The inaugural VidCon Abu Dhabi, originally scheduled to take place in March 2020 and postponed several times due to the coronavirus pandemic, is kicking off tomorrow at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center.
The event is going forward even as the flagship VidCon event in Anaheim, Calif. — initially slated for October — was cancelled and rescheduled for June 2022 amid ongoing health and safety concerns.
In order to attend the Abu Dhabi event, fans must provide proof of full vaccination and a negative COVID-19 test result taken within 96 hours of entry — among other protocols. Face masks are also mandatory for anyone over the age of 2.
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Tickets are still on sale, starting at $35. The event will feature performances from Nick Jonas and Kehlani. You can check out the full list of Featured Creators — who will appear across Community, Creator, and Industry-focused programming — right here.
Industry speakers will include creator Nas Daily, a number of top YouTube execs (including Google’s head of creator relations Paul Bakaus and director of YouTube in the Middle East and North Africa Tarek Amin), as well as execs from Snap (regional manager Hussein Freijeh), ViacomCBS (VP of content Tracey Grant), and TikTok (regional director of creator marketing solutions, EMEA, Luke Townsin).
The famed video convention arrives in the Middle East amid a five-year deal between VidCon and the Department of Culture and Tourism of Abu Dhabi, which was inked in Dec. 2019. Other international VidCon events include VidCon Asia (returning to Singapore in Dec. 2022), Australia, London, Mexico, and Sao Paulo (slated for May 2022).
