Sheikh Zayed Festival 2026-27: Dates, Tickets and What's On

The short answer: Sheikh Zayed Festival’s 2026-27 season runs from Friday 30 October 2026 to Saturday 13 March 2027, at Al Wathba, roughly 45 minutes from central Abu Dhabi and about 1 hour 20 minutes from Dubai. Entry is AED 10 per person (children under 3, people aged 60 and over, and People of Determination go free), and the gates open at 4pm every day: Sunday to Thursday until midnight, Friday and Saturday until 1am. Expect country pavilions, a nightly fountain show, fireworks and drone displays, and the season covers UAE National Day, the whole school winter break and New Year.

When is Sheikh Zayed Festival this season?

The festival’s own “Plan Your Visit” page gives the 2026-27 season as running from 30 October 2026 to 13 March 2027, which matches what has been doing the rounds on the festival’s Instagram. That is just over four and a half months, one of the longest windows we have seen confirmed for it, covering UAE National Day (Wednesday 2 and Thursday 3 December 2026, see our UAE National Day holiday guide), the full school winter break (14 December 2026 to 3 January 2027) and New Year’s Eve itself. The site does not number the edition, so we have left any “19th season”-style claim out of this guide rather than guess at it.

How much are tickets, and where do you buy them?

Entry is a flat AED 10 per person, with no extra charge to walk between pavilions or watch the fountain, fireworks or drone shows. Children under 3, people aged 60 and over, and People of Determination are exempt. You can book online through the festival’s own site, zayedfestival.ae, or buy at the gate; the site does not say whether gate sales ever sell out on a busy night, so booking ahead is the safer move for a Friday or Saturday visit, or anytime over National Day and the winter break.

Opening hours: weekday vs weekend

Gates open at 4pm every day of the season, whatever the day of the week. The difference is the closing time: Sunday to Thursday the festival runs until midnight, while on Friday and Saturday nights it stays open until 1am. The official site does not publish separate hours for public holidays.

Part of this season falls during Ramadan 2027, whose exact dates depend on moon sighting and had not been fixed when we checked. The festival’s site gives no separate Ramadan hours, so if your visit lands in the holy month, check with the festival directly before you go.

Where it is, and how to get there

The festival grounds sit in Al Wathba, on Abu Dhabi’s southern edge, off the Abu Dhabi-Al Ain road. Neither the festival nor Visit Abu Dhabi publishes an official drive time, but by road distance it works out to roughly 45 minutes from central Abu Dhabi (about 45km, via the E22) and around 1 hour 20 minutes from Dubai (about 140km, via Sheikh Zayed Road, the E11, then the E22). Build in extra time on Friday evenings and at weekends, when both roads carry more inter-emirate traffic.

Parking is free at the gates, with a valet service on offer and a dedicated area for People of Determination; no fee is published for either. The festival also runs bus transport from pick-up points in Abu Dhabi to the grounds and back, according to its own site, though the stops and times are only shown as an image timetable we could not read in full, so confirm the current points before relying on it. We found no shuttle advertised from Dubai: if you are not driving, the practical options from Dubai are a taxi, a ride-hailing app, or arranging a car through your hotel or travel desk.

What’s on: pavilions, fireworks and the rest

Country pavilions

The festival is built around themed pavilions, each a scaled recreation of a landmark from the country it represents, selling that country’s food, crafts and goods rather than souvenir trinkets. On the official site’s own listing we counted as many as 16 pavilions, including Pakistan, the GCC, Japan, the Levant and Iraq, Africa, Morocco, Thailand, Iran, China, Turkey, India, Egypt, Yemen and Syria; the exact total is not stated as an official figure, so treat 16 as a count rather than a published number.

Heritage Village and the Emirates Fountain

A Heritage Village runs alongside the pavilions, built around traditional Emirati culture and crafts. The Emirates Fountain puts on shows most evenings that combine large screens, lasers and holograms, and the Layali Alwathba stage hosts concerts through the season, though the festival had not published this season’s line-up when we checked.

Fireworks, drone shows and the Guinness claim

Fireworks and drone shows are regular fixtures of the festival, though the official site does not publish which nights they run, so it is worth asking at the gate or checking the site close to your visit. The festival says its fireworks display sets a new Guinness World Record every year; it had not named this season’s record when we checked, so take that as the festival’s own long-running claim rather than a confirmed 2026-27 title.

