The UAE is gearing up to mark the 54th Eid Al Etihad, with a range of events that blend heritage, art and family-friendly activities.

From workshops and traditional performances to large-scale festivals, the long weekend offers plenty of ways to connect with the country’s history and community spirit. Several emirates will also host fireworks displays, adding to the celebratory atmosphere.

Whether looking for hands-on crafts, outdoor celebrations, heritage experiences or cultural showcases, here are some events to take part in.

In Abu Dhabi

Yas Waterworld Yas Island

After opening its expansion earlier this year, the water park will be transformed with vibrant entertainment and heritage-inspired encounters, including spirited fisherman dance routines, appearances from beloved characters and activities such as pottery, basket weaving, calligraphy and falcon encounters. There will also be a beautifully decorated majlis area for guests to enjoy.

TeamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi

TeamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi is celebrating with a long weekend of immersive art, culture and performances. Expect Ayala dancers, coffee and dates, and explore the museum’s ever-changing digital artworks that blend tradition with cutting-edge technology. The visit can be rounded off at Anko, a Japanese cafe offering coffee, matcha and sweets with views of Saadiyat Cultural District.

Qasr Al Watan

Qasr Al Watan is marking the occasion with a programme celebrating the nation’s heritage and unity. Expect musical performances, traditional Ayala dances, Emirati hospitality, a falcon experience and guided cultural moments throughout the palace.

Highlights include the Qasr Al Watan Library, the House of Knowledge with its Golden Ink manuscripts exhibition, a daily Horse Marshal display at 5.45pm, and a Military Music Show on select days. Each evening will conclude with the Palace in Motion light and sound show at 6.30pm.

Al Qana

Al Qana will host a series of Eid Al Etihad celebrations each evening from 5pm to 11pm until December 3, featuring Emirati cultural experiences and family-friendly activities. Visitors can enjoy Ayala and Harbiyah performances, along with face painting, henna, pottery demonstrations, heritage crafts and a photo opportunity with falcons. The waterfront space will also feature dedicated areas for families to explore and take part in traditional arts.

Hudayriyat Island

Marsana on Hudayriyat Island is celebrating with a family-friendly festival on December 2. Held on the Green Lawn, the event will feature traditional performances, roaming entertainers and children’s activities, all set by the seashore. The celebration is from 3pm to 8pm.

Emirates Heritage Village

On December 1, Heritage Village will host a full day of celebrations from 8am to 6pm, featuring traditional Talli, Sadu and Khous weaving, Ayala performances and Emirati cuisine. Visitors can explore a community souq with local entrepreneurs, enjoy henna and family-friendly activities, and capture memories at dedicated photo booths.

In Dubai

Souk Madinat Jumeirah

The bazaar-style venue will host a two-day celebration from noon to 8pm on December 2 and 3, transforming its amphitheatre into a vibrant showcase of Emirati culture. Visitors can explore heritage huts offering Sadu, fishnet and carpet weaving, enjoy storytelling sessions, experience falconry displays and join children’s arts and crafts workshops.

City Centre Mirdif

The mall is celebrating with a pavilion featuring live oud performances, an interactive string-art wall, a photo booth and the immersive Voices from the Past audio experience. Visitors can also try the heritage claw machine or join creative workshops in pottery, tasbeeh-making, rope art and embroidery. The food and beverage area will serve hot chocolate in National Day-themed cups.

Expo City Dubai

Expo City Dubai is marking Eid Al Etihad with events across various venues. At the newly opened House of Arts, visitors can explore exhibitions, artist-led workshops and community activities inside the former Morocco Pavilion.

On December 2, the space will host National Day celebrations featuring tastings, children’s workshops, talli and burqa-making sessions, an art talk with Amna Abulhoul, a performance by the Firdaus Orchestra and film screenings by Cinema Akil.

Families can also visit Terra for the Nature & Wonder Festival on December 1 and 2, offering workshops, storytelling, camel rides and activities that highlight the UAE’s native flora and cultural heritage.

Al Shindagha Museum

From November 29 to December 3, the museum will host a series of cultural stops and workshops celebrating Emirati craftsmanship. Near Al Maktoum House, expect sessions in burqa sewing, Al Sadu weaving, making fishing gargoors, silversmithing and perfume blending, alongside folk performances such as Al Nahmah, Al Ayala and Al Yowla.

Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood & Hatta Heritage Village

On December 2 and 3, Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood and Hatta Heritage Village will host cultural performances and heritage activations, offering visitors a chance to enjoy traditional arts in two of Dubai’s most historic settings.

