Andrea Bocelli will open a newly created classical concert strand at this year’s Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, organisers have confirmed, with the Italian tenor booked to perform at Etihad Arena on Yas Island on Wednesday, 2 December 2026.
The performance launches Yasalam Classics, a strand introduced for the first time within the wider Yasalam presented by e& entertainment programme that runs across race week. Bocelli will share the stage with the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra, an ensemble known for its rich tone and emotive playing.
Produced by Ethara together with the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi and Miral, the new strand sits alongside the programme’s existing After-Race Concerts and Official After-Parties. Until now, the race week roster has leaned on contemporary acts — Lewis Capaldi, Zara Larsson and Imagine Dragons are already confirmed for 2026, with further names still to come — and the addition of a classical billing widens the genres on offer.
David Powell, Chief Portfolio and Strategy Officer at Ethara, framed the booking as a statement of intent. “Yasalam Classics is a significant addition to the star-studded Abu Dhabi Grand Prix entertainment programme, and Andrea Bocelli is the perfect artist to launch it. His performance will bring a different dimension to race week and reflects our ambition to stage the biggest and most exciting entertainment event of the year,” he said.
The timing carries particular weight for the singer. The Abu Dhabi date forms part of his Romanza 30th Anniversary World Tour, marking three decades since the 1997 release that turned him into a worldwide name. That album earned platinum and diamond status across more than 20 countries and stands as the best-selling Italian-language record, as well as the best-selling predominantly non-English album, ever issued.
Across a career spanning more than thirty years, Bocelli has shifted upwards of 90 million records and lent his voice to occasions including the Olympic Games and the World Cup. His catalogue includes the widely recognised Con te partirò (Time to Say Goodbye), Canto della Terra and Ave Maria.
Grand Prix ticket holders were given a 24-hour head start on seats through an exclusive pre-sale, with general tickets following via ticketmaster.ae and etihadarena.ae.
