IIFA 2027 Abu Dhabi brings Bollywood’s biggest awards weekend back to Yas Island on 22 and 23 January. Here is everything you need to plan your nights out, from hosts and performers to tickets and the new worldwide livestream.
IIFA 2027 Abu Dhabi will take place on Friday 22 and Saturday 23 January 2027 at Etihad Arena on Yas Island, the fourth time the UAE capital has hosted the International Indian Film Academy Awards. Karan Johar and Varun Dhawan will host the main awards, and tickets start at Dh100.
Salman Khan, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Shahid Kapoor and Janhvi Kapoor are the first performers confirmed. For the first time, the main ceremony will also be livestreamed worldwide on YouTube.
IIFA 2027 Abu Dhabi at a glance
- Dates: Friday 22 and Saturday 23 January 2027
- Venue: Etihad Arena, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi
- Edition: 27th IIFA Weekend and Awards
- Main awards hosts: Karan Johar and Varun Dhawan
- IIFA Digital Awards hosts: Pankaj Tripathi and Ali Fazal
- Performers announced: Salman Khan, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Shahid Kapoor and Janhvi Kapoor
- Tickets: from Dh100 for the main awards
- Partners: Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi and Miral
- Broadcast: Zee, for a third year in a row, plus a worldwide YouTube livestream
IIFA 2027 Abu Dhabi schedule
The weekend opens on Friday 22 January with the IIFA Digital Awards, which honour films and series made for streaming platforms. The main IIFA Awards follow on Saturday 23 January, with doors opening at 6pm and the ceremony starting at 7.30pm, according to Khaleej Times’ guide to the hosts and tickets.
Saturday is the night with the big performances and the film awards, so it is the one most fans will want to book first.
Who is hosting
Karan Johar is a familiar face on the IIFA stage. He co-hosted the 2024 ceremony in Abu Dhabi with Shah Rukh Khan and the 2025 silver jubilee edition in Jaipur with Kartik Aaryan. This time he shares hosting duties with Varun Dhawan.
The Digital Awards will be presented by Pankaj Tripathi and Ali Fazal. It is Tripathi’s first time hosting an awards show, and he told Khaleej Times the opportunity was “exciting and humbling”.
IIFA 2027 Abu Dhabi performers
Salman Khan heads the announced line-up, joined by Kareena Kapoor Khan, Shahid Kapoor and Janhvi Kapoor. “IIFA and I go back a long, long way,” Khan said in the statement announcing his return, adding that Abu Dhabi holds special memories for him.
More names are usually added in the weeks before the event, so follow IIFA’s official channels for updates.
How to buy IIFA 2027 Abu Dhabi tickets
Tickets are already on sale through Etihad Arena, with seats for the main awards night starting at Dh100. Prices for other tiers and for the Digital Awards had not been published in the launch coverage, so check the arena’s official ticketing page for the full range.
Buy only through official Etihad Arena and IIFA channels, and avoid unofficial resale listings on social media.
The venue: Etihad Arena on Yas Bay
Etihad Arena opened in January 2021 on the Yas Bay Waterfront and holds up to 18,000 people. It is owned by Miral, one of the event’s partners, and has hosted every IIFA ceremony held in Abu Dhabi so far. Our story on Etihad Arena’s five-year milestone looks back at its biggest nights.
Yas Island is easy to reach by car or taxi from both Abu Dhabi city and Dubai, but parking fills quickly on show nights. If you plan to attend both evenings, a Yas Island hotel is the simplest base.
Abu Dhabi’s long run with IIFA
The IIFA Awards began at the Millennium Dome in London in 2000 and usually move to a new city each year. Dubai hosted in 2006, and Abu Dhabi took over as a regular home with editions in 2022, 2023 and 2024, all on Yas Island.
The most recent of those, on 28 September 2024, saw Animal win Best Film and nine awards in all, while Shah Rukh Khan was named Best Actor for Jawan. IIFA then marked its 25th edition in Jaipur in March 2025, where Laapataa Ladies took Best Film.
The awards are produced by Wizcraft International Entertainment and have two sister events: IIFA Utsavam for South Indian cinema, first held in Hyderabad in 2016, and IIFA Rocks for music and fashion. Neither appears in the IIFA 2027 Abu Dhabi announcements so far.
“Returning to Yas Island for our fourth showcase is incredibly special,” said Andre Timmins, founder and director of the IIFA Weekend and Awards, as reported by The National’s IIFA 2027 guide. He promised bigger stars and deeper fan engagement for the 2027 edition.
How to watch IIFA 2027 Abu Dhabi online
IIFA has partnered with YouTube to livestream the main awards worldwide for the first time. The deal also covers celebrity conversations, behind-the-scenes clips and creator-led content around the weekend.
Zee returns as the official broadcast partner for a third consecutive year. Full broadcast times for the UAE had not been announced at the time of writing, so check IIFA’s official website closer to the date.
What it means for UAE fans
Repeat hosting has made IIFA a fixture of the Abu Dhabi winter calendar rather than a one-off visit. For residents, IIFA 2027 Abu Dhabi is the easiest chance of the season to see Salman Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan perform live without flying to India, and Dh100 entry makes it one of the most accessible star events in the region.
IIFA 2027 Abu Dhabi FAQs
When is IIFA 2027?
On Friday 22 and Saturday 23 January 2027. The Digital Awards come first, and the main awards are on the Saturday.
How much are IIFA 2027 Abu Dhabi tickets?
Main awards tickets start at Dh100 and are sold through Etihad Arena.
Who is hosting IIFA 2027?
Karan Johar and Varun Dhawan host the main awards. Pankaj Tripathi and Ali Fazal host the IIFA Digital Awards.
For more nights out this winter, find the latest concerts, festivals and premieres in our Events section.