Algarabía at Abu Dhabi Festival 2026

Algarabía is a newly commissioned stage work that brings flamenco and the Arab world into conversation through music, dance and poetry. It belongs to Abu Dhabi Festival 2026 and is staged in Abu Dhabi as the work's Arab world premiere, a few months after it first appeared in Pamplona, Spain, where its debut run sold out.

The piece is a co-production between the Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation (ADMAF), the Museo Universidad de Navarra and Khawla Art & Culture. Its idea is that culture can act as a force for dialogue and connection, and that wisdom handed down through artistic traditions can link people who come from very different places. Rather than presenting flamenco and Arab heritage side by side, the production builds a bridge between them. It draws on the musical, dance and poetic traditions of both worlds and reinterprets them through a contemporary lens.

On the ticket site the show is filed under theatre, with orchestra, classical music, classical events and dance shows among its tags, which gives a fair sense of its range: this is a performance that mixes live music, movement and spoken or sung verse rather than a single-discipline concert.

The venue is Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental, one of Abu Dhabi's best-known hotels, set on the capital's western seafront along the Corniche side of the city. The building is known for its grand scale, domes and formal interiors, and it regularly hosts cultural events and concerts, which makes it a natural home for a festival programme. The surrounding area is calmer and more residential than central Dubai, with beaches, parks and waterfront promenades nearby.

Algarabía suits anyone curious about flamenco, Arab poetry and music, or contemporary cross-cultural work, and it will appeal to regular festival-goers as much as newcomers to the form. It is a seated evening of performance rather than a casual night out, so it is best approached as a proper cultural outing. For Dubai residents it means a drive of roughly an hour and a half to Abu Dhabi, so it helps to plan the trip around the show.