The DXB Winter Festival is new for winter 2026/27 and takes over from the old Christmas market at Dubai Festival City. From 1 December 2026 to 10 January 2027, a 20,000 m² festival site on the waterfront beside Dubai Festival City Mall hosts what the organisers call the region’s biggest winter festival: a European-style Christmas market, an iconic Christmas tree, Santa’s Grotto, a funfair, a main stage and fireworks over Dubai Creek. It is open daily from 16:00 to midnight, and from 14:00 at weekends.

What is the DXB Winter Festival?

This is the first edition of a large seasonal festival that runs from UAE National Day through Christmas and New Year’s Eve to Orthodox Christmas on 7 January. Unlike the free market that used to fill Festival Bay in previous years, this is a ticketed event: the organisers promise “one ticket, everything inside”. There are entrances on both the mall side and the bay side, so it is easy to combine with dinner on the waterfront and the free IMAGINE show.

What to do at the festival

• Vendor Streets – a European-inspired Christmas market with more than 150 local and international vendors, food stalls and open-air cafés
• Iconic Christmas tree – the centrepiece of the festival and the photo spot of the season
• Santa’s Grotto – a supervised play area for young children, with Santa himself
• The Funfair – rides, fairground games and family fun
• Main Stage – performances by local, regional and international artists
• Daily programme – parades, workshops, comedy and live music
• Fireworks and Creek views, plus a licensed outdoor area for adults

Special evenings

Expect extra programming on UAE National Day (2 December), at Christmas, on New Year’s Eve – when the festival counts down to 2027 on the waterfront – and on Orthodox Christmas (7 January). The detailed programme for these evenings has not been published yet; we will update this page as soon as it is.

Opening hours

The DXB Winter Festival is open every day from 1 December 2026 to 10 January 2027:

DXB Winter Festival	Opening hours
Monday – Friday	16:00 – midnight
Saturday – Sunday	14:00 – midnight

Tickets and prices

Ticket prices have not been announced yet (status: October 2026). Entry is by ticket, and one ticket covers everything inside the festival grounds. Register at dxbwinterfestival.ae for the early-bird offer: according to early reports, the first 10,000 tickets come with a 25% discount. We will add the prices here as soon as ticket sales open.

The free IMAGINE show next door

Before or after the festival, watch IMAGINE, the free water, laser and fire show on Festival Bay. According to the mall, shows run Monday to Wednesday from 19:00 to 22:00 and Thursday to Sunday from 19:00 to 23:00. Check the mall’s website for the exact show times on the day you visit.

How to get there

The festival is on the waterfront beside Dubai Festival City Mall, on the eastern bank of Dubai Creek and about ten minutes by taxi from Dubai International Airport. There is no metro station at the mall: the nearest is Creek station on the Green Line, from where you continue by taxi. More about the mall, the restaurants on Festival Bay and getting there on our Dubai Festival City Mall page.

Hotels nearby

Three hotels sit right on the Festival City waterfront: the InterContinental Dubai Festival City, the Crowne Plaza Dubai Festival City and the Holiday Inn Dubai Festival City. All are a short walk from the festival entrances – handy if you want to stay for the fireworks without worrying about a taxi home. For more ideas, see our Winter in Dubai hotel suggestions.

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