Etihad Museum

Etihad Museum’s celebrations from December 1 to 3 will see the building illuminated in UAE flag colours and a programme highlighting the story of the Union. Visitors can explore interactive installations rooted in Emirati values, a VR station showcasing national achievements, hands-on planting and clay workshops, and heritage performances including Al Harbiya, Al Ayala and oud music.

In Sharjah

Al Layyah Canal

Al Layyah Canal in Sharjah is hosting Eid Al Etihad celebrations for the first time, with nightly events until December 2.

Visitors can enjoy Emirati folk performances such as Al Razfa and Al Ayala, interactive shows, light displays and a Sultan of Sharjah presentation by Al Shaer Band. The canal also features youth-led projects, heritage-inspired crafts and family-run stalls. There will also be children’s zones with art workshops and play areas.

Sharjah Museums Authority

Sharjah Museums Authority is marking the occasion with a programme of cultural activities across the emirate until December 3. As part of the celebrations, all SMA museums in Sharjah, Kalba and Khor Fakkan will offer free entry on December 2 and 3.

Highlights include heritage performances, educational workshops and interactive stations at sites such as Bait Sheikh Saeed Bin Hamad Al Qasimi in Kalba, Sharjah Fort and Hisn Khor Fakkan, alongside extended museum hours and guided tours.

Visitors can explore traditional crafts, maritime heritage showcases, children’s activities and community murals, as well as a range of exhibitions, from Andalusian cultural pieces to displays on native UAE plants and archaeological artefacts.

Kalba Kayak & Adventure Cafe

Absolute Adventure is celebrating the long weekend at Kalba Kayak & Adventure Cafe, set inside Al Qurm Mangrove Reserve. From November 29 to December 2, families can enjoy children’s activities and scenic outdoor experiences. Kayaking, sunset paddle sessions and bike rentals are available on a walk-in basis, while the cafe will offer a refreshed menu and views over the mangroves.

The National

The 33-year-old French actress is clearly not finished with her character, psychiatrist Madeleine Swann. According to the Daily Mail , she is expected to appear in the twenty-fifth installment of the spy saga directed by Cary Fukunaga.

Léa Seydoux in Swann’s Way, Madeleine Swann? The Daily Mail claims so . According to the British tabloid, the French actress is part of the cast of the next James Bond film , the twenty-fifth installment in a saga whose success shows no signs of waning. After Spectre , released in 2015, the 33-year-old star would be playing the role of this psychiatrist working in an Austrian clinic for the second time.

According to the Daily Mail , British actor Daniel Craig , who plays James Bond, and the director of the new film, Cary Fukunaga , have reportedly requested his return. Ralph Fiennes, who plays M, Bond’s superior, Ben Whishaw (Q), and Naomie Harris (Moneypenny, M’s secretary) are also expected to return for this new adventure, the plot of which is currently unknown.

Léa Seydoux, the third Bond girl to return?

This would make Léa Seydoux the third actress in history to don the James Bond costume. Until now, British actress Eunice Gayson has been the only one to appear in the same role—that of Sylvia Trench—in two installments of the saga: Dr. No (the very first, released in 1962) and From Russia with Love , the following year, alongside Sean Connery. Swedish actress Maud Adams, for her part, played two different roles alongside Roger Moore : Andrea Anders in The Man with the Golden Gun (1983) and the smuggler Octopussy in the eponymous film, also released in 1983.

Filming for the new adventure of the British secret agent is scheduled to begin in spring 2019. It remains to be seen whether the romance that blossomed between 007 and Dr. Swann-Seydoux during the filming of Spectre will continue…

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You might remember the last time there was collective panic surrounding ‘probable, violent deaths’ on a show. Yes, that’s right, it was Game of Thrones.

Before the final season (that no one ever spoke of again) released, fans went down the rabbit-hole of theories and read books between lines of what the creators said. It’s the same frenzy as Stranger Things approaches its end: All fans are wondering about who, could die this ‘violent’ death that the Duffer brothers have grimly suggested?

Many fans have looked through foreshadowing and drawn their conclusions. Can we just pray…that no one dies? Is that too much to ask? Clearly it is. But here are the top 5 characters who might just die, because…everyone loves them so much, so they might just.

Steve Harrington

Everybody and their grandmother loves Steve Harrington. The former King of Hawkins High has been babysitting a rotating pack of feral children for four years straight and has gone through a full-body-and-soul transformation. He’s responsible, he’s loyal, he’s emotionally literate—basically, he’s a walking character-development TED Talk. Which is exactly why every storytelling red flag in existence is screaming doom.

