Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed, the President of the UAE and Ruler of Abu Dhabi, is mourning the death of his younger brother Sheikh Ahmed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
The UAE starts three days of mourning today (Wednesday) and while sporting events will go ahead as planned other events may be cancelled or rescheduled.
Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation said events scheduled as part of the Abu Dhabi Festival 2010 during the period of official mourning had been cancelled.
The committee overseeing the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi also said it would be closed for non-worship activities until Saturday.
The Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH) announced the postponement of the final episode of Million’s Poet TV competition scheduled for Wednesday.
The postponement also includes all related events such as Million’s Poet concerts scheduled for Friday.
9.15am: Il Divo concert rescheduled for Saturday April 3
Statement from the organisers
Flash Entertainment offers its sincere condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Sheikh Ahmed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
In respect of the official three day period of mourning, Il Divo in Concert, which is part of Abu Dhabi Festival 2010, has been rescheduled from Friday 2 April to the following day – Saturday 3 April.
The concert will take place at the Emirates Palace West Park, and all door and start times remain as planned. All tickets issued will be valid for Saturday 3rd April.
Ticket holders to the Il Divo concert should visit www.thinkflash.ae/ildivo or email ildivo@thinkflash.ae for further information.
Tickets are still available for this show at www.timeouttickets.com and Virgin Megastore outlets across the UAE.
10.12am
No alcohol will be served in Abu Dhabi for the three days of mourning
11.24am
No live music or bands at Crowne Plaza Abu Dhabi over mourning period. No confirmation of dryness as yet.
14.12pm
More news on Abu Dhabi gigs cancelled or rescheduled coming soon.
18.25pm
No more news today. We’ll keep you updated again tomorrow.
Thursday 9.12am
So far we’ve got no more news on events in the capital this weekend. Il Divo is still going ahead on Saturday and all venues will be keeping events quiet, out of respect, until Saturday. We’ll keep you updated throughout the day.
12.25pm
Abu Dhabi is not dry, at this point. Hotels have not received letters telling them to stop serving.
If you have any other updates for us, please leave a comment below.
