Dubai in December 2026 has five things to plan a stay around: the UAE National Day holiday on 2 and 3 December, Dubai Shopping Festival from 4 December, GITEX GLOBAL from 7 to 11 December, the school winter break from 14 December, and New Year's Eve. On 10 November 2026 the Dubai Media Office confirmed the festival's dates, 4 December 2026 to 17 January 2027, and a nightly light show off The Beach, JBR from 5 December. A month in a hotel apartment has a median listed price of AED 8,000 for a studio and AED 11,500 for a one-bedroom on HotelApartments.com, and 395 of our 436 Dubai listings say an event supplement can apply on top.
Last checked: 11 November 2026. We update this page when the National Day holiday circular and the New Year's Eve plans are announced.
What are the key dates in Dubai in December 2026?
Most of the month is fixed. The festival, GITEX GLOBAL, the school break and New Year's Day are confirmed by their organisers or by the government's holiday list. Two things were not out on 11 November 2026: this year's National Day holiday circular, which can move the days, and the New Year's Eve fireworks and road plan.
| Date | What happens | Status and source (checked 11 November 2026) | For a monthly stay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 2 – Thu 3 December | UAE National Day (Eid Al Etihad) public holiday | Days as on the UAE government portal's list. This year's circular is not issued yet and can move the days: last year's, dated 17 November 2025, set 1 and 2 December. | Free concert at Hatta Wadi Hub on 2 December |
| Fri 4 December | Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) opens; 45 days, to Sunday 17 January 2027 | Confirmed: Dubai Media Office, 10 November 2026. Promotions and prize draws still to be announced. | Opening concerts at Coca-Cola Arena on 4 and 5 December. See our Dubai Shopping Festival guide |
| Sat 5 December – Sun 17 January | DSF Light Show nightly, 7:30pm to 10:30pm, in the bay between The Beach, JBR and Bluewaters | Confirmed: Dubai Media Office, 10 November 2026 | Nearest areas: JBR (31 units on our site) and Dubai Marina (53 units) |
| Mon 7 December | GITEX GLOBAL summit, Sheikh Maktoum Hall, Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) | Confirmed: gitex.com | Sheikh Zayed Road (46 units) is the area by DWTC |
| Tue 8 – Fri 11 December | GITEX GLOBAL expo, Dubai Exhibition Centre (DEC), Expo City Dubai | Confirmed: gitex.com | Dubai World Central (11 units) takes in Expo City. See where to stay for GITEX GLOBAL 2026 |
| Mon 14 December | Winter break starts at Dubai private schools; classes resume Monday 4 January 2027 | Confirmed: Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), academic calendar 2026–27 | Three weeks without school, 14 December to 3 January |
| Fri 25 December | Christmas Day | Not a public holiday: not on the UAE government portal's list | Falls on a Friday this year |
| Thu 31 December | New Year's Eve | Not announced yet: fireworks sites, road closures and metro hours. Expected in late December: last year's plan came out on 26 December 2025. | Last year: 48 displays at 40 locations; nearby roads closed from 4pm |
| Fri 1 January 2027 | New Year's Day public holiday | On the UAE government portal's list. This year's circular is not issued yet. | See the check-in table below |
| Sun 17 January 2027 | Last day of Dubai Shopping Festival and its light show | Confirmed: Dubai Media Office, 10 November 2026 | Stay past 17 January to see the last evening |
The two open rows. National Day's days are confirmed each year by circulars from the Federal Authority for Government Human Resources (FAHR), for federal staff, and the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE), for the private sector. Last year both set Monday 1 and Tuesday 2 December, a day earlier than the list, and FAHR's news page showed no 2026 notice when we checked. For New Year's Eve, Emaar's site still showed last year's edition, so read last year's plan as the pattern, not as this year's list.
The weather is the easy part: December averages a daily high of 26.5°C and a low of 16.8°C on National Center of Meteorology (NCM) records. Our winter in Dubai guide has every month.
Which check-in date covers what on a 30-night stay?
Almost every Dubai unit on our site, 435 of 436, has a 30-night minimum, so the check-in date decides what you catch. To spend the night of 31 December in your apartment, a 30-night stay has to start between 2 and 31 December. Check in on 1 December and you check out on New Year's Eve.
| Check in | Check out after 30 nights | What the stay covers | What it misses |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 1 December | Thu 31 December | National Day, the festival's opening, GITEX GLOBAL, the start of the school break, Christmas | New Year's Eve: your last night is 30 December |
| Wed 2 December | Fri 1 January | Everything from National Day to New Year's Eve | Nothing in December; you check out on New Year's Day |
| Sun 6 December | Tue 5 January | All five GITEX GLOBAL days, the whole school break, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day | National Day and the festival's opening weekend |
| Sat 12 December | Mon 11 January | The whole school break (14 December to 3 January), New Year's Eve and New Year's Day | National Day and GITEX GLOBAL |
| Sat 19 December | Mon 18 January | Christmas, New Year's Eve, New Year's Day and the festival's last evening on 17 January | Everything before 19 December |
| Thu 31 December | Sat 30 January | New Year's Eve, New Year's Day and the festival's last 18 days | All of December |
Stays can run longer: 2 December to 18 January is 47 nights and covers every row of the calendar. Under our reservation terms a booking is non-refundable and cannot be amended, so settle the dates before you pay.
A 30-night stay that includes the night of 31 December has to start between 2 and 31 December.
Is Dubai more expensive in December?