New Year’s Eve

The season runs straight through New Year’s Eve, but a specific New Year’s programme for 2026-27 had not been announced on the official site when we checked on 4 November 2026; past seasons have marked the night with extra fireworks. If New Year’s Eve itself, rather than a day trip to Abu Dhabi, is the plan, our Dubai New Year’s Eve guide covers the fireworks and countdown spots that are already confirmed.

Prize draws

The festival also runs prize draws: spend at any of its restaurants for a chance to win a car or other prizes, according to its own site. No current draw dates or terms are published beyond that.

How long to spend, and the best night to go

No single “best night” is advertised by the festival itself, but its own hours are a useful clue: Sunday to Wednesday evenings, before 8pm, are a reasonable bet for a quieter visit, since the festival keeps shorter hours on those nights. Thursday to Saturday, and any evening during National Day or the winter break, will draw the biggest crowds.

Budget at least three to four hours to see a few pavilions, the Heritage Village and a fountain or fireworks show properly. Families with young children tend to turn it into a full evening, since there is a lot of ground to cover on foot between the pavilions, the rides and the stage.

What to eat

Food follows the pavilions: expect Pakistani, Thai, Moroccan, Turkish, Yemeni, Syrian and Egyptian stalls and sit-down restaurants side by side. The festival’s own site describes more than 90 restaurants and cafes across the grounds in a recent season, so there is no shortage of places to stop between pavilions.

Before you go

• Dress modestly. The festival asks visitors to dress modestly and rules out public displays of affection, pets and riding bikes on site.
• Accessibility. There is dedicated parking and wheelchairs on request for People of Determination, plus a nursery and a medical centre on the grounds.
• Carry both cash and card. Entry and parking cost little, but the pavilion stalls, games and food stands are the kind of place where small cash notes are handy alongside a card.
• Bringing family over for the season? If relatives are visiting for National Day or the winter break, our UAE visit visa desk can arrange their visa before they fly.
• Comparing it with Global Village. If you only have one evening in the UAE and are deciding between the two, our Global Village Dubai guide covers the Dubai equivalent, which runs nightly from mid-October and sits inside the city rather than a drive away.

Frequently asked questions

Is Sheikh Zayed Festival free?

No. Entry is AED 10 per person. Children under 3, people aged 60 and over, and People of Determination get in free.

What are the Sheikh Zayed Festival 2026-27 dates?

The festival’s own site gives the season as running from Friday 30 October 2026 to Saturday 13 March 2027.

How do I get to Sheikh Zayed Festival from Dubai?

By road it is roughly 1 hour 20 minutes, around 140km, via Sheikh Zayed Road (E11) and then the E22 towards Al Wathba. No official shuttle runs from Dubai, so you will need to drive, take a taxi, or arrange a car.

What time does Sheikh Zayed Festival open and close?

Gates open at 4pm every day. It closes at midnight Sunday to Thursday, and at 1am on Friday and Saturday nights.

Is there a New Year’s Eve show at Sheikh Zayed Festival?

The festival is open on New Year’s Eve, but no specific 2026-27 New Year’s programme had been announced on the official site when we checked. Past seasons have marked the night with extra fireworks.

How long should I spend at Sheikh Zayed Festival?

Budget at least three to four hours to see a few pavilions, the Heritage Village and a show properly; families often spend a full evening there.

Plan your Abu Dhabi winter trip with Holidayys

We do not sell Sheikh Zayed Festival tickets, since entry is bought direct from the festival, but if you are building a winter trip around it we can help with the rest. We can book your hotel and flights for a Dubai base with an Abu Dhabi day out, point you to our UAE National Day packages if you want a longer trip timed around the 2-3 December holiday, or arrange a visit visa through UAE visa services for family flying in for the season. Browse every Dubai stay on our Dubai packages page, or message us on WhatsApp at +971 4 589 0001 or through our contact page to talk through dates.

Related guides

• Places to visit in Abu Dhabi
• Global Village Dubai: tickets, timings and tips
• UAE National Day holiday 2026
• Winter in Dubai: weather and what’s on
• New Year’s Eve in Dubai
• Dubai Shopping Festival 2026-27

Last checked 4 November 2026 against Sheikh Zayed Festival’s own “Plan Your Visit” page (zayedfestival.ae) for the season dates, hours, ticket price and site rules, and against Visit Abu Dhabi’s events pages, which did not list the festival when we checked. We could not find an official schedule for fireworks or drone show nights, a named Guinness World Record for this season, a New Year’s Eve programme, or an Abu Dhabi Media Office release about the 2026-27 season. Drive times are our own estimate from road distance, since neither official site publishes one. Dates, prices and opening hours can change, so confirm on the official site before you go.