Entertainment organisers have announced the cancellation of a UAE concert by US singer Christina Aguilera and a festival featuring Shakira in Abu Dhabi, amid the ongoing Middle East war. Iran has pressed attacks on Emirati ships in recent weeks, after a ceasefire fell apart last month. The United Arab Emirates said it is suspending all trade and financial dealings with Iran after reporting an Iranian missile attack directed at its ships. Against this backdrop, the organisers of the Offlimits music festival, scheduled for November with Shakira as the headline act, announced that the festival was cancelled, vowing to refund tickets.

"We look forward to bringing the OFFLIMITS community together again in 2027," a message on the festival website read, without stating the reason behind the cancellation.

Separately, ticket sales website Ticketmaster said Christina Aguilera's scheduled September 25 concert had also been cancelled, without providing a new date, Emirati media reported. Both the Offlimits festival and the Aguilera concert had been scheduled for April before being postponed.