The boutique fair will be housed inside Terminal 1 at Zayed International Airport.
NOMAD Design Fair is touching down in Abu Dhabi for the first time, with its 2025 edition set to transform the decommissioned Terminal 1 at Zayed International Airport from 19 to 22 November 2025. The travelling fair, celebrated for staging editions in Capri and Venice, will debut in Abu Dhabi before continuing its global itinerary to St. Moritz in February and The Hamptons in June.
Founded and directed by Nicolas Bellavance-Lecompte, NOMAD Design Fair has earned a reputation as a refined counterpoint to large-scale art fairs. Its model is intentionally intimate, placing international galleries, exhibitions and site-specific projects under one roof and in striking, culturally resonant locations. The result is an experience with fewer booths, elegant programming and meaningful exchanges between collectors, designers and artists.
The choice of venue is a statement in itself. Designed by French architect Paul Andreu, the visionary behind Paris–Charles de Gaulle, Abu Dhabi’s Terminal 1 first opened in 1982 and served travellers for more than four decades before closing in 2023. Today, it is regarded as a landmark of Arabian Modernism, known for its sculptural central spaces, circular lounges and sweeping arched walkways. NOMAD will reactivate these atmospheric halls as a boutique showcase.
Beyond the fair floor, NOMAD’s VIP Programme will offer private home visits, architect-led tours and direct conversations with designers and artists. This tailored approach creates an environment where collecting feels personal and collaborative, and where relationships grow alongside collections.
Speaking about the UAE’s evolving landscape, NOMAD cofounder Nicolas Bellavance-Lecompte said: “It’s a country where you have a real base of collectors that has been collecting for quite some time now…and now you have these foreigners also living there that you don’t have yet in other countries.” Abu Dhabi’s debut edition captures that momentum, pairing a significant architectural icon with a fair that values curation, context and connection.
GO: Visit www.nomad-circle.com for more information.