MENA Music Events to Look Out for in 2026

We’re barely a month into 2026, and the region's calendar is already stacked with major music moments. From thought-provoking summits to blow-out electronic festivals and standout live showcases, the year ahead is shaping up fast.

In this list, we highlight the most unmissable music events happening across the region that have been announced so far...

Tempo Summit

📍 Beirut, Lebanon

🗓️ February 12th-14th

Conceived as an industry-focused platform and education experience, TEMPO is a three-day music expo that is newly launching in Beirut for the first time from February 12th to 14th. The event will take place across the American University of Beirut (AUB), combining seminars, workshops, panels and live performance sessions to connect music professionals, organisations, academia, and emerging artists.

The summit’s program spans the full spectrum of the music ecosystem: veterans share experience through panel discussions, independent artists join networking sessions, and workshops cover songwriting, stage production, and live performances.

The event is with limited-capacity. Guest list registration is now open via the link in TEMPO’s Instagram bio.

Balad Beast Festival

📍 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

🗓️ January 29th-30th

MDLBEAST’s Balad Beast festival will transform Al Balad’s centuries-old streets in Jeddah into an immersive audio-visual playground for its 2026 edition. Running from January 29th to January 30th, the festival has billed a massive roster of international, regional, and local artists across various genres, including the likes of Playboi Carti, Solomun, Don Toliver, Ben Bohmer, Franky Rizardo, Pawsa, Naika and Loco Dice.

EXIT Festival

📍 The Great Pyramids of Giza, Egypt

🗓️ October 2026

Known as one of Europe’s largest and most socially conscious music festivals, Serbia-born EXIT will be landing at The Great Pyramids of Giza in October as one of its 2026 world tour stops - marking its debut in the MENA region. Having been hosted annually at the Petrovaradin Fortress in Novi Sad, Serbia, the festival became a pilgrimage site for music lovers worldwide, billing the likes of The Prodigy, Sex Pistols, DJ Snake, and Nina Kraviz. The EXIT Pyramids edition will be produced in collaboration with one of Egypt’s event giants, Venture Lifestyle.

Stay tuned to SceneNoise for the official lineup and ticket drops.

Aegis Festival

📍 Batroun, Lebanon 

🗓️ July 10th-12th

Arguably one of the region’s most highly-anticipated electronic experiences, Lebanon’s Aegis Festival is returning to the forest-capped hilltops of Arnaoon Village, Batroun, from July 10th to July 12th.

Since its inception in 2023, Aegis Festival has set a stage that connects the region’s electronic scene all in one place for three days of non-stop music, spotlighting a roster of forward-thinking regional and local talents, collectives and labels, while simultaneously showcasing one of the most sought-after international DJs. While the lineup remains under wraps, the festival has previously brought the likes of The Blaze, Marco Carola, Peggy Gou, Agents of Time, Hiroko Yamamura and Gordo.

Early bird tickets are now available via aegisfestival.com.

Sunburn Festival

📍 Abu Dhabi, UAE

🗓️ December 2026

Sunburn -one of Asia’s biggest electronic festivals - is making its UAE debut in Abu Dhabi in December 2026. For almost two decades, the festival has been one of the main driving forces of electronic music in India, bringing the likes of Avicii, Swedish House Mafia, David Guetta, Dimitri Vegas, Paul Van Dyk, Chainsmokers, Pete Tong and more.

Details on the lineup, ticketing and the specific date in December are yet to be announced.

Zamna Festival

📍 The Great Pyramids of Giza, Egypt

🗓️ April 24th-25th

Born in the coastal city of Tulum, Mexico City, globally renowned electronic music festival Zamna will be coming to the Giza plateau for the second time, on April 24th and 25th. The lineup remains under wraps. However, the festival has previously brought the likes of Camelphat and Arodes.

Tickets are now on sale via Techno and Chill’s official website.

Grammy House Pop-up

📍 The Great Pyramids of Giza, Egypt

🗓️ October 2026

In October, the Recording Academy is bringing its GRAMMY House experience outside the US for the first time, where it will be hosted at the foot of the Great Pyramids of Giza. The multi-day pop-up will bring together a massive roster of regional and global artists, industry leaders, and music executives, and will feature live performances, panels, workshops and educational sessions.

The specific date and full program for the event will be announced soon.

Freaks of Nature Festival

📍 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia 

🗓️ February 5th-6th & February 12th-13th

Freaks of Nature is a Saudi Arabian boutique electronic music festival that has steadily grown into one of the Middle East’s most recognisable and globally exportable brands with its large-scale production and star-studded lineups. The festival will be hosting a ‘Freakyard’ themed edition at the historic site of Banban in Riyadh over two weekends this February.

Running on February 5th and 6th, and February 12th and 13th, the festival’s lineup features a mammoth roster of international heavyweights, such as Alan Walker, Martin Garrix, Mathame, Amelie Lens, Zamna Sounsystem, Stasi Sanlin and more. Beyond the music, there will be a wide range of experiential activities, interactive art installations and a DJ competition with a new merchandise range.

Tickets are available via NoFomo’s official website, including general admission, VIP, backstage and VVP Table passes.

