News you might have missed this week in Abu Dhabi
- Shweta Srikanth
- 16 hours ago
- 3 min read
Here’s a quick round-up of what’s happening in the capital right now. New experiences, time-limited offers, cultural programmes, travel updates, and a few changes around the city worth keeping on your radar.
Yas Island’s Flash Sale on Annual Passes
If you've been meaning to grab yourself a Yas Annual Pass, you can now get one with a massive discount!
The pass gives you a full year’s access to Yas Island theme parks, including Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, Yas Waterworld Abu Dhabi, Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi, and SeaWorld Abu Dhabi.
You’ll also get access to exclusive events, discounts, and savings on hotels and restaurants, along with offers across pool, beach, fitness, and even tuition experiences across Yas Island.
When: 4 - 7 May 2026
Discount: 25% off on all Annual Pass tiers
Price:
Silver: AED 1,196.25
Gold: AED 1,346.25
Diamond: AED 2,471.25
You also have the option to split your payment into 12 monthly instalments with Tabby at 0% interest.
Book your pass here: https://www.yasisland.com/en/buy-annual-pass
Coffee and a croissant on the house
Jones the Grocer in Raha Gardens is handing out complimentary cups and bakes on select dates this May - and it won’t cost you anything!
Head to the restaurant on 7 or 14 May and grab a regular hot or iced coffee with a plain croissant without any other purchases. Available until stocks last and you can even opt for plant-based milk or add flavoured syrups.
Where: Jones the Grocer, Raha Gardens, Abu Dhabi
When: Thursday, 7 May & Thursday, 14 May
Time: 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Price: Free
Shezad Dawood: Skin of Dreams at Cultural Foundation
There’s a free exhibition at the Cultural Foundation featuring work by Shezad Dawood.
You’ll get to see a mix of paintings, sculptures, film installations, and VR pieces which are inspired from a range of references like history, science, architecture, and culture, shown through different mediums rather than explained in one way. The format keeps changing as you move, so each room feels slightly different.
When: Running until Sunday, 20 September 2026
Where: Cultural Foundation
Price: Free
Age limit: 6+
Louvre Abu Dhabi’s unique architectural dome experience
There's even more to see at Abu Dhabi's iconic museum, with a new tour that goes beyond the galleries and into the architecture of its dome.
The 90-minute guided tour moves you through key points across the building, exploring how traditional Arabian design shaped the iconic dome, the engineering behind its scale, and how the “rain of light” shifts and changes throughout the day. You’ll finish the tour with access inside the dome itself, giving you a closer look at its structure and the surrounding spaces.
Designed by Jean Nouvel, Louvre Abu Dhabi is known for its “museum city” structure over water, where light, geometry and Arabian design shape the experience.
As part of the tour you’ll also receive a complimentary copy of Louvre Abu Dhabi: Story of an Architectural Project, which traces the journey from concept to construction.
When: Every Saturday
Where: Louvre Museum Abu Dhabi
Time: 10:30am (individual tour) | 4:30pm (group tour)
Price: AED 170 (museum entry not included)
Book your spot: Pre-booking required via https://www.louvreabudhabi.ae/en/whats-on/sensorial-experiences
An Etihad Airways and LANEIGE collab has just dropped for Business class passengers
The UAE’s National airline has partnered with LANEIGE, the renowned Korean skincare brand, to create a new collectable amenity kit in Business class, called the Destination Collection. It includes 14 in-house designed kits, each inspired by a destination across its global network, along with Abu Dhabi.
The kits come in a pouch or slim case, with the destination name and coordinates on the outside, and inside you’ll find artwork linked to the city, plus travel essentials including hydration-focused products like a water sleeping mask, lip sleeping mask, and hand cream.
The first rollout includes Abu Dhabi, Krabi, Mumbai, Lisbon, Addis Ababa, Calgary, and Atlanta, with more destinations to come.
Two new toll gates in Abu Dhabi
On Monday, Abu Dhabi opened two more toll gates to its Darb system, part of a wider push to manage traffic as the city grows. The new gates are set up along Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Road in Ghantoot and on Karama Oasis Road, right at the entry and exit points of Sheikh Zayed Road.
Tolls run 24/7, with a standard Dh4 charge per crossing, in line with the existing system. The locations were chosen after studying traffic flow, daily movement patterns, and available alternative routes. If you have been driving through these areas, you might have already noticed slight changes, with options like Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Road or Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street offering alternate routes.
The aim is to keep traffic moving, reduce bottlenecks, and adjust as the city expands. Authorities are expected to review how these new gates perform, especially during peak hours, as part of Abu Dhabi’s evolving transport network.
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