Eat Drink Stay Dubai Newsletter: Xmas

Hi Dubai friends,

Welcome to the Special Edition, Christmas 2025.

First and foremost, I’d like to wish you a very Merry Christmas at this most wonderful time of the year. I’m always grateful for your support, but especially so during this season of goodwill to all. 🎅

Christmas in Dubai? Yes, really.

I know what you're thinking. Christmas in a Muslim country, in the desert - it must be a token effort at best, right?

Actually, it's massive.

Dubai is home to hundreds of thousands of expats from dozens of countries, and a huge portion of them celebrate Christmas.

This isn't about Dubai pretending to be somewhere else. It's about a city that knows how to balance its own culture with the diverse cultures of its residents and visitors. And Christmas is a perfect example of that.

So if you're curious about what Christmas actually looks like in Dubai, let me walk you through it.

What I'm covering:

• Christmas in Dubai Myth-busting

• Where to find the best Christmas happenings

• Markets, events, and activities worth your time

• Where to eat, drink, and celebrate

• What some of the Dubai hotels are doing

Let's get into it.

PS. You can always email me here - I always ❤️ hearing from readers. What did you think of this edition, for instance? (Yes, I know it should have gone out earlier - blame the 🧝!

PPS. As this is a Special Edition, the normal weekly edition may go out a day late - Saturday 27 December - to allow me to sleep off all the egg nog 😀 

Please note: some links in this newsletter may be affiliate links, and will be denoted with an asterisk (*). This is a link to a partner site that may pay me a commission - at no further cost to you - and if so, helps to support me & this newsletter. For more info, please see Disclosure and Policies

Note - this is only meant as a ’starting point’ and overview of the type of things going on at Xmas in Dubai, rather than specific recommendations. I would always urge you to do your own research based on your own likes, and check out sites like Time Out Dubai, What’s On, Visit Dubai, local media (The National, Gulf News, Khaleej Times etc.) and even social media, especially if it’s a particular venue (hotel, restaurant, bar, attraction etc.) that you like.

Even though websites aren’t always up to date, it can be worth checking a particular hotel’s official page or social media, as they will often list their full festive schedule including Christmas, New Year and everything, such as this page from Dubai Marriott Harbour Hotel & Suites (or see the section further down).

Bear in mind in Dubai, sometimes it’s the developer of an area or mall that may list all the events, such as at Palm Jumeirah and Palm West Beach

IT’S MYTH-MAS!

Dubai Christmas Myth-Busting

One of the common misinterpretations about Christmas and Dubai is they’re not allowed to celebrate it (which couldn’t be further from the truth).

Where this comes from - other than the usual clickbait or ill-informed ‘experts’ - is that in the Gulf, especially in the more conservative countries like Saudi Arabia, Islam is the dominant religion. Consequently, local laws and cultural norms restricted shows of alternative religions, although this has eased dramatically over recent years. The UAE however, is far more cosmopolitan and far more various reasons, recognises the cultural makeup and varied demographics, especially in Dubai which is far more touristy and Western-focussed than the other emirates.

Perhaps the biggest example of this is seeing church services openly advertised in local media, such as in the UAE’s largest church, St Mary’s Catholic Church.

If you can, check out some of the videos of the carol services these churches offer, and you may be amazed at the numbers that attend.

Ultimately, it’s the same as other events during the year that have their foundation in religion - they are actively welcomed in Dubai (especially) not just to reflect the residents and visitors, but also, because they bring a lot of revenue too.

So don’t listen to those who don’t know what they’re talking about is the message I’d suggest 😄

CHRISTMAS EVENTS

Did you know it can take up to nine months to prepare Dubai’s biggest Christmas trees?

If you’re in the mood for pantomime - oh yes you are! - get your skates on to get to New Covent Garden Theatre, Mall of the Emirates, as 24 December is the last date to see Rapunzel.

Or how about catching Home Alone at Mama Skypool’s outdoor cinema on Christmas Eve?

Speaking of Kevin McCallister, how to eat like him in Home Alone: Dubai edition.

Whilst Christmas events can suffer from uplifted prices, there are also some free things to do in Dubai, such as Hatta Winter Festival, festive lights at Al Seef and The Beach, Christmas displays at City Walk and free outdoor movies at JLT.

Read more about what’s happening at The Beach this Christmas, including these 6 things to do.

These 20 things to do in Dubai at Christmas include some interesting options, including special festive dishes at Time Out Market, Lindt afternoon tea, festive hot chocolate and a Bavarian Christmas Market.

You don’t have to do a brunch or Christmas dinner to get into the festive mood, as Dubai has plenty of great cafes, coffeeshops and bakeries that offer Christmas treats such as Aura Bakery & Cafe or the EatX venues like Tom & Serg, Common Grounds and The Sum of Us.

And if all of that has driven to needing a Christmas drink, here are some of Dubai’s best Happy Hour deals 🍺

CHRISTMAS MARKETS

There’s still time to check out a Christmas Market, as some run until 31 December (Madinat Jumeirah) or 07 January (Festival City). This year, there are some markets even wider afield such as in Al Seef or Winter City at Expo City, though you will have to be quick to get in at Ski Dubai, which finishes on 25 December.

🔗 Madinat Jumeirah Festive Market 🔗 Winter Wonderland at Ski Dubai

WHERE TO MEET SANTA

Yes, the big fella and his helpers are ready to meet you in these grottos.

🔗 The Grotto Dubai

CHRISTMAS FIREWORKS, DRONES AND SHOPPING

We’re now firmly in ‘drone and firework season’, and there will usually be events every day whilst Dubai Shopping Festival is on.

