Culture Summit Abu Dhabi

Culture Summit Abu Dhabi this year runs 8-10 December under the theme Towards a Reimagined Commons. Bringing together cultural leaders, artists, policymakers and thinkers from around the world, this year’s programme explores the role of culture in shaping shared memories, spaces and futures – inviting participants to rethink ‘civicness’ by questioning and building spaces for imagination, conversation, and action.

The theme will be reflected across the Summit’s three-day programme, structured around a series of sub-themes that explore different dimensions of the ‘commons’ through panels, case studies, creative conversations, interactive workshops, and outcome-led reports.

Day one will focus on Collective Memories, exploring how both official and unofficial histories shape our sense of identity and belonging, and how memory can contribute to diverse forms of civic imagination. The second day will explore Collective Space, examining the physical, digital, and symbolic spaces where culture takes place, and how these can be reimagined in ways that are participatory, inclusive, and sustainable. The final day will examine Collective Imagination, looking to the future and considering how culture and creativity can help us imagine and build new shared worlds, and the tools and frameworks needed to bring these to life.