Emirati musicians bring Gulf traditions to Moscow crowds at week-long festival

Emirati musicians playing the oud, qanun and violin are drawing Russian crowds to Manezhnaya Square this week, where Abu Dhabi has set up a five-day cultural festival for Moscow audiences who may know little about the emirate beyond its skyline.

The Discover Abu Dhabi Festival runs through August 23 as part of the Moscow mayor’s Summer in Moscow programme. The Department of Culture and Tourism in Abu Dhabi and the UAE Embassy in the Russian Federation organised it jointly, with support from Moscow’s municipal government. Admission is free, and the doors open daily from 10am to 9pm.

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The festival arrives at a moment of genuine momentum between the two countries. Bilateral trade reached approximately $14 billion in 2025. Emirati visitors to Russia climbed 54 per cent in 2024, reaching roughly 67,000 travellers, and about 325 scheduled flights per week now connect the two nations across approximately 25 destinations.

What visitors actually encounter goes well beyond a concert stage. Dedicated zones cover crafts, calligraphy, maritime heritage, fashion and food. At the House of Artisans, craftspeople demonstrate techniques passed down through generations: khoos palm-leaf weaving, sadu weaving using camel wool or goat hair, and talli embroidery. Attendees can try the techniques themselves and speak directly with the artisans about their methods.

Bait Al Gahwa introduces the preparation and serving of Arabic coffee according to Emirati customs, covering the tools, ingredients and social etiquette that frame the tradition. The Maritime Crafts area traces Abu Dhabi’s historic relationship with the sea through demonstrations of rope-making, gargoor fish traps and al deyeen, the netted basket traditionally used by pearl divers to collect oysters.

Meanwhile, an immersive six-metre dome with 360-degree projections of the emirate’s landmarks, cultural sites and natural landscapes serves as one of the installation’s most visually striking attractions, connecting Abu Dhabi’s past with its present in a single space.

Other areas introduce visitors to Arabic calligraphy, Emirati clothing, henna and falconry. An Emirati perfume and oud exhibition explores the role of fragrance in local culture. Food programming lets visitors sample traditional Emirati dishes and watch live cooking demonstrations. Bait Al Hilwa focuses specifically on traditional sweets, dates and Arabic coffee.

The musical programme includes ensemble, duet and solo performances alongside keyboard and saxophone. The festival also features Al Ayala and Al Harbiya. Al Ayala carries particular weight: it is inscribed on Unesco’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

A children’s area rounds out the programme with storytelling, traditional games and creative workshops.

Whether a five-day festival can shift how 67,000 annual visitors, and the many more who have never made the trip, understand a place is an open question. The organisers are clearly betting it can.