By now, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix occupies a place well beyond the Formula 1 calendar. Each December, race week brings together sport, music, hospitality, fashion and dining across Yas Island and the wider capital, with a programme that has become one of the region’s most closely watched end-of-year fixtures.
The 2026 edition takes place from December 3 to 6 at Yas Marina Circuit, closing the Formula 1 season once again. Around it, the first major announcements are already in place. Andrea Bocelli will open the week on December 2 with Yasalam Classics at Etihad Arena, followed by Lewis Capaldi and Zara Larsson on Thursday, Alex Warren on Friday, Imagine Dragons on Saturday, and The Chainsmokers and The Script after Sunday’s race. Anyma will also bring ÆDEN to Yas Gateway Park on Friday night, with further after-party programming still to be announced.
Last year gives some indication of the scale. The 2025 Grand Prix drew a record 339,000 attendees across the wider programme, including 136,000 people at the After-Race Concerts and official after-parties.
The motorsport-fashion crossover to watch
The Spring/Summer 2027 runways just made the case for sport as everyday dressing. Miu Miu and Loewe put track pants, performance tops and athletic layers beside tailoring and evening pieces. Lacoste stayed close to tennis, working polos, court details and performance fabrics into the collection. Across the season, we saw how sportswear no longer needs to be dressed down to feel casual or dressed up to feel fashionable. It already belongs in both places.
That makes the fashion scene at Formula 1 especially worth watching this year, with plenty of fresh runway inspiration already in play.
Racing jackets, team caps and sponsor-heavy graphics have already crossed into streetwear, while the drivers themselves are increasingly part of fashion culture. Lewis Hamilton has worked with Dior, Charles Leclerc continues to front PUMA for Ferrari, and race-week dressing now carries far beyond team merch.
Abu Dhabi is where the motorsport-fashion crossover plays out most visibly. Last year, the likes of Emily Ratajkowski, Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh, Ana de Armas, Jessica Chastain, Camila Cabello and Madelaine Petsch were all at Yas Marina, giving the paddock its own fashion moment alongside the racing.
You need to come hungry
When it comes to hospitality, you can only expect the best, and this year some of the weekend’s best-known restaurants are setting up inside the circuit.
CÉ LA VI takes over Luna Lounge with Southeast Asian dining, live cooking and DJs overlooking Yas Marina and Turns 14 to 16. ROKA heads to Club 58 in the West Grandstand with robata, sushi and sashimi overlooking the circuit’s longest straight, while Ninive brings its Middle Eastern and North African menu to the Shams Suite at Turn 5.
The latest name to join is Nammos, bringing its Mediterranean menu and Mykonos sensibility to Deck at Nine at Turn 9, with dining, drinks and live entertainment across its two-level lounge and open-air terrace.
COYA, Alici, Gohan, OPA, MayaBay, Il Borro, The Maine and LENA are also part of the wider hospitality line-up. At this point, eating at the Grand Prix can comfortably become a plan of its own rather than something squeezed in between sessions.
More of the city’s race-week dining plans are still to come, with December usually bringing its own round of restaurant takeovers, guest-chef dinners and difficult-to-get reservations.
Plans beyond the circuit
Race week has a habit of spilling into the rest of Abu Dhabi, and this year the ticket makes that even easier.
Selected 2026 packages include entry to Louvre Abu Dhabi and Qasr Al Watan, along with one-day access to either teamLab Phenomena or one of Yas Island’s major attractions, including Ferrari World, SeaWorld, Warner Bros. World and Yas Waterworld.
It means the weekend can move easily between the circuit and the city, especially for visitors staying beyond race day. Last year, Grand Prix guests turned up at cultural landmarks across Abu Dhabi, while more than 231,000 attendees travelled in from outside the UAE.
By December, Yas Marina may be the main event, but the weekend rarely stays there.