Here are some of the fireworks and drone shows and here are some of the best discounts of Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF), including a 90% off, 12-hour sale.

🔗 Dubai Shopping Festival

CHRISTMAS DINING

Dubai often overwhelms with choice, and Christmas is no exception. Remember, to step back, look around, research and balance what’s available vs what your priorities are.

Broadly speaking, Christmas dining can fall into two categories - a brunch or buffet style, just at Christmas, or a more traditional, festive theme (think Christmas Dinner, turkey and trimmings).

Be aware though, events tend to get booked up very quickly so bookings are essential. Also, discount apps like Entertainer or My Emirates Pass may not be applicable for ‘special events’ or ‘blackout days’ - but always ask when booking.

Last but not least, the restaurant and hotel marketing teams are busier than even Santa’s elves trying to promote their outlets, so there’s a lot to wade through and some events may be a bit more ‘mid’ than others.

As an entree, here are ‘8 merriest spots for feasting’ which allow you to try a different vibe, such as Levantine or Italian festive fare, or even a Winter reverie of entertainment.

Whilst this doesn’t fall under a Christmas Eve or Christmas Day event, one of the original ‘big brunches to take the family to’ was Al Qasr, who have brought back their ‘The Big Festive Brunch’ at Jumeirah Al Qasr on 27 December.

🔗 The Big Festive Brunch at Al Qasr

Christmas Eve Brunches

These Xmas Eve brunches serve as an intro to Christmas, and may not be as ‘full on’ as Christmas Day. Some may or may not have turkey, so do check the details.

Or, 25 Christmas Eve dinners including top picks such as Bull & Bear, Demon Duck or Nikki Beach Resort.

Ernst Biergarten offers a German vibe, and will have a German brass band, a buffet and a live German band. Oh, and of course, Paulaner!

🔗 Ernst Bier Garten

Christmas Day Brunches

This list of 145 Christmas Day brunches and dinners would make a good starting point. If I had to pick a shortlist, I’d say (in no order) :-

• Traiteur

• The Croft

• Prime 68

• Dhow & Anchor

• The Beam

• Mina’s Kitchen

• Three Cuts

• Saffron

• McCaffertys (JVC)

• The Duck Hook

• Lakeview

• McGettigans

• Goose Island

Note - these will cover a range of budgets, varying from Fine Dining through to more traditional carvery style. Whilst there are heaps of brunches that are excellent, many will be the ‘usual’ whereas these will likely feel a bit more festive in vibe and offerings.

Or you could try these family-friendly brunches where you can meet Santa.

And if you’ve still not made your mind up, here’s another list of 101 Christmas Day brunches or 28 more ‘Fine Dining’ (read: more expensive!) options for brunch. Or these ‘luxury Christmas brunches’, or another ‘ultimate guide’ to ‘most luxe brunches in the UAE’.

JA Beach Hotel is offering two festive brunches on 25 December, in true Dubai style an informal one and a ‘Premium Christmas Brunch’, which is more intimate on the beach in cabanas.

Dining in at Christmas

Dubai’s massive at Christmas not just for tourists, but for families of residents visiting also, and they may not want to head out to restaurants etc.

Dubai has you covered, be it food deliveries from restaurants, or even ‘turkey takeaways!

A CHRISTMAS HOTEL TIP

Whilst it’s usually a time of high occupancy for hotels (most will hover around 80%), as is often the case with ‘peak events’, if you hold your nerve, you may find last-minute deals and staycations.

Theory being, hotels during the peak weeks inflate prices in advance of demand, and if their targets (occupancy and/or revenue) are not met, they may drop at the last-minute. This usually works best if you search through a sales channel that offers different rates per day, rather than the same block rate per day.

For example, if you look at Marriott direct, you can do a ‘flexible’ search rather than fixed dates and it will show you the lowest rate per day. I’ve often found for instance, Grosvenor House Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day cheaper than 27 December, but it can also depend on which days of the week the dates fall on (and numerous other factors).

WHAT SOME HOTELS ARE DOING FOR THE FESTIVE SEASON

Dusit Thani Dubai is a lovely, under-the-radar hotel that’s always worth a visit. It’s just past the main junction with Downtown/Mall, creeping into SZR/DIFC. Here is their festive schedule across their restaurants.

Al Habtoor City, whilst it can feel a little ‘isolated’ in that there’s not a lot around the area, hosts three hotels in one cluster along with La Perle. As they have a wide range of outlets, there is an equally wide range of events over the festive season including brunches and afternoon tea.

The LANA Dubai has a Manolo Blahnik Christmas tree, a festive stay offer, afternoon tea and special spa treatments.

JA Ocean View has brunches and festive buffets, along with festive jumper and post-brunch parties.

The Meydan Hotel has Christmas brunches, turkeys for order and Sky Bubble Terrace offering a Great Gatsby-inspired NYE event.

JW Marriott Marquis Dubai (in Business Bay, not to be confused with Marriott Marquis Dubai Creek!) is always a safe pick as it has 12 award-winning bars and restaurants. Prime 68 on Christmas Day and Vault on New Year’s Eve are only two of many excellent options.

St Regis Downtown Dubai (in Business Bay!) has the usual brunches, afternoon tea and other events, but also festive gifting by Ginori Terrace including hampers.

ABU DHABI AT CHRISTMAS

We don’t want to leave Abu Dhabi on the shelf this Christmas, so here’s a little nod to ‘where to spend Christmas in Abu Dhabi’.

Tip - the Rosewood Christmas Brunch and Saadiyaat Beach Club are perhaps the picks.