Hatta Festival 2026: Hatta Winter dates, Leem Lake and getting there from Dubai
Hatta Festival 2026 and the Hatta Winter festivals: past dates, Leem Lake, the drive from Dubai, the RTA bus, parking and getting back after dark.
Chauffeur operations specialist, Dubai · Updated · 7 min read
Hatta Festival 2026 hasn’t been dated yet. It’s a December event: the 2025 edition ran 5–28 December at Leem Lake in Hatta, inside Brand Dubai’s #HattaWinter season, and the 2025 dates were announced in late November. From Downtown Dubai, Hatta is about 1 hour 30 minutes by car on the E102, and RTA added buses and parking for the 2025 season.
Hatta Festival is the anchor of a winter season of six festivals in Dubai’s mountain town, from a honey fair to cultural nights at the heritage village. For most families it’s a day out with a long drive at each end, and the return in the dark is the part to think about. We drive Hatta often, as part of our event chauffeur service and for weekend day trips, so this guide covers the season, the transport options and the timing.
When is Hatta Festival 2026?
Not announced yet. Here’s the pattern from the editions so far:
| Edition | Dates | Venue | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 (first) | 15–31 December 2023 | Leem Lake and Hatta Wadi Hub | Gulf News |
| 2024–25 | 13 December 2024 – 12 January 2025 | Leem Lake | Gulf News |
| 2025 | 5–28 December 2025 | Leem Lake | Dubai Media Office |
| 2026 | Not announced yet; usually December | To be confirmed | |
| 2027 and 2028 | Not announced yet; usually December | To be confirmed |
Some event listing sites already show December 2026 dates. Treat those as estimates until Brand Dubai or the Dubai Media Office confirms them. We’ll update this page when the 2026 season is announced, and our Dubai events calendar will carry the dates too.
What’s in the Hatta Winter season?
The Dubai Media Office announcement for the second #HattaWinter season set out six festivals between 5 December 2025 and 31 January 2026. They run at different sites around Hatta, so “going to the festival” can mean three different car parks.
| Festival (2025–26) | Dates | Where | Organiser |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hatta Festival | 5–28 December 2025 | Leem Lake | Brand Dubai |
| Productive Families Festival | 5–28 December 2025 | Al Wadi Park | Community Development Authority |
| Hatta Wadi Hub Festival (3rd edition) | 5 December 2025 – 31 January 2026 | Hatta Wadi Hub | Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism |
| Hatta Cultural Nights (5th edition) | 20 December 2025 – 1 January 2026 | Hatta Heritage Village | Dubai Culture |
| Hatta Honey Festival (10th edition) | 27–31 December 2025 | Not stated in the announcement | Dubai Municipality |
| Hatta Agricultural Festival | 16–20 January 2026 | Leem Lake | Dubai Municipality |
The Honey Festival is the longest-running of the set: its ninth edition also ran 27–31 December in 2024. Dubai Culture describes Hatta Cultural Nights as an annual event at the Hatta Heritage Village.
Leem Lake itself is a three-hectare lake developed in the mountains, and in season Visit Hatta runs a water-play and kayaking zone on Leem Lake under its Wadi Hub offers. Gulf News reported free entry to the 2024–25 Hatta Winter festivals.
How do you get from Dubai to the Hatta Festival?
There are four realistic ways, and the RTA steps up its service for the season.
| Option | What it involves | Time from Dubai | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chauffeur for the day | Hotel to Hatta, the car waits and moves you between festival sites | About 1 h 30 min from Downtown, up to 2 h from Dubai Marina | Families, groups, anyone staying after dark |
| Self-drive | E102 route, park at the festival | Same | Confident drivers who know the route |
| RTA Hatta Express (H02) | Dubai Mall to Hatta Main Bus Station, AED 25 on Nol | About 1 h 30 min | Solo travellers and couples on a budget |
| Festival shuttles | RTA’s internal buses between Hatta sites | Short hops | Moving between festivals without your own car |
For the 2025–26 season, RTA said it ran 14 daily trips between Dubai Mall and Hatta, eight internal shuttle buses, 1,059 parking spaces and 65 valet spaces. Expect similar support in 2026, but check RTA’s S’hail app for the actual timetable once the season opens.
Take the E102 via the Sharjah–Kalba Road. It stays inside the UAE. The old direct E44 line crosses a stretch of Omani territory and navigation apps still suggest it; our chauffeurs don’t use it. Our full Dubai to Hatta guide covers the route, drive times by area and the bus in detail.
Plan the day backwards from sunset
Hatta’s festivals lean towards the late afternoon and evening, while the dam and the wadi are daytime places. Gulf News listed the January 2026 agricultural festival at Leem Lake as open 4pm to 10pm. So a good day looks like this:
- Leave Dubai around 10am. You miss the morning rush and arrive before lunch.
- Midday at Hatta Dam or the Wadi Hub. Kayaks, a walk, lunch.
- Festival from about 4pm. Leem Lake first, then the heritage village or Al Wadi Park if you’re doing more than one.
- Leave Hatta by 8 or 9pm. You’re back in Downtown by about 10:30pm.
That last leg is why we’d book a car with a chauffeur over driving yourself. It’s 90 minutes of dark highway after a long day outdoors, with tired children in the back. Somebody else driving is the whole point.
Which car for a Hatta day out?
- Two to four people: a large SUV such as a GMC Yukon or Cadillac Escalade. High seats for the mountain road and space for jackets, since December evenings in the mountains can be cool. See our luxury SUV chauffeur options.
- Five to seven: a Mercedes V-Class or another van with driver. One car keeps the family together across three festival sites.
- Groups of 12 and up: minibuses and coaches with a driver, which we arrange for school trips, company outings and community groups. See bus rental in Dubai.
For a full day, hourly hire is the right booking. The car waits at each stop, and the price includes the chauffeur, fuel and Salik tolls for the roughly 270 km round trip.
Frequently asked questions
When is Hatta Festival 2026?
The 2026 dates haven’t been announced. The festival has run every December since 2023: 15–31 December 2023, 13 December 2024 to 12 January 2025, and 5–28 December 2025 at Leem Lake. The 2025 season was announced on 26 November, so expect news in late November 2026.
Is Hatta Festival free?
Gulf News reported free entry to the 2024–25 Hatta Winter festivals, and the festivals are public events run by Dubai government bodies. Activities run by Wadi Hub operators, such as kayaking or the zipline, are booked separately with them. Check the 2026 announcement for any changes.
Where is Leem Lake in Hatta?
Leem Lake is a three-hectare lake in Hatta, Dubai’s mountain enclave near the Oman border, and it has been the main Hatta Festival site since 2023. Visit Hatta runs a water-play and kayaking zone on the lake. You don’t cross any border to reach it on the E102 route.
Is there a bus from Dubai to Hatta?
Yes. The RTA Hatta Express (route H02) runs from Dubai Mall to Hatta Main Bus Station in about 1 hour 30 minutes, for AED 25 on a Nol card. During the 2025–26 Hatta Winter season, RTA said it ran 14 daily Dubai Mall–Hatta trips plus shuttle buses between festival sites.
When is the Hatta Honey Festival?
Dubai Municipality held the 10th Hatta Honey Festival on 27–31 December 2025, the same dates as the ninth edition in 2024. The 2026 dates haven’t been announced, but the last week of December is the established slot, inside the wider Hatta Winter season.
Written by
Arshad HussainArshad Hussain has run chauffeur and limousine operations in Dubai since 2014: dispatch, fleet allocation, airport pickups and event transport.
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