The Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture & Heritage (www.adach.ae) hosts music performances around the city, including shows at Emirates Palace. These include the Abu Dhabi Classics (www.abudhabiclassics.com), a series of classical music concerts by international artists and orchestras that take place throughout the capital from October to May. Abu Dhabi's nightlife is quiet compared with that of Dubai, but there are a few good options. The Beachcomber (tel. 02-697-0235), located on the small beach of the Sheraton Abu Dhabi Hotel & Resort, is a friendly alfresco bar that's fun for a sunset cocktail and - if you're so inclined - some puffs of shisha. It's open daily from 4pm to 1am. Upstairs sits Bravo (tel. 02-697-0235), a Spanish tapas bar serving pitchers of sangria. It's open daily from 6:30pm to 12:30am. At the Hilton (tel. 02-681-1900), you'll find Hemingway's (open nightly until 12:30am) and the Jazz Bar (open Mon, Wed & Sun until 12:30am; Tues, Thurs & Fri until 1:30am, and closed Saturdays), both with live music, as well as Cinnabar, the Hilton's red-lit nightclub with a small dance floor. Cinnabar is open Saturday to Wednesday from 10pm to 2:30am, Thursday and Friday from 10pm to 3:30am. Another jazzy bar is Sax (tel. 02-674-1286) at Le Royal Méridien. Open nightly from 7:30pm to 4am, it gets crowded after 10pm and offers live music nightly. The city's most exclusive nightclub, which is by reservation only, is Etoiles (tel. 02-690-8960; www.etoileuae.com) at the Emirates Palace, which features themed nights in an opulent setting. It's open Tuesday to Friday from 11pm to 3:30am. For shisha and live music, BBQ Al Qasr (tel. 02-690-7999), also at Emirates Palace, is the best option. It's open nightly from 7pm to midnight.

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