Dubai Festival City

What Dubai Festival City is like

Dubai Festival City, also known as Al Kheeran, is a mixed-use "city within a city" on the eastern bank of Dubai Creek. Al-Futtaim began building it in 2003, and it now spreads over about 5.2 million square metres with homes, offices, hotels, a marina, a golf course and a 3.3 km waterfront promenade. Garhoud and Umm Ramool are its neighbours.

The first phase opened in late 2005 with what was then the UAE’s largest IKEA. The main mall followed in 2007 and was expanded between 2015 and 2017, when the waterfront Festival Bay and the IMAGINE show were added. Today the mall has more than 400 outlets, including IKEA, Marks & Spencer, Ace, two hypermarkets and a VOX cinema, and reported about 23 million visitors in 2024.

Beyond the mall, Marsa Boulevard adds about 18,000 m² of creekside restaurants and shops, and Festival Arena is a 7,200 m² events space. Recent additions include Korea 360, a Korean culture and retail hub that opened in April 2025. Two international schools, Universal American School and Deira International School, are in the district, which is one reason many families live here.

Because it sits so close to Dubai International Airport, it is a practical choice for short stays and stopovers.

What to see and do

• IMAGINE: a multimedia show at Festival Bay that combines fountains, water screens, lasers, projections and fire, and holds two Guinness World Records. It uses 30 fountains, surround sound and more than 2.5 million lumens of light. According to the official site, the first show starts at about 7:30pm, each lasts around 10 minutes, and there is roughly half an hour between shows.
• Dhow rides: traditional dhows cruise the Creek from Festival City; see our tours for Creek cruises.
• Market Island: a large food hall with more than 50 food concepts, opened in 2023.
• Family fun: Fabyland entertainment, trampolines at BOUNCE-X and a VOX cinema are in the mall, and Stay and Play is a supervised play area for children aged 2 to 7.
• Across the water: the Mohammed Bin Rashid Library is on the opposite bank, and Dubai Creek Harbour is a short drive away.

Getting there and around

The most enjoyable route is by water. Take the Green Line to Creek station, walk to the Al Jaddaf Marine Station next door, and cross on the RTA air-conditioned abra (route BM2) for AED 2. Visit Dubai also mentions a free shuttle bus from Creek station. On the Red Line, the nearest stop is Emirates station, about seven or eight minutes away by taxi. RTA buses serve the Festival Centre bus station, about 15 minutes’ walk from the mall.

The official site puts Festival City about five minutes from Dubai International Airport; Rome2Rio estimates around 6 minutes by taxi. Covered parking at the mall is free, according to Visit Dubai. A Blue Line metro station for Festival City is planned.

Where to eat

Festival Bay is lined with waterfront restaurants, and the official site counts about 75 restaurants in the mall. Market Island is the largest food hall option. The official site also lists Anise, with eight live cooking stations and a Friday brunch, the Lebanese seafood restaurant Karam Al Bahr, and Joe’s Backyard, a barbecue spot on the 19th floor of the Holiday Inn & Suites.

Practical tips

• Arrive before 7:30pm to find a good spot for the first IMAGINE show.
• The Dubai Shopping Festival, usually mid-December to the end of January, brings extra sales.
• The abra from Creek station is the cheapest and most scenic way in.
• For old Dubai, head across the Creek to Deira or Bur Dubai.