Dubai in Ramadan 2026: what changes for tourists and whether to go

The short version

Ramadan 2026 runs roughly Feb 18 - Mar 19 (exact dates set by the lunar calendar). For tourists it's a soft month — attractions are open, hotel beaches are open, hotel restaurants serve all day. The one real change: eating and drinking in public during daylight hours isn't done.

What changes

Non-hotel restaurants and cafes Most closed until sunset (roughly 18:00-18:30 in Feb-Mar 2026), open for iftar. Chain coffee shops (Starbucks, Costa) may do takeaway only. Delivery works all day.

Hotel restaurants Open all day. Tourist cafes with screened-off sections too. You won't go hungry.

Malls and attractions and Mall of the Emirates open all day. Food courts close around 13:00-14:00 until iftar. , Dubai , — all normal hours. After iftar activity surges; malls run till 1-2 am.

Beaches Unchanged. Hotel and public beaches (JBR, La Mer) run as usual.

Rules for tourists

• Don't eat, drink, smoke, or vape publicly on the street or in malls during daylight. In your car, in your room, in hotel lobbies marked "non-fasting area" — all fine.
• Chewing gum counts as eating in public; not on the move.
• Dress a notch more conservatively — shoulders and knees covered. Beach rules don't change.
• Loud music in public spaces is not appreciated.

Fines exist on paper (200-500 AED), in practice tourists usually get a warning or a request to move the drink to the car.

Iftars worth trying

Hotel iftar buffets — Ramadan's headline format. 18:00-22:00, 50-150 dishes (machbous, mansaf, kebabs, lamb ouzi, kunafa, luqaimat), 150-450 AED per person. Best: Bvlgari Resort Al Hadheerah, Atlantis Ossiano, Al Hadheerah desert tent.

Traditional cafe iftar — Bait Maryam, Al Fanar, Logma. Booking required, 80-150 AED.

Suhoor (pre-dawn meal) — some hotels run suhoor menus till 2-4 am. Quieter than iftar.

Nights

Night is Ramadan's main time for locals. runs till 2-3 am. Sheikh Zayed Mosque opens for night prayers (non-Muslims daytime only, with a tour). Deira souks stay open till 2 am. The real Ramadan magic is at night — go without it and you miss the point.

Eid al-Fitr

The 3 days after Ramadan — in 2026 around Mar 20-22. Big fireworks in Downtown and along the coast, Eid Sale across malls, public holiday. A good reason to stay 1-2 days extra.

Is it worth going

• Shopping, malls, beaches, attractions: yes — hotels much cheaper in Ramadan, Burj Khalifa and Dubai Aquarium quieter.
• Restaurant-driven city life: no — go December or January.
• "Want to feel the atmosphere": absolutely. Night Ramadan Dubai is a different city.

Tip: book your iftar buffet in the first week. Peak Saturday-Sunday slots at Bvlgari or Atlantis sell out a week ahead.

If you'd like us to put together an iftar programme or a Ramadan-rate hotel, message us.