DUBAI: The organizers of the Offlimits music festival have announced the 2026 edition will not take place — but the event will return to Abu Dhabi next year.
A notice on the festival’s social media channels said: “Offlimits 2026 has been cancelled,” and that all tickets would be automatically refunded through the original ticketing platform from which they were purchased.
No reason was given for the decision. The post said: “We look forward to welcoming you to next edition of Offlimits in 2027” and added further details would follow.
This year’s festival was due to take place at Etihad Park on Yas Island on Nov. 21, headlined by Colombian singer Shakira. Also on the bill were Jonas Brothers, NE-YO, Biffy Clyro, KALEO, Myles Smith, Scouting for Girls and Toploader, along with regional acts Bayou, Yara Mustafa and YAZ.
The 2026 edition was originally scheduled for April 4 before it was switched to the November date, with organizers citing regional tensions at the time as the reason.
Offlimits debuted on April 26 last year when it was headlined by British singer Ed Sheeran and featured OneRepublic, Faithless, Kaiser Chiefs and Artbat. Staged for a capacity of 32,000, it was billed as the UAE's first open-format music festival and the country’s largest single-day music event.
