Sharjah Light Festival 2027: how to see the light shows from Dubai in one evening
Sharjah Light Festival 2027 dates aren't out yet; it runs in February. Last year's 13 sites, show times, a one-evening route and Dubai traffic tips.
Chauffeur operations specialist, Dubai · Updated · 8 min read
The Sharjah Light Festival runs every February, and the 2027 dates haven’t been announced yet. In 2026 the 15th edition ran from 3 to 15 February, with light shows at 13 sites from 6 pm to 11 pm (midnight at weekends). From Dubai, the city sites are 22–40 km away, so one evening with a car on hourly hire covers five or six of them.
We cover the festival with our chauffeur service in Sharjah, and most of the planning goes into the order of the stops. The shows are spread from Sharjah’s Corniche to the east coast at Kalba and Dibba, more than 130 km apart. Nobody sees all 13 in one night. Here’s how to pick.
When is the Sharjah Light Festival 2027?
The organiser, Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority, hadn’t announced the 2027 dates when we wrote this. Recent editions all fell in February, so plan for the same. The official Sharjah Light Festival website posts the dates and show list first.
| Edition | Dates | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 14th, 2025 | 5–23 February 2025 | Finished |
| 15th, 2026 | Shows 3–15 February 2026; Light Village 29 January – 22 February | Finished |
| 16th, 2027 | Not announced yet | Usually early to mid-February |
| 17th, 2028 | Not announced yet | Usually February |
Show times (2026). Every show ran daily from 6 pm to 11 pm, and until midnight at weekends. The shows pause during Maghrib and Isha prayers, so the hour or so after sunset has gaps. Don’t plan your favourite stop for just after 6 pm.
The Light Village. The festival’s ticketed zone is opposite University City Hall. In 2026 the Light Village opened 5 pm to midnight Sunday to Wednesday and 5 pm to 1 am Thursday to Saturday, sold tickets online and had free parking.
Where are the Sharjah Light Festival locations?
These were the 2026 sites. The 2027 list may change, though the 2025 edition also used Sharjah Mosque, Al Majaz Waterfront, University City and the east coast towns. Distances are from Downtown Dubai on our own route checks, with light-traffic times.
| Site | Area | From Downtown Dubai |
|---|---|---|
| Al Majaz Waterfront | Al Majaz, central Sharjah | about 22 km, 25 min |
| Sharjah Fort (Al Hisn) | Heart of Sharjah | about 26 km, 30 min |
| Al Jada | Near University City | about 34 km, 35 min |
| Dr. Sultan Al Qassimi Centre + Light Village | University City | about 36 km, 35 min |
| House of Wisdom | Near University City | about 38 km, 35 min |
| Sharjah Mosque | East of University City | about 39 km, 40 min |
| General Souq, Al Hamriyah | Al Hamriyah, north | about 57 km, 50 min |
| Al Dhaid Fort | Al Dhaid, inland | about 74 km, 1 h |
| Khorfakkan Waterfall and Al Rafisah Dam | Khorfakkan, east coast | about 135 km, 1 h 45 min |
| Kalba Waterfront and Hanging Gardens | Kalba, east coast | about 135 km, 1 h 50 min |
| AlTayari Mosque | Dibba, east coast | about 146 km, 1 h 55 min |
How many sites can you see in one evening?
Five or six in the city, comfortably. The University City sites sit within a few kilometres of each other, and Al Majaz and Al Hisn are 5 km apart in central Sharjah. Here’s the order we’d drive on a weekday:
- Leave Dubai by 3:30 pm. You beat the Dubai to Sharjah evening peak and arrive in about 30 minutes.
- Early dinner at Al Majaz Waterfront, 4:15 pm. Al Majaz and Al Qasba are the easy places to eat before the shows start.
- Light Village, 5:00 pm. It opens at 5 pm, an hour before the shows start. The Dr. Sultan Al Qassimi Centre show is a short walk away.
- Sharjah Mosque, after Isha. About 14 km east of the village. Skip it if you’re short of time; it’s the outlier of the city group.
- House of Wisdom and Al Jada. About 3 km apart, both a few kilometres north of University City.
- Sharjah Fort (Al Hisn), then Al Majaz Waterfront. Finish by the water around 10:30 pm.
- Back to Dubai. By then the roads have cleared, and Sharjah to Dubai in the evening runs against the commuter flow anyway. Allow 30 minutes to Downtown.
