SRK’s UNIFYD Festival to feature around 15 artists in Abu Dhabi

Shah Rukh Khan is stepping into the live music business with a global-sized ambition. His new event, UNIFYD Festival, will open in Abu Dhabi on March 20, 2027, with three names from very different corners of Indian music leading the bill: Arijit Singh, Sonu Nigam and Karan Aujla.

A one-day event with a wider playlist

The inaugural edition will be held at Etihad Live on Yas Island. Billed as a single-day experience, it is being produced by D’YAVOL Live in partnership with entertainment platform District, with Miral and Experience Abu Dhabi also involved. Around 15 artists are expected to join the final roster, and more names are promised in the coming weeks.

The opening headliners give the festival three distinct musical textures. Arijit Singh brings contemporary romantic hits; Sonu Nigam represents a classic pop catalogue; Karan Aujla carries Punjabi hip-hop energy. Rather than one long concert, the event is designed as a multi-stage festival so those sounds can breathe in their own spaces.

The curator’s touch

Khan’s involvement is more than a hosting gig. He is credited as the festival’s curator, and he explains the idea in emotional terms. In a statement to Rolling Stone, he said he has spent a lifetime telling stories on screen and watching them bring people together, adding that “Music has that same extraordinary power.” The goal, as the organisers frame it, is to put leading South Asian artists on a single global platform.

For Hindi film fans, the promise is not just one headliner but a full day of discovery. A festival bill leaves room for rising artists, and around 15 names across multiple stages suggests the event is designed to reward audiences who stay beyond a single set. That positioning could also make South Asian stars more visible to Middle Eastern and global audiences, rather than limiting them to one-off diaspora concerts.

How to get in early

For UAE fans and travellers who want to plan ahead, the ticket window opens soon. Emirates NBD cardholders get first access via the District app on October 19, 2026, at 11:00 AM IST. General sales follow on October 20.

• Early access: Emirates NBD cardholders, October 19, 11:00 AM IST
• General sale: October 20
• Where: District app
• Dates and venue: March 20, 2027, at Etihad Live, Yas Island

A busy screen slate alongside the stage

The music announcement arrives while Khan’s film calendar is equally packed. His next big-screen outing, King, is set for December 24, 2026, with Deepika Padukone, Suhana Khan, Rani Mukerji, Abhishek Bachchan, Arshad Warsi and Abhay Verma among the cast. His last theatrical release was Dunki in 2023.

UNIFYD may be the new piece in that larger story: a format designed to travel to other international cities after Abu Dhabi. For now, the first test is a one-day bill that spans ballads, classic pop and Punjabi hip-hop.

Source: India Today