Sing for the Nation Al Ain, Abu Dhabi

music

Official tickets via Ticketmaster

WHEN Friday 20 November

ADDRESS Al Ain Directions

THE CONCERT

Four concerts across the Emirates, in the weeks leading up to National Day. Sing for the Nation returns from 7 November to 1 December 2026 as a national tour of four concerts across the Emirates in the weeks leading up to National Day. It is an evening where we come together in love for the nation, sharing moments of pride and belonging.

First staged at Dubai Opera in May 2026, it is not a conventional performance but a shared experience: the audience is invited to sing along to songs that have long been part of the UAE's cultural fabric, as the community comes together to celebrate its love for the nation. This season, that celebration travels across the country, carrying the songs of the Union from the capital to Ras Al Khaimah.

In Al Ain, the tour moves into the open air. On Friday 20 November, in partnership with the Department of Culture and Tourism -- Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), the Orchestra performs at Al Jahili Fort, one of the city's best-known historic landmarks. Holding an evening of the nation's songs at a monument that carries the heritage of the Emirates makes it a fitting setting: audiences will sing the story of the Union in a place that is itself part of the nation's history.

Concerts

SAT · 07 NOV | ABU DHABI | The Arts Center at NYU Abu Dhabi | 8:00 PM
FRI · 20 NOV | AL AIN | Al Jahili Fort, Al Ain (outdoor) | 8:00 PM
SAT · 28 NOV | FUJAIRAH | Fujairah Cultural Center Theatre | 8:00 PM
TUE · 01 DEC | RAS AL KHAIMAH | Ras Al Khaimah Cultural Center | 7:00 PM

THE MUSIC

From the 1970s to the present day. The programme spans the 1970s to the present day, bringing to life melodies that have accompanied national celebrations and defining moments in the country's history, with each evening opening with the UAE National Anthem.

Allah Ya Dar Zayed fills us with the warmth of belonging, as if we are returning home; Sawfa Nahmi Al Ittihad (We Will Protect the Union) recalls the shared sense of pride and responsibility that unites the nation; and Zanaha Zayed takes us into the story of transformation the nation has witnessed, whose impact continues to shape our present.

Rijal Wallah Rijal, the UAE National Orchestra's musical tribute based on the poem by His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, honours those who dedicate themselves to protecting the nation. Alongside it, Ana Jundi, Al Suqoor Al Mukhliseen, Khaseem Al Dar and works by some of the UAE's most prominent poets and composers are heard in new orchestral and choral arrangements by Ahmed El-Mougy, Kamal Ahmed Moustafa and Mohamed Elashey.

New this season is the voice of the next generation. Talented students from the Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge's (ADEK) Nabati Poetry initiative join the Orchestra and Choir on stage. Introduced this academic year as part of ADEK's National Identity priority and developed in partnership with the Abu Dhabi Heritage Authority, the initiative's pilot phase immerses students in Grades 1--5 across Abu Dhabi's private and Charter schools in Emirati poetic heritage through extracurricular activities, including music.

Nabati poetry, the vernacular verse of the Arabian Peninsula, has carried the history and identity of the Emirates across generations. In the UAE's Year of Family, the students' voices are a reminder that love for the nation is handed down from one generation to the next.