~ Marking the commencement of a collaboration between Ethara and BookMyShow, Sunburn Festival Abu Dhabi 2026 will elevate UAE's EDM landscape ~

~ This milestone supports Abu Dhabi’s position as a rising global capital for live music and culture, reshaping the region’s live entertainment landscape ~

 

UAE, October 1, 2025: Abu Dhabi is set to make history on the global cultural stage as it is set to welcome Sunburn Festival, one of the world’s biggest electronic dance music (EDM) festivals, for the very first time in 2026. Recognised as Asia’s premier dance music brand and ranked #8 on DJ Mag’s prestigious ‘Top 100 Festivals of 2025’ global list, shoulder-to-shoulder with Tomorrowland and Ultra, Sunburn’s arrival in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) marks a defining chapter not just for the festival, but for the region’s growing reputation as a global hub for music, culture and large-scale live experiences.

The EDM powerhouse that has brought legendary artists like Martin Garrix, Skrillex, Swedish House Mafia, Marshmello, Alan Walker, Armin van Buuren, DJ Snake, Tiësto, The Chainsmokers, David Guetta, Charlotte De Witte and Hardwell to the Asian subcontinent is now set to bring its flagship festival experience to Abu Dhabi, delivering the same unmatched energy, world-class line-ups and immersive production that have made Sunburn a defining force in global electronic music culture. For nearly two decades, Sunburn Festival has stood as the ultimate pilgrimage for electronic music aficionados from across the globe, shaping the cultural zeitgeist and redefining the live music experience.

The Abu Dhabi edition marks the commencement of a collaboration between Ethara, one of the Middle East’s premier live experience creators and BookMyShow, India’s leading entertainment destination. Together, they will deliver an extraordinary flagship edition designed to put Abu Dhabi firmly on the map of global dance music, blending Sunburn’s signature festival DNA with the emirate’s fast-emerging cultural landscape.

Abu Dhabi has rapidly established itself as a premier global hub for entertainment, attracting world-class sporting, music and arts experiences. Sunburn Festival’s UAE debut underscores the its growing stature on the international cultural map, signalling its ambition to host immersive, large-scale live experiences that rival the world’s biggest festivals. Fans, artists and the creative community will now have access to a festival that marries global production standards with the innovation, scale and euphoria that define Sunburn.

Speaking on the development, Karan Singh, CEO, Sunburn, said, “Eighteen years ago, we birthed a movement that would one day outgrow any single country's borders with our flagship festival. Sunburn Festival officially announces its territorial expansion strategy, taking the festival that redefined an entire generation's relationship with electronic music and establishing it as the definitive EDM experience across multiple countries. This isn’t just about taking Sunburn international; it’s about giving the world access to the energy, scale and community that define Sunburn. Nearly two decades on, we’re proud to take Asia’s electronic music empire beyond borders, bringing our flagship festival to Abu Dhabi. With its world-class infrastructure, global connectivity and fast-emerging cultural landscape, Abu Dhabi provides the perfect gateway to introduce Sunburn to international audiences at scale.”

David Powell, Chief Strategy & Business Development Officer, Ethara, said, “Abu Dhabi is an established beacon for global live entertainment, and we look forward to bringing the Sunburn Festival to the city. Together with BookMyShow, we’re looking to deliver an experience that has made Sunburn a global phenomenon by fusing world-class production with the energy, spirit, and top-tier line-up that the festival is known for."

Naman Pugalia, Chief Business Officer - Live Events, BookMyShow, said, "Sunburn Festival has always been about pushing the boundaries of what live music can mean. Partnering with Ethara to bring Sunburn Festival to Abu Dhabi allows us to extend India’s most successful electronic music festival onto the global stage. This debut is a testament to Sunburn’s legacy, scale and global appeal, and we’re excited to introduce audiences in the Middle East to the same unmatched energy, legendary line-ups and immersive festival experience that millions of fans have come to love."

Sunburn Festival Abu Dhabi represents more than international expansion; it is India's electronic music DNA crossing geographies. The Abu Dhabi edition will run in parallel with Sunburn Festival’s long-standing India edition (Sunburn Festival 2026). Sunburn Festival will simultaneously dominate two nations, two time zones, one unstoppable weekend in December 2026. This simultaneous celebration across two nations creates something unprecedented in festival history: legendary lineups that traverse across both editions, synchronised bass drops across cultures and a unified euphoria beyond borders.

Anchored by the philosophy that music is a movement, community is its core and scale is its canvas, Sunburn Festival’s twin-flagship approach positions South Asia and the Middle East as vital nodes in the global EDM ecosystem, setting a new benchmark for large-scale, immersive festival experiences.

With Ethara’s proven expertise in delivering world-class live events and Sunburn’s global appeal, the Abu Dhabi debut promises to redefine large-scale festivals in the region. BookMyShow extends its vision beyond India, exporting India’s most successful cultural phenomenon to Abu Dhabi and setting the foundation for an enduring global presence in live entertainment.

