Why stick to painting in a studio when you can paint besides aquatic animals and butterflies? This August, Abu Dhabi is giving artists the chance to swap blank walls for breathtaking backdrops. Imagine creating your masterpiece while colourful butterflies flutter around you or painting beneath glowing UV lights as sharks and rays glide past giant aquarium windows. So if you want to try out a new canvas and are looking for a unique way to spend your Thursday, these immersive workshops are well worth adding to your plans.
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Paint Among Thousands Of Butterflies
If a peaceful ambience and vibrant nature sound like your perfect creative escape, The Butterfly Gardens has just the experience. Every Thursday throughout August, FoscaArt is hosting guided painting sessions inside the tropical biodome, where thousands of butterflies fly freely as you work on your canvas.
These early morning sessions are designed to coincide with the butterflies’ most active hours, making the experience even more magical. And you don’t need to be an experienced artist to join these sessions. You just need to be ready to pick up a paintbrush and enjoy the professional guidance at every step. Your ticket includes all painting materials, expert instruction, your completed artwork to take home, and full admission to The Butterfly Gardens.
Thinking Of Painting Around Butterflies? Here Are All The Details
- Date & Time: August 6, 13, 20 & 27, 2026 | From 8 AM – 10 AM
- Location: The Butterfly Gardens Abu Dhabi, Al Qana
- Price: AED 250
- For more information, visit the official Butterfly Gardens website
Visitors who simply want to explore the gardens without joining the workshop can also purchase standard admission tickets separately.
Create Neon Artwork At The National Aquarium
Does your idea of creativity come with glowing colours and an underwater backdrop? Then the National Aquarium has something completely different in store for artists and art lovers alike! Its Neon Underwater Painting workshop will transform part of the aquarium into a UV-lit art studio, where fluorescent paints light up your canvas while hammerhead sharks, rays and thousands of fascinating marine creatures swim around you.
Now don’t think you’ll be going in alone! This two-hour guided experience is suitable for beginners and seasoned artists alike, with every participant receiving all painting supplies, expert instruction, a finished canvas to take home, and entry to The National Aquarium!
Thinking Of Painting With Sharks Admiring Your Work? Here Are All The Details
- Date & Time: August 6, 13, 20 & 27, 2026 | From 4 PM – 6 PM
- Location: The National Aquarium Abu Dhabi, Al Qana
- Price: AED 260
- For more information, visit the official National Aquarium Abu Dhabi website
If you’re only planning to visit the attraction, regular aquarium admission tickets are also available separately.
A Fun Way To Spend Your Thursdays
These experiences will take place every Thursday throughout August, so you have ample opportunity to try one or even both whenever you feel like it! If you’re still unsure, it helps to know that one of these experiences offers a calm morning surrounded by nature, while the other delivers an eye-catching glow-in-the-dark experience with incredible marine life as your backdrop. Just know that either way, you’ll leave with more than just memories; you’ll have your own artwork to show for it.
If you’re simply planning a creative day out with friends, looking for a unique date idea, or just want to step out and try something different, these workshops tick all the boxes. And if you’re always hunting for unusual things to do around the UAE, keep reading Gulf Buzz for all the latest discoveries and hidden gems around the UAE!
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