What's on in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates through the year

Peak crowds — Cruise season at Zayed Port, Sheikh Zayed Festival

• Holiday

  Ramadan

  18 Feb – 19 MarClosures

  Eating and drinking in public during daylight stops, offices run short hours and live music goes quiet; the city shifts to the evening and the iftar tents run until two. The dates move eleven days earlier each year. Source ↗

Still on: Cruise season at Zayed Port (15 Oct – 30 Apr (usually)), Al Dhafra Festival (27 Oct – 22 Jan (usually)), Sheikh Zayed Festival (1 Nov – 22 Mar (usually)), Morning fog season (1 Nov – 15 Mar (usually))

Peak crowds — Ramadan, Cruise season at Zayed Port

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: Ramadan (18 Feb – 19 Mar), Cruise season at Zayed Port (15 Oct – 30 Apr (usually)), Sheikh Zayed Festival (1 Nov – 22 Mar (usually)), Morning fog season (1 Nov – 15 Mar (usually))

Peak crowds — Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr

• Holiday

  Eid al-Fitr

  20–23 MarRamadan & EidCrowdedClosures

  A long public holiday that fills the Corniche hotels with regional visitors and the beaches with everyone else. Rates jump, the theme parks on Yas queue from opening, and some government sites shut on the first day. Source ↗

• Hazard

  Shamal dust season

  1 Mar – 15 Jun · usually

  The northwesterly shamal blows for a day or three at a time in spring and takes the skyline with it; flights hold, the sea turns brown and anyone with a chest keeps indoors. Source ↗

• Nature

  Hawksbill turtle nesting

  15 Mar – 15 Jul · usually

  Hawksbills come ashore on the Saadiyat and outer-island beaches through spring, and the hotels there rope off the nests and run guided walks rather than let people find them alone. Source ↗

Still on: Ramadan (18 Feb – 19 Mar), Cruise season at Zayed Port (15 Oct – 30 Apr (usually)), Sheikh Zayed Festival (1 Nov – 22 Mar (usually)), Morning fog season (1 Nov – 15 Mar (usually))

Peak crowds — Cruise season at Zayed Port, Spring break in United Arab Emirates

Nothing new starts in April.

Still on: Eid al-Fitr (20–23 Mar), Shamal dust season (1 Mar – 15 Jun (usually)), Hawksbill turtle nesting (15 Mar – 15 Jul (usually)), Cruise season at Zayed Port (15 Oct – 30 Apr (usually))

Busy — Eid al-Adha, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

• Holiday

  Eid al-Adha

  27–30 MayRamadan & EidClosures

  The longer of the two Eids, several days of it, and residents leave in bulk through the airport. What stays busy is the beach hotels, which price the break like a peak week even though the heat has arrived. Source ↗

• Season

  Outdoor season shuts

  15 May – 30 Sep · usuallyExtreme heatClosures

  Corniche life, the desert camps and the open-air festival grounds all stop; what is left is Louvre Abu Dhabi, the malls and the indoor parks on Yas. Hotel rates fall to their annual floor, which is the one argument for it.

Still on: Shamal dust season (1 Mar – 15 Jun (usually)), Hawksbill turtle nesting (15 Mar – 15 Jul (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in June.

Still on: Shamal dust season (1 Mar – 15 Jun (usually)), Hawksbill turtle nesting (15 Mar – 15 Jul (usually)), Eid al-Adha (27–30 May), Outdoor season shuts (15 May – 30 Sep (usually))

Busy — Summer break in United Arab Emirates, school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in July.

Still on: Hawksbill turtle nesting (15 Mar – 15 Jul (usually)), Outdoor season shuts (15 May – 30 Sep (usually))

Busy — Summer break in United Arab Emirates, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: Outdoor season shuts (15 May – 30 Sep (usually))

Quiet — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: Outdoor season shuts (15 May – 30 Sep (usually))

Peak crowds — Cruise season at Zayed Port, Autumn mid-term break in United Arab Emirates

• Season

  Cruise season at Zayed Port

  15 Oct – 30 Apr · usuallyCrowded

  The terminal takes calls from October, with the heaviest weeks between December and March. On a two-ship day the Grand Mosque and the Louvre queue from opening, and the taxi rank at the corniche empties. Source ↗

• Festival

  Al Dhafra Festival

  27 Oct – 22 Jan · usuallyMajor festival

  Camel beauty judging and heritage competitions at Madinat Zayed, three hours out in the Western Region, running from late October into January. The main mazayna days fall in December and justify the drive. Source ↗

Peak crowds — Cruise season at Zayed Port, Sheikh Zayed Festival

• Opening

  Sheikh Zayed Festival

  1 Nov – 22 Mar · usuallySummer season opensCrowded

  The heritage and culture festival out at Al Wathba runs from the start of November to late March, with country pavilions and fireworks most nights. Its opening is as good a marker as any for when the emirate goes outdoors again. Source ↗

• Hazard

  Morning fog season

  1 Nov – 15 Mar · usually

  Dense fog forms over the flats before dawn through the cool months and shuts lanes of the E11 and the airport approach until mid-morning. It burns off by ten, but an early flight or a desert drive is the thing it catches. Source ↗

• Festival

  Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

  3–6 DecMotorsport weekendCrowdedBook early

  The season finale at Yas Marina, with concerts after each night's running and the island effectively closed to anyone without a ticket. The dearest weekend of the year for a room anywhere in the emirate. Source ↗

Still on: Cruise season at Zayed Port (15 Oct – 30 Apr (usually)), Al Dhafra Festival (27 Oct – 22 Jan (usually))

Peak crowds — Cruise season at Zayed Port, Sheikh Zayed Festival

• Holiday

  UAE National Day

  1–3 DecNational holidayCrowdedClosures

  Public holidays on 2 and 3 December with fireworks over the Corniche, air displays and flags on every car. It lands immediately after the Grand Prix, so the first week of December runs hot from end to end. Source ↗

Still on: Cruise season at Zayed Port (15 Oct – 30 Apr (usually)), Al Dhafra Festival (27 Oct – 22 Jan (usually)), Sheikh Zayed Festival (1 Nov – 22 Mar (usually)), Morning fog season (1 Nov – 15 Mar (usually)), Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (3–6 Dec)