Abu Dhabi lines up 297 events with major shows still to come in 2026

AI, energy, books, healthcare and entertainment fill the calendar through December

Last updated: September 06, 2026 | 19:19

Nivetha Dayanand, Assistant Business Editor

3 MIN READ

UAE gears up for a packed September of major events in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, spanning energy, tourism, tech, culture and more, boosting business tourism.

Abu Dhabi: Residents and visitors will have almost 300 events to choose from across Abu Dhabi and Al Ain during the second half of 2026, with major exhibitions, global congresses, concerts, sporting events and consumer shows filling the calendar through December.

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ADNEC Group said its venues in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain will host 297 events during the period, covering sectors ranging from artificial intelligence and energy to healthcare, education, food security, finance, fashion and sustainability.

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Several of the biggest events are still ahead, including Middle East Film and Comic Con, Abu Dhabi International Book Fair, AI Everything Abu Dhabi, ADIPEC, Abu Dhabi International Boat Show and the 2026 UN Water Conference.

Around 21% of the exhibitions at ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi, along with four international associations, will take place in the Middle East for the first time.

September brings books, property and entertainment

September marks a sizeable increase in activity at ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi, beginning with Middle East Film and Comic Con from September 11 to 13.

The Abu Dhabi International Book Fair follows from September 13 to 18, while IREIS will bring together property developers, investors, homebuyers and real estate professionals.

Ajban Defence Industry & Technology Exhibition is scheduled for September 21 and 22, followed by Education Interface from September 22 to 23.

Teeb Al Hazm will run from September 25 to October 5, bringing together fragrance houses, perfumers, retailers and enthusiasts.

The 15th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice will also take place from September 26 to October 1, marking its first edition in the region.

ADNEC Centre Al Ain will host the Shamma Al Marar event from September 24 to 27 and a Candle Light Concert on September 25.

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AI and food take centre stage in October

October will bring one of the busiest stretches of the year, with AI Everything Abu Dhabi opening on October 6.

The programme includes the AI Summit and AI Expo from October 6 to 7, while Global Food Week will run from October 6 to 8 alongside the Abu Dhabi International Date Palm Exhibition.

Najah Abu Dhabi will take place from October 18 to 21, followed by the Forbes Middle East Sustainability Leaders’ Summit from October 19 to 20.

Healthcare will also feature prominently, with the Drug Information Association Middle East and Africa Conference from October 19 to 22 and the Abu Dhabi Future Health Summit from October 20 to 22.

The Arabian AI & Agentic Summit will take place on October 26.

ADIPEC and boat show return in November

November will bring several of the venue’s largest annual events, led by ADIPEC from November 2 to 5.

The energy event is expected to attract tens of thousands of professionals, while the 46th ICMM World Congress of Military Medicine Abu Dhabi 2026 will run from November 9 to 13.

IREIS returns from November 10 to 12, followed by Revive ME 2026 from November 11 to 12.

Tawdheef x Zaheb will run from November 17 to 19, connecting more than 100 companies with Emirati talent.

The Abu Dhabi International Boat Show will return from November 19 to 22 for what ADNEC said will be its largest edition yet.

Al Ain will host the second Al Ain International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition from November 25 to 29.

December closes with UN Water Conference

The 2026 UN Water Conference will take place in the UAE from December 8 to 10, focusing on global water governance and international water-related priorities.

The packed calendar follows events already held during July and August, including Abu Dhabi Summer Sports, Money Expo, Al Ain Summer Sports and the 23rd Abu Dhabi International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition.

Nivetha DayanandAssistant Business Editor

Nivetha Dayanand is Assistant Business Editor at Gulf News, covering aviation, financial markets and commodities. A business and financial journalist with a strong interest in multimedia storytelling, she regularly takes complex financial and economic subjects beyond the written word, producing explainer videos that make them easier for a wider audience to understand. Nivetha has interviewed senior policymakers, business leaders and global financial figures both on and off camera. Her past guests include UAE Minister of Economy and Tourism Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, Khaled bin Alwaleed Al Saud, a member of the House of Saud and the founder and CEO of KBW Ventures, Jihad Azour, Director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department at the International Monetary Fund and Indian ministers Hardeep Singh Puri and N. Chandrababu Naidu. She has also hosted and moderated panels, conferences and awards shows, bringing her newsroom experience to live conversations on business, finance and the economy. An Erasmus Mundus journalism alum, Nivetha is drawn to stories that affect people directly and to reporting that gives a platform to voices that might otherwise go unheard. She was among the first journalists to speak to Petrofac employees in the UAE about unpaid salaries, broke the news of the planned demolition of Dubai’s well-known “Toyota Building”, and helped set the record straight on widely circulated claims that a giant replica of the Moon was coming to Dubai. More recently, her exclusive interview with EDGE Group CEO Hamad Al Marar revealed how the UAE-based defence group deployed its systems along the country’s shore border and established a geofence around the UAE within 48 hours of the February 28 escalation. Prior to joining Gulf News, Nivetha worked at ITP Media, where she helped launch Finance Middle East, a new publication covering the region’s financial sector. Her role spanned reporting and editing, video production, interviews and events. Across print, digital, and video, she focuses on finding the people behind business stories and explaining why those stories matter to the audience reading or watching them.