500 drones to light up Abu Dhabi skyline in celebration of the Year of Zayed

It will be a spectacular end to the Mother of the Nation festival and a first for the Middle East.

On Friday and Saturday at 8.20pm, the Abu Dhabi skyline will light up with 500 Intel "shooting star" drones. The LED drones will hover several metres above visitors and light up the sky with the Year of Zayed logo in a spectacular display set to last about five minutes.

Saif Ghobash is Director General of the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi, which organised the festival.

"Abu Dhabi is the first city in the Middle East to host this unique drone show," he said.

"This remarkable event truly captures the emirate’s spirit, which is grounded in heritage and tradition, but with a look to the future. Merging the best of technology and art, this captivating show will enable us to tell the Abu Dhabi story in an impactful way and pay tribute to our Founding Father, using the night sky as our canvas. We would like to invite everyone across the UAE to join us.”

The festival will close with stellar gigs on the main stage by Emirati superstar Eida Al Menhali and Lebanese-Canadian singer-songwriter Danny Aridi on Friday, with percussionist Daneel Sayegh and Emirati singer Adel Ibrahim playing on Saturday.

This year the festival featured more than 100 activities, including art, music and interactive workshops for the whole family. The Mother of the Nation pavilion explored the impact of Emirati women on the country.

Taking place at the newly-inaugurated Al Bahar beach on Abu Dhabi's corniche, the third edition of the festival finishes on Saturday. Tickets cost Dh25 per adult and Dh15 for children under 12, while children aged 5 and under along with those with special needs and those above 60 are admitted for free.