It's the spookiest weekend of the year in the UAE capital, and Abu Dhabi's events calendar is pulling double duty — Halloween parties for those who want them, and plenty of non-spooky options for everyone else. Here's what's worth knowing about from October 30 to November 1.
Start with the artsy end of the scale. Guggenheim Abu Dhabi is running its Tracing Place workshop at Umm Al Emarat Park on Saturday, October 31, with three sessions across the afternoon and evening. Led by Safeya Alawadhi and inspired by Emirati artist Mohamed Kazem's mapping-based practice, participants pick a location that means something to them and turn it into a creative piece using digital mapping tools. A genuinely different way to engage with the city.
If singing is more your thing, the One Day Choir pop-up lands at The Club, Mina Sadiyat on Sunday, November 1 at 10am. The concept is simple: no rehearsals, 150 strangers, and one song learned from scratch on the day — this time Tracy Chapman's Fast Car. Tickets run Dhs150.
Halloween proper gets several outings. Craft by Side Hustle on Al Maryah Island is hosting The Vampire's Masquerade from 8pm on Saturday, complete with a cobweb-covered bar, a costume photo corner, Dhs35 Halloween cocktails and a limited-edition Cocoa Pumpkin Lager called Basic Witch. Costumed guests get a complimentary drink. Over at The Little Fox in Al Qana, there's a weekend menu featuring Bloody Sauce and nori fries, plus a steak giveaway — the first 50 guests each day from Friday to Sunday score an extra 100g of steak.
Prefer daylight hours? The Grill at Marriott Al Forsan runs a British garden party brunch on Saturday from 1pm to 4pm, with live music, cooking stations and a kids' play area. Packages start at Dhs299 for soft drinks, Dhs399 with house beverages. Families with younger travellers might rate Al Ain Zoo's breakfast highest: from 9am to 10.30am on Saturday you can eat on the giraffe-feeding balcony and hand-feed the residents yourself for Dhs252 per guest.
Culture buffs get two free-ish options. The Abu Dhabi Memories exhibition at the Abu Dhabi Cultural Centre looks back at the capital in the 1990s and runs daily until November 27 with free entry — a nice pick for newer residents curious about the city's recent past. And for a low-key evening, Cinemacity Starlight at Marina Mall is screening current releases daily, an easy indoor plan regardless of the date.
Why it matters: late October is when Abu Dhabi's outdoor season properly kicks off, so events like these are a good excuse to get out and try something beyond the usual mall circuit. Whether you're in town for the weekend or live here year-round, there's a mix of free entry, family-friendly and adults-only options across the emirate — plus a quick note that The Little Fox giveaway also applies at its Alserkal Avenue branch in Dubai if you're not in the capital.
Story via What's On Dubai.
