Al Dhafra Festival 2026–27: dates by stage and how to get to Madinat Zayed from Dubai

The 20th Al Dhafra Festival runs in five stages from 27 October 2026 to 13 January 2027. The stages most visitors want are in December: Madinat Zayed hosts the third stage from 3 to 10 December 2026, and the finale follows from 12 to 19 December. Madinat Zayed is about 265 km from Downtown Dubai, a drive of around 2 hours 50 minutes.

That distance is the whole planning problem. It’s too far for a casual evening, close enough for a long day trip, and right on the road to Liwa. We cover the drive with our Dubai to Abu Dhabi chauffeur service, and this guide sets out the stages, the drive and the two ways we’d plan it.

When is the Al Dhafra Festival 2026–27?

The Abu Dhabi Heritage Authority organises the festival as part of the Camel Mazayna season. Its July 2026 announcement, published by Abu Dhabi Media Office, sets out five stages:

Stage	Dates	Where
1. Sweihan Camel Mazayna	27 Oct – 3 Nov 2026	Sweihan
2. Razeen Camel Mazayna	15 – 22 Nov 2026	Razeen
3. Madinat Zayed stage	3 – 10 Dec 2026	Madinat Zayed
4. Cash Prize Rounds (festival finale)	12 – 19 Dec 2026	Venue not stated in the announcement; last season’s final stage was in Madinat Zayed
5. Elite Rounds (Al Romooz)	3 – 12 Jan 2027	Not stated

WAM gives the season as 27 October 2026 to 13 January 2027.

Season	Dates	Status
19th edition, 2025–26	27 October 2025 – 22 January 2026	Finished
20th edition, 2026–27	27 October 2026 – 13 January 2027	Confirmed
21st edition, 2027–28	Not announced yet	Usually opens in late October and runs into January
22nd edition, 2028–29	Not announced yet	Same pattern expected

Daily visiting hours hadn’t been published when we wrote this.

What you’ll see in Madinat Zayed

The core of the festival is the mazayna: camel beauty contests, judged in rounds by breed and age, with large cash prizes. Entrants are camel owners competing for the prizes, and the 2026–27 season has 383 rounds in total.

For visitors, the reason to go is what runs alongside the finale. The announcement lists falconry and falcon mazayna, saluki racing and a saluki beauty contest, purebred Arabian horse racing, sheep mazayna, Saktoun rifle shooting, camel milking, Shillat poetry and tea-making competitions, all based at the Al Dhafra Traditional Market. Last season’s market had heritage shops and pavilions, food trucks, a performance stage and children’s competitions.

It’s a heritage event in a desert town. Modest clothing is the norm, and you’ll get the most from it with a few hours on site rather than a quick walk-through.

How far is Madinat Zayed from Dubai?

Road distances from our own route checks, with the time we’d allow in normal traffic:

From	Road distance	Allow
Dubai Marina / JLT	about 245 km	about 2 h 35 min
Downtown Dubai / Business Bay	about 265 km	about 2 h 50 min
DXB airport / Deira	about 280 km	about 3 h 5 min
Abu Dhabi Corniche	about 165 km	about 1 h 55 min

The route. Sheikh Zayed Road (E11) west out of Dubai, past Abu Dhabi on Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Road and the Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed International Road, then the E45 south into Madinat Zayed. It’s paved highway all the way, so a 4x4 isn’t needed for the town or the festival.

Tolls. Salik on Sheikh Zayed Road in Dubai and Darb’s Ghantoot gate near the emirate border, AED 4 per crossing at any hour since May 2026. You stay on the mainland, so the Abu Dhabi island bridge gates don’t apply. In our cars, tolls are in the price. The hour-by-hour picture for the first part of the drive is in our guide to Dubai to Abu Dhabi distance and travel time.

Leave Dubai early. Leaving Downtown at 8:30 am puts you in Madinat Zayed before noon, with the whole afternoon on site. A late-morning start gets you there around 2 pm and pushes the drive home into the night.

Al Dhafra Festival from Dubai: day trip or two-stop trip?

The day trip. About 5 hours 40 minutes of driving from Downtown, plus four or five hours on site. Leave at 8:30 am, leave Madinat Zayed at 4 pm, and you’re back in Dubai around 7 pm. Book the car for the full day so it waits for you; a Dubai–Madinat Zayed round trip is too long for separate one-way transfers to make sense.

The two-stop trip. The Liwa International Festival runs from 11 December 2026 to 2 January 2027 at Tal Moreeb, about 90 km further south on the same road. During the Al Dhafra finale week (12–19 December) you can spend the afternoon in Madinat Zayed, drive on to Liwa for the evening, stay the night and come back the next day. Our Liwa Festival guide covers hotels, camping and the dune, and the Liwa International Festival website has the programme.

If you only have an evening, the Sheikh Zayed Festival at Al Wathba has heritage zones too and is about half the distance from Dubai.

Which car to book

• Two or three people: a business or first-class sedan is fine for a paved-road day trip.
• Families or anyone carrying camera gear: a large SUV, such as a Nissan Patrol, Lexus LX 600 or GMC Yukon. If you’re carrying on to Liwa and camping, the SUV is the better choice. See our luxury SUV chauffeur fleet.
• Up to seven: a Mercedes V-Class.
• Larger groups: we arrange minibuses and coaches with drivers.

Our chauffeurs stay on paved roads and in car parks; we don’t drive off-road. For more Abu Dhabi dates this winter, see our Dubai events calendar.

Frequently asked questions

When is the Al Dhafra Festival 2026?

The 20th Al Dhafra Festival runs from 27 October 2026 to 13 January 2027 in five stages. The Madinat Zayed stage is 3–10 December 2026 and the Cash Prize Rounds finale is 12–19 December, followed by the Elite Rounds from 3 to 12 January 2027, according to the Abu Dhabi Heritage Authority’s announcement.

Where is the Al Dhafra Festival held?

Mainly in Madinat Zayed, in the Al Dhafra region of Abu Dhabi, about 165 km south-west of Abu Dhabi city. The 2026–27 season opens with camel mazayna stages at Sweihan (27 October – 3 November) and Razeen (15–22 November) before moving to Madinat Zayed in December.

How far is Madinat Zayed from Dubai?

About 265 km from Downtown Dubai and 245 km from Dubai Marina, by Sheikh Zayed Road (E11) and the E45. Allow around 2 hours 50 minutes from Downtown in normal traffic. Tolls on the way are the Salik gates in Dubai and Darb’s Ghantoot gate (AED 4).

Is the Al Dhafra Festival the same as the Liwa Festival?

No. The Al Dhafra Festival is a heritage festival built around camel beauty contests, organised by the Abu Dhabi Heritage Authority, mainly in Madinat Zayed. The Liwa International Festival is a motorsport and family festival at Tal Moreeb dune, about 90 km further south. In 2026 their dates overlap from 12 to 19 December.

Can I visit the Al Dhafra Festival as a day trip from Dubai?

Yes. Leave Dubai around 8:30 am, spend four or five hours at the festival, and you’re back by early evening, with about 5 hours 40 minutes of driving in total. Book a car for the full day so the same chauffeur waits while you’re on site.