in Dubai, who left a corporate career behind to sing full time. Self-taught and inspired by Sam Cooke and Lauryn Hill, he blends classic soul with Khaleeji instruments like the oud, work that has already earned him a UAE Ministry of Culture grant and a shared stage with pianist Lang Lang. Opening for him is Donía, one of the newer names on this year's bill.

Where: Dubai Hills Mall When: Amanda Maalouf, 3 July, 7pm to 8pm. Saif Al Ali, 3 July, 9pm to 10pm. Donía, 4 July, 7pm to 8pm. Arqam Al Abri, 4 July, 9pm to 10pm Price: Free

Opening weekend: City Centre Mirdif

Over at City Centre Mirdif, the two nights belong to two of the biggest names in Arabic pop. Rahma Riad, an Iraqi singer whose ballad "Waed Menni" has clocked more than 148 million views on YouTube, opens the weekend. She featured on the official 2022 World Cup soundtrack "Light the Sky" alongside Balqees and Nora Fatehi, and shares an unlikely piece of history with the next night's headliner: both were finalists on the same 2010 season of Star Academy.

That headliner is Nassif Zeytoun, the Syrian singer who won that very season and went on to release "Mesh Aam Tezbat Maae," one of the most-streamed Arabic songs of the last decade. His 2024 duet with Rahma Riad, "Ma Fi Leil," spent 12 weeks at number one on the Billboard Arabia Hot 100, so expect a warm reception either night.

Where: City Centre Mirdif When: Rahma Riad, 3 July, 9pm to 10pm. Nassif Zeytoun, 4 July, 9pm to 10pm Price: Free

Beat the Heat, Season 5

Once the opening weekend wraps, the Beat the Heat series takes over Dubai World Trade Centre with five ticketed nights running into August. It opens on 11 July with Cairokee, the Egyptian rock band whose 2011 anthem "Sout El Horeya" became one of the defining songs of the Arab Spring and who remain one of the region's most respected alternative acts more than two decades on.

On 18 July, the bill turns to two very different rising stars. Dystinct, the Belgian-Moroccan artist behind "Ghazali," which became Morocco's unofficial victory song at the 2022 World Cup, recently set a Guinness World Record for the longest combined run at number one on the Billboard Arabia Hot 100. He shares the night with Issam Najjar, the Jordanian-Palestinian singer whose bedroom-recorded "Hadal Ahbek" became the first Arabic song ever to hit number one globally on TikTok and Spotify's viral charts.

25 July brings a double bill of contemporary Gulf pop, with Saudi singer Sultan Murshed and Kuwaiti artist Talal Sam performing a night built around their most streamed Khaleeji hits.

On 1 August, Rasha Rizk takes the stage. Syrian by birth and nicknamed the "golden voice," she is the singer behind the Arabic theme songs of childhood favourites like Detective Conan and Digimon, alongside a Grammy nomination for her album Malak and the song "Mreyte Ya Mreyte" from the film Caramel.

The series closes on 8 August with Al Shami, the Syrian Gen Z star whose hit "Ya Leil W Yal Ein" has passed 200 million YouTube views and who swept four awards at the last Billboard Arabia Music Awards, alongside Leen Hayek.

Where: Dubai World Trade Centre When: Cairokee, 11 July. Dystinct and Issam Najjar, 18 July. Sultan Murshed and Talal Sam, 25 July. Rasha Rizk, 1 August. Al Shami and Leen Hayek, 8 August Price: From Dh100