Christmas in Dubai: Al Habtoor Winter Garden, Madinat Jumeirah, Expo and DIFC

Al Habtoor Winter Garden

Open from 1 November to 31 January, 16:00 to midnight, opposite Al Habtoor City. It is the largest of the Dubai Christmas markets and the most family-oriented, and — unusually for the city — it is dog-friendly, so your four-legged household members can come along.

The food is the reason to go. A wide spread of stalls rather than the two-cuisine arrangement most Dubai events default to, and it runs late enough that you can arrive after work in December without rushing.

It also runs for three months, which makes it the low-pressure option: you do not have to plan around a two-weekend window.

Madinat Jumeirah, Expo and DIFC

The Madinat Jumeirah market is the prettiest of them, set in the souk and the waterways of the resort with the Burj Al Arab behind it. It is also the busiest, and parking in December is a genuine consideration — go early or take a taxi.

Expo 2020 — now Expo City — uses its scale differently: more space, more room for children to run, less of a market atmosphere and more of a festival one.

The Winter District in DIFC is the grown-up version: smaller, in the financial district, with a stronger food and drink emphasis and an after-work crowd. And the Bluewaters drone show is worth timing a visit around; it is the most impressive free thing happening in the city that month.

Why a property channel covers this

Because the question I am actually asked most often by people considering a move is not about yield. It is: what is it like to live there, and is December really as good as everyone says.

The honest answer is that Dubai's liveable season runs roughly from November to April, and December is the peak of it. That is also, not coincidentally, when short-let rates are highest and when the city is fullest — which is a fact with direct investment consequences.

If you are buying for short-let income, your revenue year is concentrated in these months. Any projection built on an annual average is hiding that concentration, and any operator who will not show you monthly figures is hiding it deliberately.