Fabrika

📍 Tunisia 

🗓️ November 2026

Fabrika, one of the most forward-thinking electronic music festivals in the MENA region, will be making a comeback to the sun-drenched shores of the city of Hammamet in November 2026. The festival is known for its carefully curated lineup of seasoned and up-and-coming international, regional and local techno and house acts. The festival will also feature a wide range of interactive visual art installations and exhibitions, along with fun activities, workshops and a diverse marketplace filled with handmade local products.

While the dates and lineup are yet to be announced, Fabrika has previously billed the likes of Sublee, Lorenzo, Raphael Merheb, Baloo and more. Stay tuned for tickets announcement.

Soundscapes

📍Bahrain 

🗓️ February 6th

After years on the road, Bahrain-born electronic music festival Soundscapes is making its way back home with a one-day homecoming festival on February 6th. Founded in 2015, Soundscapes has steadily built a reputation as one of the region’s most considered electronic music festivals, blending music, arts and wellness across a series of editions staged on Zanzibar’s Bwejuu Beach.

The lineup features regional artists and long-time collaborators, including Baloo, DJ Dustin, Hameed, Rashed Al Dhaen, F Jaay, Eli Vervein, Mozees and Dust. Tickets are available via the link in @soundscapes.bh’s Instagram bio.

Sandbox Festival

📍El Gouna, Egypt 

🗓️ May 7th-9th

One of the most anticipated experiences on the region’s festival calendar, Sandbox is returning for its 12th edition in the coastal city of El Gouna, Red Sea, from May 7th-9th. The long-running festival is known for billing some of the biggest regional and international acts, including Hisham Zahran, Misty, Ricardo Villalobos, Joella Jackson, Anotr, and more.

Tickets are available via the link in bio on Sandbox Festival’s Instagram.

MOGA Festival

📍 Essaouira, Morocco 

🗓️  September 30th-October 4th

A boutique festival born in the bohemian coastal city of Essaouria that has been fueling the Moroccan electronic scene since 2016 with its eclectic event series, MOGA will be coming back from September 30th to October 4th. The Festival is known for bringing together a community of over thirty nationalities twice a year in Portugal and Morocco, with a shared desire to experiment and discover new regional talents and share the local culture. Its programs often welcome a massive lineup of over 70 prominent acts from across the globe, the likes of Damian Lazarus, Fumiya Tanaka, and Suze IJO.

Tickets and the full lineup announcement will be out soon via mogafestival.com.

Sandbox Selects

📍 Dubai, UAE 

🗓️ February 7th

Egypt-based events pioneer, Sandbox, has revealed the line-up for the Dubai debut of independent series, Sandbox Selects, on February 7th. Taking place at Helipad, the party will welcome the likes of Detroit native, DJ Holographic, who is set to serve up her trademark combination of house, R&B, hip-hop, disco, true Detroit techno, and Motown. Also on the line-up is Megatronic, founder of hybrid festival, FEMME FEST, and the Global Music Movement collective, as well as a special B2B set featuring Egyptian favourites, Misty and Aly Goede. Rounding off the roster for the evening will be Lebanese DJ, Kurls, and Dubai-based Cairene, DNGR DNGR.

Tickets are available via the link in bio on Sandbox Festival’s Instagram.

NO ART

📍  Somabay, Egypt

🗓️ March 22nd

Globally-renowned label and party series NO ART is making its way to Egypt for the second time, with a massive showcase at Somabay, Red Sea on March 22nd. Brought by Egyptian electronic brand Human Figures, the party will feature a roster of some of the most sought-after international artists in the electronic scene, including Chloe Caillet, Chris Stussy, Job Jobse b2b Palms Trax, Bella and the masterminds behind NO ART themselves, Anotr, alongside Egyptian house maestro staple Misty.

Tickets are now available via TicketEgypt’s official website.

The Moment Festival

📍  Ain El-Sokhna, Egypt

🗓️ March 21st

The Moment, an electronic music boutique festival curated by the renowned Danish trio WhoMadeWho, is coming to Egypt for a one-night-only event in the coastal city of Ain El Sokhna on the Red Sea coast on March 21st. While the lineup for The Moment Ain El-Sokhna edition remains under wraps, the festival is known for attracting techno and house heavyweights, with previous performers including the likes of Alan Dixon, Adriatique, Henri Bergmann and more.

Brought by Egyptian events giant P+US, The Moment will take place at Il Monte Galala at Ain El Sokhna. Pre-registration for tickets is now available via TicketEgypt’s official website.

Wu-Tang Forever: The Final Chamber

📍 Dubai, UAE 

🗓️ March 22nd

Legendary hip-hop collective Wu-Tang Clan will perform in Dubai as part of their farewell tour, ‘Wu-Tang Forever: The Final Chamber’, taking the stage at Coca-Cola Arena on March 22nd, 2026. The group’s final tour will feature a selection of their most celebrated tracks alongside rare live performances of lesser-known material from across their catalogue.

Tickets will be available for general sale from Friday, October 24th at 10 AM GST via Live Nation Middle East’s official website.