The Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi Culture's July Events Round Up - Community, Museums, Visual Arts, Performing Arts

ART IN SCENTS (Thursdays & Saturdays) 

Explore the museum’s permanent collection through the sense of smell, transforming ten artworks into bespoke fragrances in collaboration with Givaudan. Featuring a specially designed scent booklet and a signature fragrance inspired by the museum’s architecture and surroundings, the experience creates a multisensory connection between art, memory, and emotion. 

Time: 12:30 PM to 3:00 PM

Location: Louvre Abu Dhabi 

Entry: Starting from 170 AED

For more details, please visit: https://www.louvreabudhabi.ae/en/whats-on/sensorial-experiences

GROUP EXPRESS TOURS AT LOUVRE ABU DHABI (Ongoing) 

Guided tours at Louvre Abu Dhabi are available across a wide range of themes, including our Picasso, the Figure exhibition, a brand new sensorial architecture experience, and the immersive olfactory experience, Art in Scents.

Time: 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM

Location: Louvre Abu Dhabi

For more details, please visit: https://www.louvreabudhabi.ae/en/whats-on/daily-guided-tours

Visual Arts

SEEING OURSELVES (Until 31 August 2026)

A visual journey through architecture, landscape, and portraiture, created by Emirati students exploring identity, memory, and contemporary life in the

Time: 10:00 AM - 8:00 PM

Location: Bassam Freiha Art Foundation

Entry: Free 

For more details, please visit: https://bfaf.ae/exhibition/seeing-ourselves/ 

HUMAN IN THE LOOP BY DR. AHMAD ALATTAR (Until 13 September) 

Human in the Loop is a sound-based interactive installation by Dr. Ahmad AlAttar that unfolds through physical interaction, listening, and gradual discovery. 

Time: 10:00 AM - 8:00 PM

Location: 421 Arts Campus

For more details, please visit: https://www.421.online/whats-on/human-in-the-loop-by-dr-ahmad-alattar/ 

SHEZAD DAWOOD: SKIN OF DREAMS (Until 20 September 2026) 

Shezad Dawood: Skin of Dreams is the first mid-career retrospective of artist Shezad Dawood. The exhibition invites you into the richly textured universe Dawood has been shaping for over two decades. Anchored in research, his works draw on diverse references from history, literature, architecture, music, science and technology, allowing him to make fantastical connections and leaps we might otherwise miss.

Time: Saturday - Thursday: 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM 

Friday: 2:00 PM to 8:00 PM 

Location: Cultural Foundation  

Entry: Free 

For more details, please visit: https://culturalfoundation.ae/en/event/shezad-dawood-skin-of-dreams 

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE BASSAM FREIHA COLLECTION (Until 17 January 2027) 

The Bassam Freiha Collection brings together over five decades of collecting, showcasing 19th- and early 20th-century Orientalist paintings by artists from across Europe. Through depictions of landscapes, interiors, markets, and daily life, the collection reflects the enduring Western fascination with the East and the artistic themes that shaped the Orientalist movement.

Time: 10:00 AM - 8:00 PM

Location: Bassam Freiha Art Foundation

For more details, please visit: https://bfaf.ae/exhibition/highlights-from-bassam-freiha-collection/ 

Summer Camps: 

ABU DHABI CULTURE SUMMER CAMP (Until August 2026)

The Abu Dhabi Culture Summer Camp brings together some of the Emirate's most iconic museums, studios, and cultural sites through four uniquely themed camp experiences designed for children and young adults. 

Time: Times Vary

Location: Locations Vary

Entry: Prices Vary

For more details, please visit: https://abudhabiculture.ae/en/Abu-Dhabi-Culture-Summer-Camp

Performing Arts: 

MUSIC IN THE CITY (Until 31 July 2026)

Abu Dhabi Culture presents Music in the City, a year-round programme that brings live performances into the everyday rhythm of the emirate—transforming parks, promenades, malls, hotels and cultural venues into vibrant stages.

Time: Times Vary

Location: Locations Vary

Entry: Prices Vary

For more details, please visit: https://abudhabiculture.ae/en/Music-in-the-City

Community

BOOKS IN THE CITY (Ongoing)

Books in the City is a city-wide initiative that reimagines reading beyond the page — transforming everyday spaces into curated, immersive literary experiences.

Time: Times Vary

Location: Locations Vary

Entry: Prices Vary