Local Artists Reveal Personal Stories Behind Abu Dhabi's New Street Murals

A 40-meter mural of pearling boats and mangrove roots appeared on a warehouse wall in Al Mina on 9 July 2026, the latest addition to a city-wide effort that began in 2024.

The timing coincides with the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi rolling out its second phase of public-art funding, which now reaches beyond Saadiyat Island into older industrial zones where rents have risen sharply since 2022.

Neighborhood walls and the crews that paint them

Teams working through the Abu Dhabi Street Art Program have completed pieces at the Yas Bay Waterfront promenade and along the service lanes behind the Al Maryah Island financial district. Painters describe choosing motifs from local fishing logs and family migration records rather than generic desert scenes. One group that started in Al Dhafra in 2023 now receives small stipends to maintain pieces that otherwise fade under summer dust.

Residents near the Al Mina warehouse say the new boat mural replaced a faded advertisement for a defunct shipping firm and now draws weekend walkers who stop to photograph the details of rope coils and net patterns.

Scale and cost of the current push

City records show 87 murals installed between January 2025 and June 2026 at an average outlay of 28,000 dirhams each, including surface preparation and protective coating. Guided walks that visit five sites now charge 45 dirhams per adult and run on Friday mornings from the Al Mina parking area.

Next month the program will open applications for a new round focused on the stretch between Zayed Sports City and the Corniche, with selections announced by early September. Residents can check the Department of Culture and Tourism website for dates and required wall dimensions.