Louvre Abu Dhabi cancels Dua Lipa concert due to rain

A concert to mark Louvre Abu Dhabi's first anniversary was cancelled due to rainstorms, devastating fans.

Dua Lipa was set to perform at the museum on Sunday, but after heavy rain and strong winds swept over Abu Dhabi, the concert was cancelled.

In a statement on Twitter, Louvre Abu Dhabi said: "Due to the current inclement weather in Abu Dhabi we have cancelled the Dua Lipa concert at Louvre Abu Dhabi this evening. Health and safety of our visitors is our priority."

UPDATE: More rain and high winds expected in UAE

The museum told ticket-holders to keep their passes pending an update "in due course".

A further statement said: “We are pleased to report that everyone is safely on their way home after the Dua Lipa concert was postponed due to dangerous weather. We are hoping to reschedule the concert and we will let everyone know the new date as soon as possible.”

The British pop star was set to perform at 8.30pm and the cancellation left hundreds of fans disappointed.

"I'm absolutely gutted," said Fiona Rock, who drove from Dubai for the concert. "I was really looking forward to seeing Dua Lipa, but at the end, safety comes first."
"This is the best and worst night of my life," a devastated young fan told The National. "At least we got to explore the museum a bit," she said.

Radio station Dubai 92's Roger Prior was also looking forward to the show. "There are a lot of kids here and safety is paramount in these sort of situations," the morning producer told The National. "I'm sure they will rearrange the gig in Dua course".

The Electricity hit-maker tweeted her disappointment that the concert was cancelled.

"I am so sad to announce that due to bad weather conditions tonight's show at Louvre Abu Dhabi has been cancelled," she said. "I really wanted to sing and dance for you .. hopefully I will be back very soon."

She also shared a video of the strong wind blowing trees and lightning over the museum, accompanying the video with four broken heart emojis.

The powerful storm left hundreds of motorists caught in long queues, as others sought shelter inside the museum.

Abu Dhabi Police sent a warning message to all residents telling them to stay indoors due to the stormy weather.

It began raining in the capital at about 6pm on Sunday as gusty winds whipped up sand and lightning flashed across the sky.

Residents reported rain at Khalifa Park, Airport Road and along the Corniche.

At Reem Island, strong winds blew sand and debris from construction sites. In Khalidiya, garage roofs flew off and small branches from trees were blown on to the streets.

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Read more:

Extreme weather in the UAE: Tales of sun, sand and even snow

Remembering the UAE’s Great Storm one year on

UPDATE: More rain and high winds expected in UAE

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The Ministry of Interior tweeted a message asking motorists to drive carefully as videos of the rain emerged on social media.