VisualGPS Creative Trends Culture UAE 2026 Year of the Family

After celebrating 54 years of the nation’s union on December 2, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed al Nahyan, ruler of the capital Abu Dhabi and president of the UAE, has declared 2026 the Year of the Family.¹ Find out how our creators have been inspired by the Year of the Family to shine a lens on this theme of unity.

The UAE’s broader wellbeing strategies (such as the National Strategy for Wellbeing 2031)²  highlight strong families and social cohesion as key to a high quality of life. With declining birth rates and an ageing citizen population,³ this places direct emphasis on initiatives to support family growth, with wellness at the core.  

Create by Getty Images events, an educational and community initiative that helps regional creative communities create content, has captured Emirati family life in Dubai, reiterating how important strong family ties are to Emirati identity and values. Getty Images' VisualGPS research reveals that 60% of UAE consumers more broadly proactively care for their health by adopting wellness habits, and 54% prefer to manage their health through lifestyle changes without medications. We wanted to reflect these views in this shoot in a family context.

A proactive ethos often starts at home—a family cooking, eating and celebrating together, generations spending time together or enjoying the fresh air outdoors as first lines of defence. These intimate rituals of care reflect a deeper cultural rhythm that show how wellness in the UAE is a multigenerational value, reflected through warm visuals both tonally and metaphorically. 

As a result, this is a shoot that has paved a path for cultural Emirati nuances to shine through which led to capturing special moments that resonate locally. What emerged were visuals that directly depict the values that are at the heart of the Year of the Family 2026: Support across generations, joy in daily rituals and wellness as something cultivated together.

This visual storytelling opportunity serves as a symbol of the collaborative spirit Create by Getty Images events and creative communities inspire—one where creativity, culture and connection live side‑by‑side.     

Sources
[1]  Gulf News
[2]  WAM
[3]  The National