Key Points
- Shah Rukh Khan is launching UNIFYD, a one-day Indian music festival on Yas Island.
- Arijit Singh, Karan Aujla and Sonu Nigam lead the first announced line-up for March 20.
- Organisers plan to take the festival to other cities and international markets after the debut.
The latest:
A new Indian music festival, UNIFYD, will debut in Abu Dhabi on March 20 at Etihad Live on Yas Island, with Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan overseeing its artistic direction and creative vision. More than 15 artists are set to perform across several stages in a single-day programme built around Indian music and culture. Arijit Singh, Karan Aujla and Sonu Nigam lead the opening announcements.
Details:
- The line-up: Arijit Singh and Karan Aujla are among the first acts confirmed, spanning Hindi film music and Punjabi music. Sonu Nigam is to deliver a special set that organisers said marks his first performance at a music festival. Further performers are still to be announced, with the full roster expected to exceed 15 artists.
- The venue: The inaugural edition is scheduled for March 20 at Etihad Live on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, using several stages across one day. The programme is framed around Indian music and culture rather than a single genre, drawing on film and regional traditions.
- Who is behind it: The festival is produced by D’YAVOL Live and District, in collaboration with Abu Dhabi’s Department of Culture and Tourism and Miral. Khan’s role is artistic direction and creative vision, a step beyond the hosting duties he has taken on at previous Abu Dhabi events.
- Khan’s framing: Khan said he has spent a lifetime telling stories on screen and watching them bring people together, and that music carries the same power. He described the festival as a spectacle in terms of its scale, energy and grandeur.
- The producers’ pitch: Bunty Singh, co-founder of D’YAVOL Live, said Indian music is already global and that UNIFYD gives that cultural force a platform matching its scale and ambition. He argued that assembling artists of this stature on a single day is “what makes the first edition so special”.
- Expansion plans: Organisers said they intend to take UNIFYD to other cities and international markets after the Abu Dhabi debut. No destination cities, dates or timeline for that expansion have been named.
- Tickets: Tickets will be sold exclusively through the District app, with general sale opening at 10.30am on October 20. Prices have not been revealed, and organisers have not set out presale tiers or capacity for the Etihad Live site.
- Khan in Abu Dhabi: Khan has a track record with large events in the emirate, having hosted the IIFA Awards on Yas Island in 2024. That edition drew the Indian film industry to the same destination now hosting the festival.
Background:
Yas Island has become a regular stop for large-scale Indian entertainment productions, with Etihad Live among the venues used for concerts and awards shows aimed at the UAE’s substantial South Asian audience.
Between the lines:
The structure signals ambition beyond a single concert date. A government tourism department and Miral, the Yas Island developer, are attached as collaborators, placing the event inside Abu Dhabi’s destination strategy rather than a standalone promoter booking. Khan’s shift from host in 2024 to artistic director suggests the festival is being built as a recurring property, consistent with organisers’ stated plan to export it to other markets.
What’s next
General ticket sales open at 10.30am on October 20 through the District app, when prices will become public. Additional performers are still to be announced ahead of the March 20 debut.
