The Dubai Shopping Festival 2026 season now has firm dates. The 32nd edition opens on Friday 4 December 2026 and closes on Sunday 17 January 2027, a run of 45 days. That makes it the longest edition the festival has staged, and it covers the National Day break, Christmas, New Year and the first half of January.
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Key dates at a glance
| Opens | Friday 4 December 2026 |
| Closes | Sunday 17 January 2027 |
| Length | 45 days |
| Edition | 32nd |
| Organiser | Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment, part of Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism |
What the organisers have confirmed
The announcement so far covers the shape of the season rather than the full programme. Confirmed elements include:
- Retail promotions, mall activations and raffles running citywide for the whole 45 days.
- The return of DSF Nights, the free live music and family programme.
- DSF x Hatta Wadi Hub, which takes the festival into the mountains with outdoor dining and cinema.
- DSF Auto Season and the open air Market Outside The Box, both repeat fixtures of recent editions.
How to plan around it
For residents, planning the Dubai Shopping Festival 2026 season is mostly about timing. Weekends and the days around Christmas and New Year are the busiest in the malls, so weekday mornings are the easiest window for serious shopping. Parking at the larger malls fills early on Friday and Saturday evenings, and the Metro is usually faster than driving on concert nights. Restaurant tables in the big mall districts are worth booking a week ahead through late December.
Visitors should treat December and early January as peak season for flights and hotel rates in Dubai, so earlier booking helps. If you need an entry permit, check the rules before you book, since Dubai tourist visa applications moved to a new portal this month. The festival also overlaps the cooler outdoor season, so it pairs well with a night at the Dubai winter camping site at Al Ruwayyah.
What has not been announced
Several things people usually ask about are still missing. There is no published concert line up, no confirmed raffle prizes or ticket prices, and no official figure for the size of the discounts. Individual malls and retailers set their own offers, and those are normally released in the last week of November. Treat any percentage circulating now as unconfirmed.
The sensible next step is to pin the two dates in your calendar and wait for the detailed programme. Opening weekend events, ticketed concerts and the raffle rules for the Dubai Shopping Festival 2026 season will be published on the official Visit Dubai festival page, which is also where any change to the closing date would appear first.