Sunburn India 2025 remains unchanged, with Mumbai gearing up for its most massive edition yet, while Abu Dhabi opens the doors to a new global family of festival-goers.

Stay tuned on BookMyShow and Sunburn’s official handles - more details on Sunburn Abu Dhabi 2026 are on the horizon:

●   Instagram: @sunburnfestival; @Sunburn.abudhabi

●   X (Formerly Twitter): @SunburnFestival; @sunburnabudhabi

●   Facebook: SunburnFestival

●   Snapchat:  @sunburnabudhabi

●   Tiktok: @sunburnabudhabi

●   Website: www.sunburn.in/abudhabi

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About Sunburn:

Sunburn, is Asia’s Premiere Electronic Dance Music (EDM) Festival and is ranked amongst the world’s biggest music festivals. Started in 2007 as a 3-day music festival, Sunburn has grown to become an aspirational lifestyle brand boasting an eclectic mix of music, entertainment, experiences and celebration that has seeded music tourism in India. Over the past 18 years, Sunburn has brought together renowned International and Indian artists to entertain hundreds of thousands of dance music lovers across the country and overseas and positioned India as a prime dance festival destination to the world.

The Sunburn Festival, Sunburn Reload, Sunburn Arena and Sunburn Campus formats have enabled a wide geographical and demographic reach pan India and abroad. Sunburn has the distinction of having brought down to India the world’s top 10 DJs, including Swedish House Mafia, Martin Garrix, Tiesto, Avicii, Hardwell, Deadmau5, Armin van Buuren, David Guetta, Afrojack, Above & Beyond, The Chainsmokers, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, Marshmello, Paul Van Dyk, Skazi, Pete Tong, Dash Berlin, and Nicky Romero. Sunburn has also made its successful debut overseas across Colombo, Sri Lanka; Kathmandu, Nepal; Dubai; Muscat; and Melbourne, Australia, thereby creating history to become the first successful indigenous Music IP to cross international shores. Sunburn secured the #8 spot on DJ Mag’s prestigious 'Top 100 Festivals in 2025' list alongside top music festivals globally. Sunburn is ranked as big as Tomorrowland and Ultra Miami festival as per the IMS APAC Business Report 2014 and has won numerous awards and accolades around the globe including the WOW Awards, BW Applause Awards and Palm Expo Awards.

About Ethara:

Ethara, meaning ‘thrill’ in Arabic, is shaping the future of live entertainment in the Middle East operating across sports, culture, community and corporate experiences. Headquartered on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, with offices in Dubai and Riyadh, the company delivers and commercially represents marquee events such as the Formula 1® Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, while also staging festivals and concerts with leading international artists.

Ethara manages a portfolio of world-class venues including Yas Marina Circuit and Yas Conference Centre. Through OVG Middle East, a joint venture with Oak View Group, the company also operates Zayed Sports City, Etihad Park, Etihad Arena, and House of Sustainability.

www.ethara.com

About BookMyShow:

Launched in 2007, BookMyShow, owned and operated by Big Tree Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. (founded in 1999), is India's leading entertainment destination with global operations and the one-stop shop for every entertainment need. The firm is present in over 700 towns and cities in India and works with partners across the industry to provide unmatched entertainment experiences to millions of customers. Over the years, the company has evolved from a purely online ticketing platform for movies across 7,000 plus screens, to end-to-end management of live entertainment events including music concerts, live performances, theatricals, sports and more, all accomplished at par with global standards. Some of the key properties that BookMyShow Live, the live entertainment experiential division of BookMyShow, has brought to its markets over the past few years include Lollapalooza India, Bandland, Coldplay’s Music Of The Spheres World Tour, Ed Sheeran: +–=÷x Tour, Maroon 5, Guns N’ Roses, Backstreet Boys’ DNA World Tour, Post Malone’s debut India show at the Feeding India concert, U2’s The Joshua Tree Tour, NBA’s debut games in India, Disney’s Aladdin, Cirque du Soleil BAZZAR as also international artists such as Justin Bieber to name a few. 

BookMyShow is invested in providing the best user experience, whether on-ground or online and to that effect, launched BookMyShow Stream, India’s largest home-grown transactional video-on-demand (TVOD) platform hosting award-winning and critically acclaimed content from around the world, complementing its cinemas business. BookMyShow also houses India’s most extensive organic reviews and ratings engine for movies and has driven technology innovations, such as the m-ticket and Movie Mode, impacting tens of millions of users and the industry at large. With continued support from marquee investors like TPG Growth, Stripes Group, Elevation Capital (formerly SAIF Partners), Accel and Network18, BookMyShow has constantly demonstrated category leadership, growing beyond India with operations in Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, UAE and Sri Lanka.  BookMyShow is also committed to society at large, by way of BookAChange, by BookMyShow Foundation, dedicated to enriching lives through the transformative power of music and the performing arts.

BookMyShow 

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Media Contacts:

Sunburn and BookMyShow: [email protected]

Ethara: [email protected]