5 Outdoor Events Celebrating Christmas in Dubai

Unlike most places in the Arab world, Christmas is widely celebrated in Dubai with various concerts, festive markets, tree lightings and many others. And if you think that the Christmas spirit doesn’t combine well with the warm weather and beach parties, you obviously haven’t been in Dubai at this time of the year. We’ve picked up the biggest outdoor events taking place ahead of Christmas in Dubai this December.

We know it’s not actually an outdoor event, but the 9th annual Stollen Charity Cake Sale at Mall of the Emirates is just too good! 650 meters of stolen cake will be prepared, sold and eaten, while the proceeds will be donated to the Dubai Centre for Special Needs. The delicious sale starts at 10.00 am on December 5 and everyone is welcome to participate!

Every Tuesday of the Month – Christmas Movies

Reform at The Lakes Club will have free evening screenings of kids’ most loved Christmas movies, including “Toy Story”, “Home Alone”, “Elf”, and “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”. And there will be an additional film for December 24 – “Santa Claus”. While kids are having fun, their parents can just rest and enjoy dining in peace.

Every Friday of the Month – RIPE Market

This month, the Ripe Market near Gate 1 at Zabeel Park will sell seasonal, festive foods such as cranberries, red cabbage, sage, parsnips… everything you need for the holiday meals around Christmas. There will be also craft and gift stalls offering a wide variety of items for everyone on your gift list. It starts at 9.00 am every Friday and closes around 2.00 pm.

December 8 – Irish Village Christmas Tree Lighting

The tree lighting ceremony will be held outside at The Irish Village at 7.00 pm on Monday and will be accompanied by a Christmas carol choir, while festive meals will include special beverages and home-baked mince pie. And it’s free to attend!

December 11 – Dubai Christmas Fest

This will be the biggest Christmas event in the city and the whole region, so whatever you are looking for, you’ll find it there – traditional market, gingerbread decoration, ice rink, artificial snow, games, live entertainment, Santa’s Grotto, where kids will meet with Santa, and a lot of shopping opportunities. The three-day fest will be held at Dubai Media City Amphitheatre and it is not free of charge to attend. You may find more information here: Dubai Christmas Festival.

December 17 – Madinat Christmas Market

For ten days, the Souk Christmas Market at Madinat Jumeirah will offer residents traditional shopping stalls, an ice rink, a North Pole train, a Reindeer Rodeo, bouncy castle, a giant snow globe, Santa’s Grotto, and even a regular snow fall. The market will be free and a great family entertainment this month.