Shah Rukh Khan is moving from the big screen to a large-scale live stage. The actor has announced UNIFYD, a new music festival that will place Arijit Singh, Karan Aujla and Sonu Nigam on the same bill, along with more than 15 artists, in Abu Dhabi on March 20, 2027.
A one-day event with a deep lineup
The festival is produced by D’YAVOL Live and District, and presented with the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi and Miral, in association with Emirates NBD. More than 15 artists are expected across multiple stages, making it a one-day outing built like an international destination event.
Shah Rukh said he has spent his career telling stories on screen and watching them bring people together, and that music has the “same extraordinary power.” He added that UNIFYD will put “India’s most incredible artists on a shared stage for the first time,” and promised a spectacle in scale, energy and grandeur.
Bunty Singh, co-founder of D’YAVOL Live, said the first edition is special because it assembles “a lineup that has never existed before” on one day.
Why it matters for Hindi film fans
For Bollywood fans, the festival reads like a playback hall of fame. Arijit Singh and Sonu Nigam are among the most-recognised voices in Hindi cinema, while Karan Aujla brings a younger live-music audience to the bill. Putting them alongside a larger multi-stage lineup turns a concert into a weekend-worthy event for the Indian diaspora in the Middle East and beyond.
The announcement also gives fans a long runway: nearly five months to plan travel, time off and tickets. With a single-day format, demand is likely to concentrate on the lineup’s biggest names, and early access could matter more than usual.
Tickets and early access
Tickets will be sold through the District app. Emirates NBD cardholders get an early window from 9:30 AM GST (11:00 AM IST) on October 19, 2026 to 9:30 AM GST (11:00 AM IST) on October 20, 2026. General sale opens at 10:30 AM GST (12:00 PM IST) on October 20, 2026.
- Download the District app ahead of the sale.
- Use an Emirates NBD card if you want early access.
- Keep the time zones straight: 9:30 AM GST is 11:00 AM IST.
The larger shift
UNIFYD is another sign that Indian music is being packaged as a cultural export, with Abu Dhabi’s tourism department as a partner. For the industry, a bill this deep on a single day tests whether Indian artists can drive a destination festival the way international pop and EDM acts do. For fans, it is a calendar event worth planning around.
Source: The Hindu