Updated 7 November 2026
UAE National Day falls on Wednesday 2 December 2026, and marks the 55th Eid Al Etihad. Check the date of the event you want to attend before you book. Dubai’s retail calendar puts its citywide celebration period at 30 November to 3 December. DXB Winter Festival has announced National Day programming at Festival Bay without a detailed timetable for the day. The QE2, meanwhile, is taking reservations for a National Day barbecue with live entertainment on Friday 4 and Saturday 5 December. The 55th Eid Al Etihad, Dubai’s 2026 retail calendar, QE2’s National Day barbecue
If you want to go out on 2 December itself, keep the exact programme open until you have a dated announcement. If your group can celebrate later and wants a fixed dinner window, the QE2 has published the dates, prices and booking contact. If fireworks are the reason for going, look for an organiser’s time and viewing location for the display you actually want to see.
Choose the date before choosing the venue
| Your evening | What is established | What to settle before committing |
|---|---|---|
| Wednesday 2 December at Festival Bay | Festival opening announced for 1 December; National Day included in the seasonal programme | Exact holiday acts, performance times, admission price and activity inclusions |
| Friday 4 or Saturday 5 December on the QE2 | Dated barbecue and live entertainment from 6 pm to 10 pm | Table availability, children’s charges outside the published age band and entertainment timing |
| A particular fireworks display | The city campaign includes planned fireworks | A current 2026 announcement naming the display location, date and time |
Choose Festival Bay if browsing and changing activities are part of the appeal, while leaving room for the programme to develop. Choose the QE2 when getting a multigenerational group to one dinner table is the priority. If Wednesday is the only date that works, keep the Festival Bay plan flexible until the organiser releases its schedule. The QE2 dinner is a separate booking for the following Friday or Saturday.
Festival Bay for a National Day outing with room to move
DXB Winter Festival opens 1 December beside Dubai Festival City Mall. The organiser includes UAE National Day in its seasonal programme and advertises a main stage, vendor streets, daily parades and a funfair. It lists entry from the mall and bay and ordinary weekday hours of 4 pm to midnight. That makes it a possible choice for a group with different interests. Some can spend time at the stalls while others look for the evening performance. DXB Winter Festival organiser
Wait for the dated programme if there’s one act everyone wants to see. The opening announcement establishes when the festival starts. The official site has yet to give a full 2 December running order or ticket terms for the National Day visit. Check whether that date uses ordinary entry, which activities need booking and what time the stage or parade starts. If the venue announces fireworks, use the named viewing area and time to choose which entrance makes sense. DXB Winter Festival programme and ticket updates
If you’re bringing relatives or friends arriving separately, choose a meeting point on the same side of the venue. “Festival City Mall entrance” can mean something different to someone driving in and someone already walking along the bay. Share the festival entrance you’re using and set a time before the act you’re there to see. The mall lists wheelchair stations at its basement parking lobbies, VIP entrance, ground-floor IKEA side and mezzanine. If a wheelchair or step-free access will determine whether someone can join, ask how to reach the festival entrance from the relevant mall access point and whether there is a suitable place to watch the stage. Dubai Festival City Mall guest services
The bay also has the mall’s regular IMAGINE light and water show. The mall describes it as free to watch and lists its usual Monday to Wednesday window as 7 pm to 10 pm. Check whether it is running on 2 December and where guests can stand during the festival. It gives you something specific to ask the mall about if the National Day schedule is still pending, and it has its own timetable separate from any holiday fireworks. Festival City Mall’s show information, Mall guide to free activities
The QE2 for a booked celebration on 4 or 5 December
The UAE National Day BBQ runs from 6 pm to 10 pm at The Pavilion, the outdoor restaurant on the QE2’s lower aft deck at Mina Rashid. The hotel advertises a barbecue, traditional flavours and live entertainment, with marina views from the deck. Choose it if you’d rather gather everyone around one table and let dinner anchor the evening. The published event dates are the Friday and Saturday after National Day. QE2 National Day BBQ details, The Pavilion venue information
The hotel lists its base package at AED 185 per person, AED 95 for children aged 5–10, and complimentary dining for children under five. Two guests at the base rate and one child in the published age band would come to AED 465. The venue says the published prices include VAT, municipality fee and service charge. Advance booking is required. Call +971 4 526 8835 with the date, group size and children’s ages, and confirm what applies if a child falls outside the listed band. QE2 barbecue prices and bookings
If the live entertainment matters, ask when it runs within the dinner window. If access to the lower aft deck matters, ask which entrance and route to use. The Pavilion occupies the area that once held the ship’s outdoor pool. Its November reopening photo shows the deck laid out with dining tables and low seating, with harbour lights across the water. The December booking page gives the 6 pm to 10 pm event window. The Pavilion’s deck and regular hours, National Day BBQ hours
When you reserve, tell the team if you’re bringing children. The Pavilion’s regular venue policy places them in the non-smoking section, and the restaurant lists a smart casual dress code. Ask whether you can get the table at the time you need and confirm where to board if you are dropping off an older relative. The hotel lists complimentary parking for visitors at the QE2. Give your driver Queen Elizabeth 2 Hotel, Mina Rashid and ask the venue for the closest drop-off to the route your group will use. Pavilion venue policies, QE2 location and parking
What to budget for a family dinner
For the QE2 base offer, two adults cost AED 370. Add two children aged 5–10 and the meal total becomes AED 560. A family with two adults, one child in that band and one under five totals AED 465, using the published complimentary rule for the younger child. These examples use the hotel’s stated inclusive prices. Transport and any extras you separately order need their own allowance. Give the reservations team every child’s age, including children dining free, so it can confirm both the bill and the required seating. QE2 family rates
The holiday offer describes barbecue favourites and traditional flavours but does not provide a detailed dish list. If vegetarian choices, allergies or a child’s meal will decide whether the evening works, ask about the National Day menu before confirming. A menu from another QE2 restaurant or a different festive event is not a reliable substitute. Ask whether dinner runs throughout the four-hour window and when the live entertainment takes place, particularly if younger children will need an early finish.
For Festival Bay, set the budget once the ticket selection shows its price and inclusions. The organiser uses a broad “one ticket” message; check the actual booking terms for rides, workshops and any separately reserved experiences. An early-bird signup is not an issued entry ticket. Keep food purchases separate until the selected product explicitly says they are included. This is especially useful when several families are attending together and each expects a different amount of time at the fair.
How to check a National Day fireworks listing
Dubai’s calendar announces fireworks as part of the 2026 campaign, but the campaign dates alone don’t tell you where a display starts or how to reach it. Check the year, the edition number and the day before you send anything to the group. 2026 is the 55th Eid Al Etihad. A listing for the 54th edition gives last year’s programme. For the night itself, use a current announcement that names the venue and start time. A marina view or a rooftop address is only part of the information you need to choose a spot. Dubai’s 2026 celebration calendar, The 55th Eid Al Etihad
If you find a post with a concert and fireworks at the same waterfront, check whether it describes two programmes with different access rules. A display could have an outdoor viewing area while a concert requires a ticket or reserved entry. Check the organiser’s event page for the actual entry point, whether you can watch from the public promenade and any closure or access notices. If the whole group is coming for the display, choose the time and viewing area before booking a table for dinner.
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