A new Gulf cultural landmark is taking shape next door. Under the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Abu Dhabi Royal Equestrian Arts (ADREA) school will open on November 1, 2025 on Jubail Island, joining the historic schools of classical horsemanship in Austria, Spain, Portugal, and France, as outlined by the Abu Dhabi Media Office and reaffirmed by WAM.

For founders watching regional culture and sports investments, the project is sizable and operationally rich. ADREA spans 65,000 square metres with a climate-controlled arena for 1,200 spectators, 60 air-conditioned stables with monitoring, a veterinary and rehabilitation clinic, training arenas, and shaded tracks. It also houses the Furussiya Gallery of rare equestrian artefacts, an equestrian library of 10,000+ volumes, and the UAE’s first saddle-making atelier, alongside education that ranges from a Junior Academy to a four-year Rider Degree, with pathways welcoming Children of Determination, according to the official brief.

Regional outlets highlight the November opening date and the mission to preserve classical riding traditions for new audiences, echoing the details carried by WAM.

Why this matters in Bahrain now. The Kingdom’s tourism and culture calendar keeps leaning into heritage experiences that support startups across events tech, ticketing, guest logistics, and content. The Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA) marked World Tourism Day with a sustainable tour initiative that ran on September 27, 2025, as reported by the Bahrain News Agency and listed on the national tourism portal via Bahrain.com. Year-round programming continues through the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities (BACA), which maintains an active events calendar for concerts, exhibitions, and heritage experiences on its official site.

For Bahraini operators in sports tech and experiential learning, ADREA signals fresh cross-border opportunities. Think supplier contracts for arena technology, visitor engagement tools that integrate with museum-grade content, or equine wellness innovations that can be tested in Bahrain’s clubs and rolled out regionally. The combination of a ticketed venue, academic programs, and artisanal production creates multiple entry points for startups that build for culture, sport, and education, while keeping Bahrain as a practical base for GCC expansion.

If you are building in culture or sports-adjacent tech, map your products to high-spec venue needs using the facility brief from the Abu Dhabi Media Office. Then approach local stakeholders for Bahrain pilots through BTEA and BACA using the touchpoints above before engaging GCC partners tied to ADREA’s opening.