Al Mamzar floating bridge and Jebel Ali Beach: what Dubai has actually built on its coastline by 2026

In summer 2024 Dubai announced two beach projects that read, at the time, like more renderings: a roughly 200-metre floating pedestrian bridge across the Al Mamzar lagoon, and the emirate's longest public beach at Jebel Ali. By September 2026, the first is open and running, the second is being delivered in stages. Here is what has actually been built, and what it means for the districts around each.

Khor Al Mamzar: what opened in May 2026

On 5 May 2026, Khor Al Mamzar Beach reopened after the first phase of the AED 500m Al Mamzar Beaches programme. What visitors now get:

• the region's first floating pedestrian bridge, linking the two sides of the lagoon, with a waterfront restaurant;
• a 3.6km swimming line and roughly 182,000 sq m of sand — more than double the previous footprint;
• a 300-metre night beach where swimming continues after dark;
• 5.5km of running, walking and cycling trails, outdoor gym equipment, volleyball and padel courts, and water sports.

The second part of the programme, the Al Mamzar corniche, was about 88% complete as of April 2026. It is planned to include a 24-hour women's beach with night swimming, a private entrance and its own facilities. The wider Al Mamzar beaches are designed for roughly 7 million visitors a year, and the municipality has put more than 50 kiosk units up for lease for cafés and small businesses.

Jebel Ali Beach: 6.6km, arriving in stages

The Jebel Ali Beach masterplan, approved by Sheikh Hamdan, covers 6.6km of coastline over 330 hectares. Nakheel is building roughly 5km of sandy beach, with the Dubai Municipality delivering a further 1.6km of mangrove shoreline. The plan includes a 2km open swimming zone, a 2.5km diving stretch, elevated trails with viewpoints, children's and sports areas, an environmental centre, turtle-nesting protection and mangrove planting.

No full opening date has been announced: work is proceeding in phases, and sections of the current open beach close temporarily as construction moves through. The project sits inside a wider AED 3bn Dubai beaches upgrade that also covers Jumeirah 1 and 2 and Umm Suqeim 1 and 2.

What it means for housing nearby

Al Mamzar is the northern edge of Deira, bordering Sharjah — an established, comparatively affordable part of Dubai where price is the deciding factor for most tenants. An upgraded beach, new trails and better cycling links (a separate 820-metre cycling and pedestrian bridge toward Al Khawaneej opened here in July 2026) make coastal living without a villa or a Jumeirah address more attractive. For an investor, that supports liquidity for apartments within walking distance of the park — it is not, on its own, a reason to expect a price jump.

Jebel Ali runs on different logic. The beach is part of a larger southern corridor alongside Palm Jebel Ali and the future district on the former racecourse site. A 6.6km public beach answers the standing question about mainland projects in the south — where to swim if not on the Palm. But that is a multi-year payoff: buying now for a beach with no opening date means paying for anticipation. Baseline district data is on our Jebel Ali area page.

For the full slate of Dubai beach projects through 2040, with distances and dates, see Dubai's beaches to grow fivefold; and if you're weighing a park and sea near home, our guide to Dubai's parks, including Al Mamzar Beach Park, is useful too.