Shakira, Christina Aguilera Abu Dhabi concerts cancelled amid Iran-US war

Entertainment organizers announced the cancellation of a UAE concert by US singer Christina Aguilera and a festival featuring Shakira in Abu Dhabi, amid the ongoing Middle East war. Iran has pressed attacks on Emirati ships in recent weeks, after a ceasefire fell apart last month.

On Tuesday,  the United Arab Emirates said it is suspending all trade and financial dealings with Iran after reporting an Iranian missile attack directed at its ships. Against this backdrop, the organisers of the Offlimits music festival, scheduled for November with Shakira as the headline act, announced on Tuesday that the festival was cancelled, vowing to refund tickets.

A message on the festival website noted, “We look forward to bringing the OFFLIMITS community together again in 2027”.

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Separately, ticket sales website Ticketmaster said Christina Aguilera’s scheduled September 25 concert had also been cancelled, without providing a new date, Emirati media reported. Both the Offlimits festival and the Aguilera concert had been scheduled for April before being postponed.

Gulf countries, including the UAE, long seen as a haven of security in a turbulent region, have been struggling to recover from the impact of repeated Iranian strikes. Tourism and cultural activities have taken a hit, even as the scale and intensity of Iranian attacks on the UAE have declined.