UAE: Going to Coldplay concert? Day 1 attendees share tips to beat long queues, avoid snags

The first of four nights of sold-out Coldplay concerts was one for the books. Thousands of fans from the UAE and beyond had a memorable night enjoying the music of one of their favourite bands performing live at Zayed Sports City Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Thursday.

As with any major events, however, some concert-goers hit snags — from spending more than an hour to get free rides on shuttle buses to figuring out how to go to the concert venue.

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There will be three more nights of fun and music ‘under a sky full of stars’ – and those who were there on the first night shared their experiences and gave a few tips to those heading to the shows on January 11, 12, and 14.

Arrive early

To start with: Arrive early. Leave a buffer time of at least one to two hours.

It’s a concert, so, wear comfortable shoes and be prepared to walk long distances to beat the traffic. Also, carry metal bottles to refill water inside the venue

Leave your car and use park-and-ride over other modes of transportation to get to the venue. If using taxis, be prepared to pay "double" or "triple" the usual rates.

Abed Halawani, a Syrian-Canadian electrical engineer, paid triple the usual fare to reach the stadium. He opted to drive to a pick-up point outside Nation Towers. However, upon seeing the huge queue for shuttle buses at 5pm, the 34-year-old decided to book a Careem taxi instead. It took the cab 15 minutes to reach his location and nearly 50 minutes to reach the stadium, dropping him and his friends off on a crowded street about 15 minutes away from the entrance.

After the concert ended at 10pm, traffic was at a standstill with “people rushing out from four exits", Halawan said. His group walked for 15 minutes to get a taxi. “The roads were heavily congested; we reached home by midnight,” he said.

Bring a lot of patience

“It took us more than an hour to get on the shuttle bus to take us back to our parking area in Sas Al Nakhl. Once we got on the bus, though, it (journey) was smooth,” said Riya Rahiman, another concert-goer who flew to Dubai from Delhi.

Dubai resident Zain Mrayya, meanwhile, said she had to find her way as she couldn't see directional signs. “There were no signs to guide us to the shuttle buses; we got lost, and the queues were long,” said the Palestinian expat.

But the 28-year-old said her drive back to Dubai was a breeze.

Stay hydrated

Riya, who also attended the Coldplay concert in Sydney in November 2024, recommended carrying a metal water bottle. She said: “I bought a plastic bottle, but security wouldn’t let me carry it into the venue. My friend carried a metal bottle.”

She left Dubai at 1pm on Thursday and said it was important for concert-goers to arrive at the venue early. “I would say, leave a buffer time of at least two hours so that you have enough time to find the gate and get to your allocated space without rushing,” she said.

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