By Khaleji Times
From spending more than an hour to get shuttle buses to struggling with unclear instructions, some Coldplay concert goers hit several snags during the first show at the Zayed Sports City Stadium on January 9. However, others found getting to and from the venue much smoother.
Abed Halawani, a Syrian-Canadian electrical engineer, paid triple the usual fare to reach the stadium. Frustrated by unclear parking instructions, he opted to drive to a pick-up point outside Nation Towers. However, upon seeing the huge queue for shuttle buses at 5pm, the 34-year-old decided to book a Careem taxi instead. But the taxi took 15 minutes to arrive and nearly 50 minutes to reach the stadium, dropping him and his friends off on a crowded street about 15 minutes away from the entrance.
“I paid triple the amount of the usual fare,” he shared. “Also, the queue at the taxi drop off was long, so we were dropped at the main street on Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street and walked for 15 minutes to the concert area.”
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According to him, after the concert ended at 10pm, traffic was also very chaotic with “hundreds of people rushing out from four exits”, he added that the shuttle queue was too long. The group walked for 15 minutes and then ordered a taxi. “The roads were heavily congested; we reached home by midnight,” he said.
Long wait, no signs
For Riya Rahiman, who flew to Dubai from Delhi, the shuttle bus situation was equally frustrating. “There were no signs anywhere and security guards gave conflicting information,” she said. “It took us over an hour to get on the shuttle bus to take us back to our parking area in Sas Al Nakhl. Once we got on the bus, though, it (journey) was smooth.”
Dubai resident Zain Mrayya agreed that the lack of signs was an issue. “There were no signs to guide us to the shuttle buses; everyone was completely lost, and the queues were worth three hours of waiting — it was a nightmare,” described the Palestinian expat. She also said the queue for food was “mad, and we had to wait for over an hour for the food to get ready”.
She said she reached Al Raha’s park and ride at 2.30pm and found it “relatively empty”. The 28-year-old also added that her drive back to Dubai was fairly breezy.
Riya, who also attended the Coldplay concert in Sydney in November 2024, said that some rules were still unclear. “It was said on the website that bottles of 750ml could be carried in and refilled,” she said.
“I specifically bought a plastic bottle for that, but they wouldn’t let me carry it into the venue. My friend carried a metal bottle, but they refused to allow that either. Finally, after arguing with the security guards for a long time and showing them the rules where it was specified that bottles could be carried, we were finally allowed in.”
She left Dubai at 1pm on Thursday and said it was important for concert-goers to arrive at the venue early. “I would say, leave a buffer time of at least two hours so that you have enough time to find the gate and get to your allocated space without rushing,” she said. “Over the weekend, I am expecting more traffic but hopefully by then the issues would be ironed out.”
‘Breezy’ for some
Dubai resident Priya Jethani, on the other hand, found the experience very “breezy” and commended Abu Dhabi for a well-organised concert. “We arrived early at the Shahama park-and-ride and got a shuttle bus almost immediately,” she said. “But even so, we got stuck in a lot of traffic because the vehicles were not moving in front of the stadium. We got out about 10-15 minutes away from the stadium and walked the last mile. So, it is important to arrive early and to wear comfortable shoes.”
Priya and her husband
Priya and her husband
On the way back after the concert, she and her husband found a shuttle bus almost immediately. “We left at around 10.10pm and walked a bit where there were many buses waiting to ferry us,” she said. “In 30 minutes, we were back at Shahama where there were many little restaurants serving hot dogs and burgers. It was the best experience ever.”
Tips for attending Coldplay concert:
Arrive early, leaving a buffer time of at least one to two hours.
Use park-and-ride over other modes of transportation to get to the venue.
Wear comfortable shoes and be prepared to walk long distances to beat the traffic.
Carry metal bottles to refill water inside the venue
If using taxis, be prepared to pay double or triple the usual rates.
