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Considered more liberal than some of its neighbours, the Kingdom of Bahrain is a small but affluent nation, with big ambitions.
Most of the international tours coming through here stop at the stunning ASM Global-run Al Dana Amphitheatre, which opened in 2020. Featuring a 10,000-capacity bowl, plus 1,500- cap club space, acts such as Scorpions, Miami Band, and Ahmed Saad and Metro Boomin have graced its stage so far in 2024.
Being an outdoor space means it has a season, typically October to May, before the desert location becomes too hot for shows.
However, that doesn’t spell an end to live events in the country. “During the summer, we’ve started putting acts through the air-conditioned Exhibition World Bahrain [also ASM Global- run],” says Al Dana CEO, Damian Bush. “What we’re trying to do is work with all the other venues and operators across the country to make Bahrain an important stop.”
Alongside the popularity of Arabic acts, Bush – who was previously at Hong Kong’s AsiaWorld-Expo – says comedy is a strong and growing genre, as is hip-hop. “I’m interested in seeing how K-Pop does here, and we’ll be experimenting with that.
“What we’re trying to do is work with all the other venues and operators across the country to make Bahrain an important stop.”
“Within the GCC, there’s lots of entertainment now, and it’s booming. What we offer is familiarity for the Western acts because this is a liberal country with a liberal view towards entertainment. Bahrain is very accessible … with direct flights into Europe, India, Asia, the UK. Hotels are top quality and we’re right by Saudi Arabia, which means we draw audiences from there, too – they love coming here for the entertainment.
“I was watching the audience going mad to Metro Boomin. [Afterwards, the artist] said, ‘These are real fans. They really want to see me.’”
He adds: “My goal is to make Al Dana Amphitheatre a destination for residents and visitors alike, with rooftop sunset dining and more, meaning people can really make the most of their visit here.
“What we’re interested in is bringing in the right type of music, the right type of genre, and we don’t rule out anything. It’s about what we think is going to sell, what’s going to be popular, what’s going to be diverse.”