If you're in Abu Dhabi over the next few weeks and wondering what's happening at the plazas and the Corniche, it's the Summer With Us initiative, and it's worth building an evening around.
Abu Dhabi City Municipality has launched the community programme across four locations in the capital, running through August with a different stop each week. It began at Al Falah Plaza over four days, and continues at Rabdan Park from August 6-9. From there it moves to Abu Dhabi Corniche Beach for four days, August 13-16, before wrapping up at Al Shamkhah Plaza from August 20-23.
Each stop brings the same mix: activities, competitions, health screenings and food trucks, so it's easy to turn up without much planning and still find something to do, eat, or check on your own wellbeing along the way.
The initiative sits under the Year of the Family, and that framing shows up in what's actually on offer. There's skill development aimed at children and young people, alongside efforts to promote respect and responsibility and to encourage volunteering. Public safety is a running theme too, with awareness workshops covering fire response, recycling, and the Blue Flag Award, which relates to environmental and safety standards at beaches.
There's also a specific focus on inclusion. Dedicated workshops for People of Determination and for senior citizens cover beach services, which matters given that one of the stops is Corniche Beach itself and accessibility there tends to affect how comfortably people can actually use the space.
Who's behind it
The scale of the collaboration is notable. Abu Dhabi City Municipality pulled in Abu Dhabi Police General Headquarters, Burjeel Medical City, Al Ain Farms, the General Women's Union, Abu Dhabi Sports Council, Tadweer Group, Al Ahliya Hospital, Abu Dhabi Civil Defence Authority, Ayat Helmi Foundation, Medeor Hospital, the National Archives, the Library, Community Police, Royal Phone Mobile Store, and Burjeel Hospital.
That roster explains the breadth of what's on offer at each stop — hospitals and medical groups behind the health screenings, civil defence and police behind the safety workshops, sports and cultural institutions rounding out the rest. It's less a single event than a rotating community fair with a consistent purpose behind it.
For residents, the practical takeaway is simple: pick whichever stop is nearest and easiest to reach. If you're near Al Falah, that window has already passed, but Rabdan Park, the Corniche, and Al Shamkhah still have dates ahead. Each offers the same broad menu of family activities, wellness checks, and awareness sessions, just in a different setting — a park, a beach, or a plaza.
With the Corniche stop landing in mid-August, it's a reasonable bet that families already planning an evening walk along the waterfront will find the food trucks and activities a good reason to linger a little longer than usual.