thisWonderful wintry weekends are begging us to explore Dubai to its maximum. And we absolutely should while this spate of hospitable but short-lived weather continues to delight us with drizzle, frosty winds and a wealth of outdoor events and activities. We’ve got a perfect list of community markets, concerts, hikes, outdoor brunches and immersive exhibitions to draw you out of your climate-controlled concrete caves and revel in Dubai’s good weather! Here are 12 things to do in Dubai this weekend.
1. Watch a free movie at this open-air movie night in JLT
Grab a blanket and pack up a tub of popcorn, then make a beeline for the JLT Park open-air cinema sessions. Taking place every Saturday, this popular outdoor movie night is free for all and screens family-friendly action flicks, animated classics and the like. More details here.
2. Visit the farmer’s souq at the Quranic Park
Dubai Public Parks’ outdoor Farmers Souq is back at the Quranic Park in Al Khawaneej. This community market is built to support local agriculture and use seasonal produce. You can shop for a variety of fruits, vegetables, dairy, organic goods, honey, dates and herbs.
Doors open at 4.30pm; until February 22
3. Sweeten up your weekend at the Museum of Candy
This popular immersive experience is perfect for sugar-coating the week’s bitter stresses. Snack on ice cream, cotton candy and gummy bears as you walk through colourful 15 candy-themed rooms packed with games, photo-ops backdrops and engaging history and facts about all your favourite sweet treats. Get tickets here
4. Stack up on points at this real-life video game experience
Chaos Karts, the augmented reality go-karting experience, is just what the doctor ordered to press pause on the daily rat race. This heightened version of a video game lets you zoom around in physical go-karts on digital tracks, collecting points and power-up items. Think Mario Kart but in real life, it’s twice as thrilling! Get tickets here
5. Gorge on Indian mithai at this Winter Jalebi Festival
Jason Derulo would go googly-eyed seeing what North Indian restaurant Chatori Gali has cooked up this winter. Pipping hot jalebis – yes, the spiral Indian sweet-snack that became the hook to the Tiktok/IG reels earworm Jalebi Baby – have an entire festival dedicated to them. Jalebi finds itself sandwiched in buttered buns, there’s a jalebi paratha, pineapple jalebi and the classic variants like jalebi rabri.
Menu starts from AED 15; available at Al Barsha, Al Nahda, Silicon Oasis, and Al Karama
6. Party to sultry saxophone remixes at Level 43
Level 43, the sky-high lounge and nightspot at Four Points by Sheraton is turning up the sax appeal on Saturday nights with Saxo-Nights – live saxophone melodies mixed in with DJ beats. This late-night musical extravaganza has a minimum spend of AED 100 per person.
From 9:30pm-12:30pm; more info here
7. Play life-size Snake and Ladders at Global Village
Global Village is back with its 45-day-long Wonderer’s Kids Fest from January 17-February 28. Climb and slide down the ladders and snakes on a Guinness Record-breaking life-size game. But the games just begin there – board game enthusiasts can also look forward to full-scale versions of 4-In-A-Row, Battleships, and Stack ‘Em. Coupled with complimentary face painting, balloon modelling, inflatable clown parades, live shows and more this is a fun day out for all.
Daily 4pm-10pm; more info here
8. Limber up with some beachside Yoga
Sun, sand and sea breeze to accompany that shavasana, what could be more relaxing?
Sole Mio, the Italian beach club at Kite Beach has regular Sunday morning seaside yoga classes. These community classes include access to towels, changing rooms and showers as well as free entry for kids. Nominal class fees are used to fund beach cleanups to get rid of microplastics, so its good for you and Mother Nature.
AED 60 per person; book here
9. See 4 planets line up in the sky
Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn will line up and be visible to the naked eye this week. The Dubai Astronomy Group is hosting a special planet-viewing event this weekend in the Al Qudra desert on January 25. More details here.
10. Hike the 10km trail at Mushrif Park
There is no better time than this splendid break in weather we’re having to explore Dubai’s first-ever in-city hiking trail. Walk through a ghaf tree forest at this national park this weekend, where hiking trails of various difficulty levels and terrains have been built for hikers of all abilities. More info here.
11. Catch cinematic Reel Palestine Film Festival
Reel Palestine, the annual film festival showcasing the best of Palestinian cinema is returning for its 11th edition at Cinema Akil. From January 24-February 2 you can catch gripping short films, features and documentaries that have been getting rave reviews at prestigious film festivals like Cannes. Additionally, cinephiles can also engage in tete-a-tetes with actors and directors in Q&As, sign up for workshops and dabble in a spot of shopping at the Reel Palestine Souk.
Tickets start from AED 52.50 per person at cinemaakil.com
12. Get your dose of culture at the Quoz Arts Fest this weekend
Alserkal Avenue’s popular two-day festival returns this weekend for its 2025 edition. Innovative installations, spoken word poetry, film screenings and pop-up food stalls are just skimming the surface of the jam-packed programme. Read more here.