Abu Dhabi is about to get very loud. Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan is launching UNIFYD, a new one-day music and culture festival, and it makes its world debut at Etihad Live on Yas Island on March 20, 2027. The concept is simple but big: put India's biggest musical names on one shared stage, on the same day, for the first time.

The debut lineup is already seriously strong. Arijit Singh, the two-time National Film Award winner whose collaborations range from Ed Sheeran (Sapphire) to Martin Garrix (Angels For Each Other), headlines alongside Punjabi chart sensation Karan Aujla, known for hits like Tauba Tauba and For A Reason. Sonu Nigam, the voice behind classics such as Kal Ho Naa Ho and Bole Chudiyan, rounds out the top of the bill — he was last in Abu Dhabi in August 2026 and clearly liked it enough to come straight back. Organisers say around 15 more artists will join them across multiple stages, all built around Indian music and culture.

Khan isn't just lending his name and walking away. He founded UNIFYD, produced by D'YAVOL Live with District, on the idea that India's artists belong on the world's biggest stages, and he has confirmed he'll be in Abu Dhabi on festival day. In his own words, he wants to bring the same uniting power music has to the storytelling he's spent nearly four decades doing on screen. Co-founder Bunty Singh adds that the production and setting have been scaled up to match a lineup that's never existed before.

Tickets go on general sale at 10.30am on October 20, 2026, through the District app. If you hold an Emirates NBD card, you get a head start: presale opens at 9.30am on October 19 and runs for 24 hours. Given a lineup like this, expect demand to be fierce.

For travellers, this is a good excuse to build a trip around. Yas Island already packs in the big theme parks (Ferrari World, Yas Waterworld, Warner Bros. World), hotels and the Formula 1 circuit, so a March weekend of live music can easily stretch into a proper UAE break — and Abu Dhabi city is under an hour away for the Grand Mosque and Louvre Abu Dhabi. And this may just be the beginning: UNIFYD plans to roll out to cities worldwide, so the Abu Dhabi edition could one day be the one people say they saw first.

More lineup details and logistics are expected in the coming months; those wanting in should mark the October 2026 ticket dates now.