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The second Abu Dhabi Poetry Festival will kick off on Monday at ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, according to the Abu Dhabi Media Office. Organized by the Abu Dhabi Heritage Authority, the event runs from Feb. 9 to 11 as part of the Year of the Family 2026 and focuses on poetry’s role in fostering social values along with communication across generations. The festival aligns with the emirate’s broader cultural strategy to ensure heritage sustainability while elevating both Nabati and classical Arabic poetry, the authority reported.
The Abu Dhabi Heritage Authority detailed a programme built around several interactive zones including the Poetry Bridge, the UAE Poetry Map, the Young Poet Corner and the Emirati Women Poets Corner. Additional features encompass the Performing Arts Platform, the Poetry Café and various themed sections that will highlight prominent poets together with the Emirati poetic landscape. These activities are designed to facilitate the exchange of expertise among scholars and specialists in classical and Nabati poetry while nurturing talents at local and regional levels.
Abu Dhabi Media Office figures show that the inaugural edition of the festival attracted more than 1,000 poets, writers and researchers from the UAE, the GCC and the wider Arab world in addition to welcoming over 15,000 visitors. That turnout has informed plans for the second edition to expand participation and draw new audience segments with an emphasis on children and youth. The authority’s announcement underscored the event’s aim to promote poetic culture throughout the community and reconnect younger generations with their literary and linguistic heritage.
Nabati poetry, known as a traditional Bedouin form composed in colloquial Arabic, has functioned as a cornerstone of cultural identity and tribal values across the Arabian Peninsula for centuries, according to a NYUAD Institute presentation on the tradition. In the UAE the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage has supported its preservation through the long-running Poet of the Million reality television competition, Bayut reported in a review of Emirati cultural practices. The programme has emerged as one of the Arab world’s most successful reality shows by providing Nabati poets with a platform to reach wide audiences and compete for recognition.
A 2025 Al-Monitor assessment found that recent government initiatives, festivals and media competitions have integrated Nabati poetry into contemporary formats ranging from animation and calligraphy to hip-hop while maintaining its function as a record of social identity. Sheikh Sultan Sooud Al-Qassimi observed in 2022 that the poetic form continues to evolve with popular culture in the 21st century. Such efforts complement the current festival’s focus on both Nabati and classical Arabic traditions within Abu Dhabi’s cultural programming.
The Abu Dhabi Heritage Authority stated that the three-day gathering will showcase Abu Dhabi’s contributions to the development of Arabic poetry and its artistic depth. By broadening access the festival seeks to reinforce the emirate’s position as a global centre for poets and creative professionals. The event also forms part of ongoing measures to sustain purposeful cultural content across heritage sectors in the UAE.