That’s about seven hours from pickup to drop-off. Book hourly hire rather than transfers: the car waits at each stop, you don’t hunt for taxis between sites, and parking near the busy shows is the chauffeur’s problem.
Short on time? Leave Dubai after 8:30 pm, when the traffic eases, and do the central pair (Al Majaz and Al Hisn) plus University City before the 11 pm finish (midnight at weekends). That fits a three-to-four-hour booking.
Beating the Dubai–Sharjah evening traffic
The Sharjah Light Festival has a timing problem built in: the shows start at 6 pm, right in the middle of the commute home to Sharjah. On weekdays we allow 60–90 minutes from Downtown Dubai to central Sharjah between 4 pm and 8:30 pm, against about 25 minutes outside those hours.
- Leave before 4 pm or after 8:30 pm. Everything in between can cost you an hour.
- From Dubai Marina, JLT or Al Barsha, we take the E311 (Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road) toward University City, which has no Salik gates and keeps you off Al Ittihad Road.
- From Downtown or Deira, Al Ittihad Road is the direct line to Al Majaz, but it’s the road that jams first.
- The return is easy. Sharjah to Dubai after 9 pm is usually 25–30 minutes.
Our Dubai to Sharjah guide has the full hour-by-hour table and the taxi fares, if you’re comparing.
The east coast shows: a separate evening
Khorfakkan, Kalba and Dibba had five of the 13 shows in 2026, and they’re worth a dedicated trip. The drive from Dubai runs on Emirates Road (E611) and the Khorfakkan road through the Hajar mountains.
A practical east coast evening: leave Dubai by 3:30 pm, stop at Al Dhaid Fort as the shows start (it’s roughly on the way), continue to Khorfakkan for the waterfall and Al Rafisah Dam (8 km apart), then drive 43 km south to Kalba’s waterfront and Hanging Gardens. You’ll be back in Dubai around 1 am. Dibba is north of Khorfakkan and doesn’t fit the same loop; it needs its own trip.
For this one, book a full day. A large SUV or a V-Class is more comfortable than a sedan for a 330 km round trip, much of it through the mountains, with children asleep in the back.
Which car for the light festival
| Group | Car | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Couple or 3 adults | Business sedan or S-Class | Easy to drop at the door of each site |
| Family of 4–6 | Large SUV | Room for pushchairs and a sleeping child; see our luxury SUV chauffeur options |
| Up to 7 | Mercedes V-Class | Sliding doors are quick at busy kerbs; our V-Class chauffeur page has details |
| School or company groups | Minibus or coach | We arrange buses with drivers for 12–53 people |
The hourly minimum is three hours, and our price includes fuel, Salik, waiting and VAT. Planning other winter evenings out? Our Dubai events calendar lists them, and the Sharjah International Book Fair guide covers the other big Sharjah date.
Frequently asked questions
When is the Sharjah Light Festival 2027?
The 2027 dates hadn’t been announced when we wrote this. The festival runs every February: the 2025 edition ran 5–23 February and the 2026 edition’s shows ran 3–15 February. Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority publishes the dates and locations on the official festival website.
What are the timings for the Sharjah Light Festival?
In 2026 the light shows ran daily from 6 pm to 11 pm, and until midnight at weekends, pausing during Maghrib and Isha prayers. The Light Village opposite University City Hall opened 5 pm to midnight Sunday to Wednesday and 5 pm to 1 am Thursday to Saturday.
Where can I see the Sharjah Light Festival?
In 2026 there were 13 shows: in Sharjah city at Al Majaz Waterfront, Sharjah Fort (Al Hisn), Sharjah Mosque, House of Wisdom, Al Jada and the Dr. Sultan Al Qassimi Centre, plus Al Hamriyah, Al Dhaid Fort, Khorfakkan, Kalba and Dibba. The Light Village was opposite University City Hall.
How do I get to the Sharjah Light Festival from Dubai?
By car, the city sites are 22–40 km from Downtown Dubai, 25–40 minutes outside rush hour. Avoid leaving Dubai between 4 pm and 8:30 pm on weekdays, when the same trip takes 60–90 minutes. A car on hourly hire is the easiest way to see several sites in one evening.
Is the Sharjah Light Festival free?
The light shows are outdoors at public landmarks. The Light Village, the festival’s ticketed zone opposite University City Hall, sold tickets online in 2026 and offered free parking. Check the official website for 2027 entry details.
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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