Liwa International Festival marked the start of 2026 with large-scale New Year’s Eve celebrations held across multiple locations in the Al Dhafra Region, drawing thousands of visitors to the desert destination.
The celebrations featured live music, coordinated countdowns and fireworks displays across the festival grounds, creating a shared midnight moment for attendees spread across Liwa.
The Grand Arena hosted a live concert featuring Arab artists Hamad Al Ameri, Khalid Abdulrahman, Aseel Hameem and Fouad Abdulwahed. The performances formed the centrepiece of the evening’s programme and attracted large crowds as midnight approached.
At midnight, fireworks were launched simultaneously from Tal Moreeb, Liwa Village and the LIWA sign. The displays were visible across the festival site and surrounding desert areas, offering panoramic views for visitors.
Music continued throughout the evening at Liwa Walk, leading into a coordinated countdown to welcome the New Year. From 11:00pm, the official soundtrack of the celebrations was broadcast live on 87.7 FM, allowing visitors across different locations to follow the countdown together.
Large-scale projections were displayed on the surrounding sand dunes during the night, adding visual elements to the celebrations and highlighting the scale of the New Year’s Eve programme as 2026 began in Liwa.