In the sacred, cursed book of TV Tropes, when a character finally gets vulnerable, reflects on life, and confesses their deepest dream—it’s over. And at the end of Season 4, when Steve looked at Nancy hopefully and said he wanted a future, a house, and six kids (six?? Steve, sweetie, be serious), fandom collectively clutched their pearls.

As every traumatised TV fan knows:
If a character starts talking about weddings, graduations, or babies, the Grim Reaper is already warming up in the wings.

So yes, Steve Harrington wanting half a dozen children might be the cutest moment of Stranger Things—but unfortunately, in TV-survival logic, that’s basically a death wish.

i still cant believe steve didnt die here. joe keery plot armor because everyone involved in the making of stranger things is in love with him. pic.twitter.com/0tgMkC4mI4

— boy king (@girlwreckage) November 18, 2025

steve harrington truly the only person in stranger things who is aware that he’s living in a horror movie pic.twitter.com/9chC3MQUbI

— boy king (@girlwreckage) November 18, 2025

But please, let’s be wrong this time. Steve really deserves a break.

 Will Buyers

Noah Schnapp’s Will Byers has been through enough trauma to last twelve lifetimes. Since Season 1, the poor kid has been kidnapped, possessed, body-hijacked, and basically turned into the Upside Down’s emotional support hamster. At this point, every time he appears on screen, fans instinctively brace themselves like they’re watching a horror movie through their fingers.

And as TV writers love nothing more than wringing tears from our souls, a solid chunk of the fandom is convinced Will is being set up for the ultimate heartbreak move—a dramatic, noble, self-sacrificial goodbye to save his friends.

steve harrington truly the only person in stranger things who is aware that he’s living in a horror movie pic.twitter.com/9chC3MQUbI

— boy king (@girlwreckage) November 18, 2025

But please, let’s be wrong this time. Steve really deserves a break.

 Will Buyers

Noah Schnapp’s Will Byers has been through enough trauma to last twelve lifetimes. Since Season 1, the poor kid has been kidnapped, possessed, body-hijacked, and basically turned into the Upside Down’s emotional support hamster. At this point, every time he appears on screen, fans instinctively brace themselves like they’re watching a horror movie through their fingers.

And as TV writers love nothing more than wringing tears from our souls, a solid chunk of the fandom is convinced Will is being set up for the ultimate heartbreak move—a dramatic, noble, self-sacrificial goodbye to save his friends.

Basically: Will Byers has suffered too much, and in TV logic, that either means he’s about to finally catch a break…or he’s about to heroically yeet himself into danger for the greater good.

stranger things has always been about will and his story
pic.twitter.com/n0d2PQyekM

— ɐıɟos | st5 spoilers (@miwiseven) October 16, 2025

The Duffer Brothers confirm Demogorgon is not telepathic and he did not open Will’s door in Season 1. Someone else did and the final season will reveal who. pic.twitter.com/L89cZroJrn

— Stranger Things Memes (@SThingsMeme) November 22, 2025

“Lucas is just trying to be the best boyfriend, friend, & be there for Max as much as he can, coz he feels a sense of regret that it was his fault that everything happened.” ❤️‍🩹 pic.twitter.com/8f1D4NIIyp

— Radz (@radz_sayz) November 22, 2025

Lucas Sinclair

He’s too good. Too pure. This boy has been hauling around comatose Max like an emotional support backpack, saving her, mourning her, screaming for her in the trailers with the kind of raw heartbreak that makes you reach for tissues and a support group.

And that’s why the fandom panic sirens are blaring.

TV writers love pain like Vecna loves monologuing, it’s entirely possible that Max survives her mental prison…only to wake up and discover that Lucas didn’t.

That would be so cruel, we would all need therapy, weighted blankets, and emotional service snacks for the next several months.

Joyce Buyers

 She’s a tough cutie, but when has that stopped writers from gleefully writing them off? Winona Ryder’s Joyce has been through the real ringer, from saving her child in the slimy Upside Down to running to Russia and saving David Harbour’s Jim Hopper.

Eleven

Millie Bobby-Brown has been saving the world for the past five seasons. She has literally carried the weight of alternate dimensions on her shoulders, ripped portals open (and closed them), and has saved the gang more times than we can count.
But now, whispers across the fandom suggest the unthinkable: what if Season 5 is where she doesn’t make it?
The idea of Eleven sacrificing herself—giving everything to protect the people she loves—feels painfully possible. It would be the ultimate heroic send-off, the kind of devastating, noble act that fans would dissect, debate, and emotionally unravel over for the next century.

Prove us wrong, Stranger Things. Come on now.

Gulf News