Meydan racing season (Dubai Racing Carnival)

An evening at the races, Dubai style

From November to March, Meydan Racecourse hosts Dubai's winter racing season, the Dubai Racing Carnival. Meetings are held mostly on Fridays, in the late afternoon and under floodlights once the heat has eased. For a visitor it is one of the easiest and cheapest nights out in the city: a vast grandstand, racing under floodlights and entry for a few dirhams.

The season builds up to the Dubai World Cup on Saturday 27 March 2027, one of the richest race meetings in the world.

The 2026-2027 calendar

According to Visit Dubai, Friday meetings fall on:

• 6 and 20 November, 4 and 11 December 2026;
• 1, 8, 15 and 29 January 2027;
• 5, 12 and 19 February, 5 and 12 March 2027.

The Emirati press also lists three highlight meetings: Festive Friday on 18 December 2026, Fashion Friday on 22 January 2027, devoted to style, and Emirates Super Saturday on 27 February 2027, four weeks before the Dubai World Cup. The total number of meetings varies between sources, 16 or 17; Sabaro checks the programme for your chosen date.

Meydan Racecourse

Meydan opened on 27 March 2010 on the site of the former Nad Al Sheba racecourse. Its grandstand, about 800 m long, has more than 60,000 seats. Racing takes place on two tracks, a 2,400 m turf course and a 1,750 m dirt track. A 285-room hotel runs along the track.

Tickets

Season prices for 2026-2027 reported in the press:

• General admission: from AED 10;
• Paddock Garden, by the parade ring, where you see the horses close up before each race: from AED 75;
• Hospitality packages with dining: from AED 345.

You can eat at Silks, on the third floor of the grandstand, with a five-hour buffet, or at the season's new venues, Bisou, Alba and Himitsu; MAINE opens for the three highlight meetings. Gambling is illegal in the UAE: you come for the spectacle, not to bet.

Getting there and where to stay

Meydan is in Nad Al Sheba, the district next to Downtown. Take a taxi. Downtown is the most practical base in the Sabaro selection: Palace Downtown at the foot of Burj Khalifa, or The Lana in Business Bay. See our Downtown Dubai page.

Winter evenings are cool: from December to February the average low drops to between 15 and 17 °C. A jacket is enough. Sabaro recommends smart dress, especially in hospitality areas.