Abu Dhabi Minute: Racing, Festivals & $50B Investment Push

Happy Monday, Abu Dhabi!

The capital is heading into a big National Day week with world-class racing on the water, a packed concert lineup, smart-city milestones, and new infrastructure tweaks that quietly change how people move, park, and spend their long weekend. 

This isn’t just about fireworks and flags (though there’ll be plenty of those) - there’s real momentum across mobility, investment, culture, and tourism right now.

From SailGP’s season grand final on the Corniche to MOTN in Al Dhafra, a Banksy exhibition you can see for free, and a US$50 billion investment framework with Canada, here’s your high-signal rundown of what actually matters in Abu Dhabi this week.

If you’re moving around the city, especially near the Corniche, Saadiyat, or Yas, expect a mix of race-week energy, holiday crowds, and event-related traffic.

Abu Dhabi is hosting the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Sail Grand Prix Season Grand Final, with national teams racing foiling F50 catamarans off the capital’s coastline on 29–30 November 2025. It’s the championship-deciding weekend, backed by Abu Dhabi Sports Council, with grandstands, hospitality experiences, and race village activations planned along the waterfront. 

Abu Dhabi has just hosted the World Smart Sustainable Cities Organisation (WeGO) Executive Committee Meeting 2025 - the first time this high-level smart-cities gathering has taken place in the Middle East. Over 100 mayors, deputy mayors, and city leaders met under the theme “Driving Urban Transformation through AI and Smart Mobility in the MENA Region.” 

This puts Abu Dhabi firmly on the map as a testbed and convening hub for future-city solutions, from mobility and data to sustainability.

The 16th Abu Dhabi–Singapore Joint Forum has reinforced cooperation in sectors like healthcare, energy, technology, AI, peaceful nuclear energy, education, and water scarcity. Both sides are signalling a deeper long-term partnership, with the UAE already Singapore’s largest trading partner in the Middle East and non-oil trade reaching around $5.2 billion in 2024. 

Under directives from the UAE leadership, Abu Dhabi has approved the launch of a US $50 billion investment framework with the Government of Canada, targeting strategic sectors like energy, AI, logistics, and mining. This framework is designed to deepen economic cooperation and scale high-value, long-term investments between both countries. 

This isn’t just financial headlines - it reinforces Abu Dhabi’s positioning as a global capital for cross-border investment and next-gen industries.

More than 1,000 paid parking spaces have been activated at Rahayel City (ICAD 5), Abu Dhabi’s integrated auto hub, priced at Dh2 per hour. The move is aimed at improving traffic flow and offering safe, organized parking for visitors and businesses in the automotive ecosystem. 

High-speed foiling catamarans, national teams, waterfront grandstands, and a global broadcast audience - SailGP’s title-decider lands in Abu Dhabi, turning the shoreline into a live race theatre. Expect music, F&B, family areas, and a serious photo-op factor. 

The MOTN Festival Al Dhafra is bringing family entertainment, food, retail pop-ups, and immersive zones to the western region, running from 28 November to 2 December. It’s part of the wider Mother of the Nation festival circuit that links Al Dhafra, Al Ain, and the Corniche. 

If you’re planning to “go big” for the season, Conrad Abu Dhabi Etihad Towers is leaning all the way in with festive brunches, seasonal menus, and spa offers. A highlight: the Festive Mega Brunch, combining SOLE and Nahaam into one sprawling poolside celebration with live entertainment. 

If you’re stacking a National Day staycation with a big meal, this is one of the capital’s main “all-in” destinations this year.

Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina Circuit continues to double as a community fitness hub.

If you’re staying in the city over the long weekend, this is a nice counterpart to all the heavy meals and late nights.

Art fans are getting a rare treat: a free exhibition of some of the most expensive artworks ever sold, including Banksy’s self-shredding “Love Is in the Bin” (Girl Without Balloon), Gustav Klimt’s Dame mit Fächer, and Jane Birkin’s Hermès Birkin bag, all at the Sotheby’s Icons exhibition in Abu Dhabi. Entry is free, making it one of the most accessible high-culture moments of the season.

This sits neatly alongside Abu Dhabi’s broader ambition to anchor itself as a global culture capital, from major museums to one-off headline exhibitions.

That’s your start-of-the-week edition of Abu Dhabi Minute, a clean, high-signal snapshot of what’s moving in the capital as National Day approaches.

If this helped you feel more “in the loop”, share it with someone who’s always asking, “What’s happening in Abu Dhabi this week?” - drop it in the family group, forward it to a colleague, or send it to that friend planning their National Day plans at the very last minute.

We’ll be back with more sharp updates and event picks - until then, enjoy the build-up, the breeze, and the long weekend energy.

– Matthias