Katy Perry is set to return to the UAE this December, where she will headline the New Year’s Eve gala at Atlantis, The Palm in Dubai on December 31.

The December 31 show follows Perry’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix performance last year. Her last performance in the UAE in December 2025, where she closed the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at Etihad Park, marking the final date of her Lifetimes Tour.

Photo: Getty images

Her New Year’s Eve appearance will headline the annual celebration at the Palm Jumeirah resort, with dinner, stage performances and views of Dubai’s skyline. The evening will conclude with fireworks stretching from Atlantis, The Palm towards Atlantis The Royal.

Perry has a long history of performing in the UAE. She previously headlined the Dubai Airshow Gala Dinner at Atlantis in 2015 and spent New Year’s Eve on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi in 2017, where she welcomed 2018 with a performance of “Firework”. She also performed at the closing ceremony of the World Parachuting Championships in Dubai in 2012.

Her 2025 Abu Dhabi set included songs from 143, including “Teenage Dream”, “Roar”, “Dark Horse” and “Firework”. The Abu Dhabi show was the final stop on her Lifetimes Tour, which supported her 2024 album, 143.

The black-tie New Year’s Eve celebration begins at 6pm. Ticket prices start at Dh8,500 for guests aged 14 and above, while children aged four to 13 can attend from Dh6,500. Children under three enter free.

Photo: Getty images

Rouge Circle tickets start at Dh10,500 for adults and Dh7,500 for children. Golden Circle packages begin at Dh14,500 and include private seating near the stage, a caviar box with personalised truffle service and unlimited premium drinks.

Atlantis is also offering VIP Sky Suites with private butler service. The Aurora Suite starts at Dh250,000 for up to 10 guests, while the Celestial Suite is priced from Dh400,000 for the same number of guests.

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Fh Alex Warren will perform at Etihad live on Friday, December 4, as part of the Yasalam After-Race Concerts during the Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. He joins Lewis Capaldi, Zara Larsson, Imagine Dragons, The Chainsmokers and The Script on the four-night concert programme. The concerts will run alongside the Grand Prix at Yas Marina Circuit from December 3 to 6.

Photo: Getty images

Why Alex Warren Matters

Warren arrives in Abu Dhabi following the success of his hit single “Ordinary”, which spent 10 weeks at No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and 13 weeks at the top of the UK Singles Chart in 2025. The song also helped push his debut album, You’ll Be Alright, Kid, into the US Top 5.

The album went on to earn platinum certification, while Warren accumulated billions of streams and completed a sold-out world tour. He also received a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist.

His Friday set brings a contemporary pop presence to a programme that moves between pop, rock, electronic music and ballads.

The Yasalam Line-Up

Photo: Getty images 

The concert series begins on Thursday, December 3, with Lewis Capaldi and Zara Larsson. Capaldi returns after performing at last year’s Grand Prix, while Larsson will perform on the opening night.

Warren is scheduled for Friday, December 4, alongside a second artist yet to be announced. Imagine Dragons will perform on Saturday, December 5, before The Chainsmokers and The Script close the series on Sunday, December 6.

More Music Around the Grand Prix

The Yasalam programme extends beyond the After-Race Concerts. Andrea Bocelli will perform at Etihad Arena on December 2 as part of his Romanza anniversary tour.

On December 4, Anyma will headline the official Yasalam After-Party at Yas Gateway Park, adding an electronic music event to the race-week schedule.

Tickets and Access

Photo: Eric Ray Davidson

Access to the Yasalam After-Race Concerts is included with Abu Dhabi Grand Prix tickets. Fans who want to be closer to the stage can purchase Golden Circle upgrades for the Friday concert.

Friday’s Golden Circle upgrades will go on sale at noon on September 30 through the official Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and Ticketmaster websites.

Four-day Grand Prix ticket holders can also visit a selection of Abu Dhabi attractions during race week at no additional cost, including Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, Yas Waterworld, Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi, SeaWorld Abu Dhabi and Louvre Abu Dhabi.

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BTS will not submit music for consideration at the 2027 Grammy Awards. The announcement came shortly after the Recording Academy unveiled a new category, Best Asian Pop Music Performance.

In a joint statement posted to social media, the group confirmed that neither recent singles nor material from their March album “ARIRANG” would be entered this year.

Photo: Instagram

“We have decided not to submit our work to this year’s Grammy Awards,” the statement read. “We hope music can be heard and loved for itself, beyond regions or languages.”

The statement reflects the group’s view that music should be judged on its own merits rather than being defined by region or language.

The Recording Academy introduced Best Asian Pop Music Performance to recognize excellence in K-pop, J-pop, C-pop and other Asian pop forms. To qualify, recordings must feature an Asian language prominently. Songs performed entirely in English are not eligible. The Academy described it as an expansion of representation.

BTS, however, framed the issue differently. Their statement suggests concern that geography and language could become the primary lens for evaluation, rather than the music itself.

It touches on a long-running debate: should international artists be celebrated within a dedicated category, or should they compete, and be judged, in the general field?

Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. said he was disappointed but respected the decision. He also clarified that artists who do submit to genre categories remain eligible for the top awards, Album of the Year, Record of the Year, and Song of the Year.

The decision also comes at an important time for the group. “ARIRANG” is BTS’ first full album since all seven members completed military service and reunited. It was led by “SWIM,” an English-language single that became one of the group’s biggest releases of the year.

Despite five prior Grammy nominations, including nominations for “Dynamite,” “Butter,” and “My Universe” with Coldplay, the group has yet to win a Grammy.

Photo: Getty images

The decision marks a rare move by one of the world’s most influential music groups, choosing to step back from the Grammy submission process even as a new category appears designed to recognize more Asian pop artists.

Their absence will be noticed during the next Grammy season. The move is unlikely to diminish BTS’s standing as one of the world’s biggest music acts.

Whether the new category succeeds in broadening representation or further compartmentalizes it will be tested in the coming years. For now, BTS has made its stance clear. The focus, at least for 2027, is not on awards campaigns. It is on the idea that music should be heard on its own terms.

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