It can be, and the listings say so themselves. Each listing shows one monthly price, with no breakdown by month, but 395 of the 436 Dubai units on our site (117 of 126 buildings) state that an event supplement applies during major events and exhibitions. Only three properties name an amount, so the property confirms the rate for your dates.
- Most listings: no dates or amount. The usual clause says a supplement applies during major events and exhibitions, on dates advised by the government.
- AED 2,000 for December. Two studio listings at Avani Palm View Dubai Hotel and Suites, in Dubai Media City, add AED 2,000 on top during the month of December. On the studio listed at AED 6,150, that makes December AED 8,150. No year is given.
- AED 200 a night. Citadines Metro Central Dubai, in Barsha Heights, adds AED 200 per room per night in peak exhibition periods, without listing the dates.
- AED 1,000 a night. Dubai Marriott Harbour Hotel and Suites, in Dubai Marina, names the nights, but those shown are last winter's (24, 25, 30 and 31 December 2025 and 1 January 2026 among them), so ask for this winter's.
- Seasonal rates. 403 of the 436 listings call their prices estimates that vary with availability and seasonality. The 41 units with no supplement clause don't promise that none applies.
In plain terms: the price you are quoted for December dates can be higher than the listed monthly price, above all over New Year or during GITEX GLOBAL week. Ask for the total for your exact dates in writing, with any supplement on its own line, before you pay.
What does a month in a Dubai hotel apartment cost?
On HotelApartments.com the median listed price for 30 nights in Dubai is AED 8,000 for a studio, AED 11,500 for a one-bedroom, AED 15,700 for two bedrooms and AED 24,000 for three or more. These are listed prices on 11 November 2026 across 436 units, before any event supplement, not what guests paid last December.
| Bedrooms | Median listed monthly price (AED) | Middle half of listings (AED) |
|---|---|---|
| Studio | 8,000 (105 units) | 6,150 – 10,500 |
| 1 bedroom | 11,500 (169 units) | 8,200 – 16,000 |
| 2 bedrooms | 15,700 (108 units) | 12,000 – 22,000 |
| 3+ bedrooms | 24,000 (54 units) | 17,000 – 35,750 |
| All Dubai units | 12,500 (436 units) | 8,800 – 18,000 |
Source: HotelApartments.com market rates, generated 11 November 2026. We show a median only where there are at least five units.
Two more lines belong in a December budget: a refundable security deposit, which 362 listings mention (274 of them at 10%), and the Tourism Dirham, which is calculated for the first 30 consecutive nights only and which Dubai approved an exemption from collecting in May 2026, with no end date published. See our Tourism Dirham guide, and how much a hotel apartment costs per month in Dubai for prices by area.
Browse monthly hotel apartments in Dubai for December, or Downtown Dubai for the Burj Khalifa side of town, or send us your dates and we will check availability and the full price for your stay.
Frequently asked questions
Is Dubai expensive in December?
It can cost more than the listed price. On HotelApartments.com, 395 of 436 Dubai listings say an event supplement applies during major events and exhibitions. Median listed prices on 11 November 2026 were AED 8,000 a month for a studio and AED 11,500 for a one-bedroom.
What are the public holidays in Dubai in December 2026?
The UAE government portal lists National Day on 2 and 3 December, a Wednesday and Thursday in 2026. The circular that confirms the days had not been issued on 11 November 2026; last year's set 1 and 2 December. Christmas Day is not a public holiday; New Year's Day, Friday 1 January 2027, is.
Is Dubai busy in December?
The calendar is crowded: National Day, Dubai Shopping Festival from 4 December, GITEX GLOBAL from 7 to 11 December, a three-week school break from 14 December and New Year's Eve all fall in the one month. We have not found an official December occupancy figure, so we don't quote one.
When do Dubai schools close for the winter break in 2026?
Winter break at Dubai private schools starts on Monday 14 December 2026 and classes resume on Monday 4 January 2027, on the Knowledge and Human Development Authority's academic calendar. Schools publish their own calendars too, so check your school's.
Where are the New Year's Eve fireworks in Dubai this year?
The sites for 31 December 2026 had not been announced on 11 November 2026. Last year the plan came out on 26 December 2025 and listed 48 displays at 40 locations, including Burj Khalifa, Global Village and Expo City Dubai.
Sources
- UAE government portal: public holidays (National Day 2 and 3 December, New Year 1 January; updated 29 October 2026; checked 11 November 2026)
- FAHR: news (no 2026 holiday notice yet) and its notice of 17 November 2025 (last year's holiday on 1 and 2 December; checked 11 November 2026)
- Dubai Media Office, 10 November 2026 (festival dates, opening weekend, light show, Hatta concert; checked 11 November 2026)
- GITEX GLOBAL (summit on 7 December at DWTC, expo on 8 to 11 December at Expo City Dubai; checked 11 November 2026)
- KHDA: academic calendar for Dubai's private schools (winter break from 14 December 2026, classes resume 4 January 2027; read on 11 November 2026 in the Internet Archive's copy of 30 September 2026)
- Dubai Media Office, 26 December 2025 (last year's New Year's Eve plan; checked 11 November 2026)
- Emaar: New Year's Eve in Downtown Dubai (still showing last year's edition; checked 11 November 2026)
- Dubai Media Office, 21 May 2026 (exemption from collecting the Tourism Dirham; checked 11 November 2026)
- HotelApartments.com Dubai listings and market rates and reservation terms, checked 11 November 2026
Prices and facts checked on 11 November 2026.
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