The calendar, October 2026 to November 2027
Every date below comes from the organiser's site, the Dubai or Abu Dhabi media office, WAM or the UAE government portal, checked on 13 October 2026. Where no official date exists, the table says so.
| Dates | Event | Where | Who it's for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16 Oct – 1 Nov 2026 | Dubai Home Festival | Citywide retail | Furniture, décor, real estate |
| 31 Oct – 29 Nov 2026 | Dubai Fitness Challenge | Citywide | Gyms, sportswear, F&B |
| 2–12 Nov 2026 | Festival of Lights (Diwali) | Malls, districts | Gold, fashion, retail |
| 3–8 Nov 2026 | Dubai Design Week, with Downtown Design 4–8 Nov | Dubai Design District (d3) | Interiors, architecture, creative |
| 30 Nov – 3 Dec 2026 | Eid Al Etihad celebrations; public holiday 2–3 Dec | UAE-wide | Every consumer brand |
| 7–11 Dec 2026 | GITEX Global | Summit at DWTC, expo at Expo City Dubai | Tech, B2B, government |
| 8–10 Dec 2026 | Expand North Star | Expo City Dubai | Startups, investors |
| Dec 2026 – Jan 2027 | Dubai Shopping Festival, 32nd edition: dates not announced | Citywide | Retail, F&B, hospitality |
| 8–10 Jan 2027 | 1 Billion Followers Summit | Emirates Towers, DIFC | Creators, brands, platforms |
| ~8 Feb – ~9 Mar 2027 | Ramadan, expected, moon sighting decides | UAE-wide | F&B, retail, charity |
| ~9–11 Mar 2027 | Eid al-Fitr holiday, expected | UAE-wide | Retail, travel, F&B |
| 15–19 Mar 2027 | Gulfood | DWTC and Dubai Exhibition Centre | Food, beverage, hospitality |
| 9–11 Apr 2027 (previews 7–8 Apr) | Art Dubai | Madinat Jumeirah | Art, luxury, collectors |
| April 2027 | Electronics Festival, 10 days: exact dates not announced | Dubai retail | Electronics |
| 3–6 May 2027 | Arabian Travel Market | DWTC | Travel, hotels, airlines |
| ~15–18 May 2027 | Arafah Day and Eid al-Adha, expected | UAE-wide | Retail, travel |
| 15–19 Nov 2027 | Dubai Airshow | Dubai World Central | Aviation, defence, B2B |
Media and advertising industry events
These are the events where the region's marketers, agencies and creators meet. Two of them have no 2027 date yet.
| Event | Last edition | Next edition |
|---|---|---|
| Dubai Lynx (creative awards) | Content sessions 6–7 Oct 2026, Dubai Media City; ceremony 8 Oct 2026 | 2027 dates not announced |
| Arab Media Summit (Dubai Press Club) | 15–17 Sep 2026, DWTC | 2027 dates not announced |
| 1 Billion Followers Summit | Jan 2026 (4th edition) | 8–10 Jan 2027 (5th edition) |
| Global Media Congress (Abu Dhabi) | Official site still shows 26–28 Nov 2024, ADNEC | 2026 dates not found on the official site |
The 1 Billion Followers Summit is the one to plan around if you work with creators. The UAE Government Media Office organises it, and its theme for 2027 is "Content for Good". If you hire influencers for activations there, check their NMA permits; our Advertiser Permit guide explains how.
What nobody tells you: 2026 dates moved
Several 2026 events changed their dates after they were announced. Book venues, crews and ad flights only against the organiser's current page.
- Dubai Lynx moved its judging and ceremony to October, with the ceremony on 8 October 2026.
- Arab Media Summit 2026 was announced by WAM for 31 March to 2 April and took place 15–17 September.
- Arabian Travel Market 2026 appears in the DWTC calendar on 14–17 September, while its 2027 edition returns to 3–6 May.
For 2027, Ramadan shapes the first quarter. If the astronomical estimate holds, Ramadan runs from about 8 February to about 9 March, and Gulfood opens on 15 March, days after Eid. Ramadan content needs to be shot before February; our guide to the Ramadan 2027 campaign lays out the timeline.
Where sources disagree
- GITEX summit day. GITEX's own site lists the summit on 7 December at DWTC. The DWTC calendar published by the Dubai Media Office lists a "Gitex Global Summit" on 4–8 December and the expo on 8–11 December. We use the organiser's dates.
- Eid al-Fitr 2027. Khaleej Times expects the holiday on 9–11 March, or 9–12 March if Ramadan has 30 days. Digiflow forecasts 10–12 March. Both are estimates; the moon sighting decides.
- Dubai Shopping Festival. Travel sites quote windows from early December to early February for 2026–27. As of 29 September 2026, Coverpage found no official announcement, and we found none by 13 October. The last two editions ran 38 days from early December to mid-January.
- Cityscape. Listings mix up shows. Cityscape Global 2026 runs 16–19 November 2026 in Riyadh, not Dubai. We found no official 2026 date for a Cityscape show in Dubai.
How to use the calendar for content
A single event gives you three kinds of material: the promo before, the coverage on the day and the recap after. Work back from the date:
- Four to six weeks before: book the shooter and get the organiser's media or exhibitor rules for filming on site.
- Two to three weeks before: shoot teaser content at your stand or office. If any of it is in a public location in Dubai, you need a DFTC (now the Dubai Films and Games Commission) permit; see our filming permit guide.
- On the day: capture short clips for stories in real time and interviews for later.
- First 48 hours after: publish the recap while the event hashtag is still active.
For retail festivals (Home Festival, DSF, Eid), the content is the offer itself. Shoot it before the festival starts, since malls and venues get crowded and harder to film once it begins.
