Disney’s Encanto Live in Concert 2026 in Abu Dhabi

Disney’s Encanto Live in Concert brings the Madrigal family to Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Friday 18 December 2026, with the full film shown on a big screen while the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra plays Germaine Franco’s score and Lin-Manuel Miranda’s songs live in sync with the picture. It is the opening night of a run of film concerts at the arena that weekend, and the one most likely to turn the audience into a choir.

Encanto, from screen to stage

Encanto was released by Walt Disney Animation Studios in 2021, directed by Jared Bush and Byron Howard, with Charise Castro Smith as co-director and co-writer. It is set in a hidden village in the mountains of Colombia, inspired by the country in the early 20th century, where the Madrigal family lives in Casita, a house that is very much alive. Thanks to a magical candle, every Madrigal child receives a gift on their fifth birthday: super strength, perfect flowers, control of the weather, the power to hear everything. Everyone except Mirabel. When the family magic starts to crack, it is Mirabel, the one without a gift, who sets out to save it, and along the way she has to find out what really happened to her uncle Bruno.

The film won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and the BAFTA for Best Animated Film, and its soundtrack went to number one on the US Billboard 200. On the concert stage, the story plays out exactly as it does at home, but every note of music comes from the orchestra in front of you rather than the speakers.

The songs you will hear live

Lin-Manuel Miranda, the songwriter behind Hamilton and Moana, wrote the original songs, and the show is billed around them. Expect the big ensemble numbers and the quieter character songs in the order they appear in the film, including:

• The Family Madrigal, Mirabel’s whirlwind introduction to every relative and their gift
• Waiting on a Miracle, her solo about being left out
• Surface Pressure, Luisa’s song about carrying the weight of the family
• We Don’t Talk About Bruno, the viral hit that topped both the US Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart, and won a Grammy for Best Song Written for Visual Media
• What Else Can I Do?, Isabela’s burst of colour
• Dos Oruguitas, the Spanish-language ballad that was nominated for an Oscar

Between the songs, Germaine Franco’s score does a lot of the storytelling. It leans on Colombian sounds and rhythms, which gives a full symphony orchestra plenty to work with, from the gentle candle theme to the tense moments when Casita starts to fall apart.

Who are the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra?

The orchestra was founded in 2006 as the State Youth Orchestra of Armenia by conductor Sergey Smbatyan, who remains its artistic director and principal conductor. It gives more than 50 concerts a year at home and abroad, has recorded for Sony and Deutsche Grammophon, and runs the Khachaturian International Festival in Yerevan. It is known for programming that reaches younger audiences, and film scores sit comfortably alongside the classical repertoire. Playing to a film is a particular skill: the musicians follow the conductor, who keeps every cue locked to the action on screen, so the music lands exactly on each gag and dramatic moment.

A family night at Etihad Arena

Etihad Arena sits on the Yas Bay waterfront on Yas Island and is one of the largest indoor venues in the UAE, so the screen is big and the sound fills the room. Doors open at 6pm and the concert starts at 7pm, with access to seating from 30 minutes before the start. The film is presented in English with Arabic subtitles.

House rules that matter for families

• Ages: there is no age restriction. Children under 2 do not need a ticket if they sit on a parent’s or guardian’s lap, and under-16s must be with an adult aged 21 or over.
• Strollers: not allowed inside, but there are stroller parks at the arena.
• Bags: nothing larger than 30 x 30 x 15 cm, and there is no cloakroom.
• Latecomers: seated at a suitable break at management’s discretion, with a lockout of up to 10 minutes at the start of each act and no re-admission.
• Payments: the venue is contactless only, and flags of any kind are not allowed.

Accessible seating is available for guests with disabilities or other access needs, and it needs to be booked as an accessible ticket. E-tickets are scanned at the turnstiles, so download them to your phone before you set off.

Who it suits

This is pitched squarely at families, from preschoolers who know every word of Bruno to parents who discovered the soundtrack on repeat in the car. It also suits film music fans and anyone curious about how a live orchestra handles a modern animated musical. If your children are new to classical concerts, a film they already love is a gentle introduction: the screen holds their attention while the orchestra quietly shows them what dozens of instruments sound like together.

Make a weekend of it

Encanto is the first of several film concerts at Etihad Arena that weekend. Disney’s Frozen Live in Concert follows on Saturday afternoon, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York plays on Saturday evening, and Disney’s The Lion King Live in Concert closes the run on Sunday 20 December. Yas Island’s theme parks and the restaurants of Yas Bay are close by if you want to turn the trip into a full day out.

For more family plans, browse our kids events and concerts guides, see things to do in Abu Dhabi, or start planning the festive season with things to do in December.