Your Guide To Christmas and New Year in Abu Dhabi 2024

New to Abu Dhabi and wondering just how Christmassy it gets? 

Great news: it’s jingle all the way in Abu Dhabi, and in fact, feels almost as Christmassy as ‘home’ … possibly bar the freezing cold weather, if that’s your usual festive season climate!

DECORATIONS

You’ll start seeing decorations around the city early - but don’t be fooled: we’re celebrating National Day in early December first, where Abu Dhabi will be decked out in the colours of the flag, with plenty of lights and embellishments to put you in a celebratory mood! Once the National Day weekend is over, Santa’s elves will perform a speedy switcheroo and the malls and hotels will have festive spirit ready in spades. 

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And, as a side note, carols and Christmas songs play in all the malls - Mariah makes an appearance in November and we string her out until January, making us all feel extra festive!

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For your own decorations, find them at Zara Home, Pottery Barn, IKEA and West Elm.  Order some excellent options online from Crate & Barrel in Dubai or further afield.  Real Christmas trees can be ordered in advance from Christmas Trees UAE - check their Facebook Page for details on how to order, pick up and delivery. 

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‍AND, NOT QUITE DECORATIONS BUT GET YOURSELF SORTED FOR THIS TOO ...

Regardless of the weather, whether it’s 40 degrees or 24, there are still Christmas jumper parties at a ton of bars around town. Order your suitably sequinned and bobbled outfit early to avoid FOMO and keep checking the Best Bites app for details!

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TREE LIGHTINGS

All the malls have magnificent Christmas trees and decorations that go up straight after National Day on December 2nd. Hotel offerings are no less majestic and at the beginning of December, they have special tree lighting ceremonies that usually include a school or hotel choir singing all our favourite carols, pass arounds, sometimes a market, and always incredible festive cheer. 

Look out for all these free events on the Best Bites app but here are a couple of early heads ups:

• Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental December 5th
• Grand Hyatt December 6th
• Conrad Abu Dhabi Etihad Towers December 10th

FOR THE KIDS

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If a tree lighting ceremony doesn’t work for your family, it’s worth taking the kids to a couple of hotel lobbies to see the Christmas decorations. 

Conrad Abu Dhabi has a massive tree, some Insta-worthy selfie spots, with a little market to buy chocolate and other suitably festive goodies. There’s also a festive afternoon tea there, which is a lovely thing to take your mum to if she’s here on holiday or your children who love a selfie with a glittery reindeer!

Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental is always worth a visit at Christmas: the tree towers over the lobby and a hot chocolate is not out of the question!

A lot of hotels offer gingerbread house making sessions, cookie decorating and other festive fun. These run on weekends and during the school holidays. 

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Keep an eye on our festive activities list on the Best Bites app for info and timings.

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SHOWS!

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Take your kids to Etihad Arena at Yas Bay for ELF: The Musical! This movie favourite will be brought to life in the arena, making your lead-up to Christmas even more wonderful. 

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Starring the incredible Jordan Conway as Buddy the Elf, this musical follows Buddy’s journey from the North Pole to New York City as he discovers his true identity and spreads holiday cheer. Expect stunning sets, festive costumes, and a massive dose of festive fun!

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If you’re looking for great places to eat in Yas Bay or Yas Marina before or after the show, you’ll find a perfect list here!

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Dates: 14-15 December

Timings: Shows are at 11.30AM and 4PM

Tickets: From Platinum List starting at AED75

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SANTA PICS

Malls: You can get pics with the big guy in most malls in Abu Dhabi,  but the best ones we’ve found are at Yas Mall, Abu Dhabi Mall and the Galleria al Maryah.  These malls have amazing dedicated areas, awash with sleighs, snow and every permutation of red and white you can possibly imagine. The kids love it … and adults too, if we’re honest!

You can either take the pictures yourself, or their photographer will email them to you - it’s very easy and a great treat for the kids at Christmas.

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‍FESTIVALS

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SHEIKH ZAYED FESTIVAL

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This festival of culture opens on November 1st 2024 and runs until 28 February 2025. Over these four incredible months, Al Wathba in Abu Dhabi transforms into a cultural hub that showcases the UAE's history, values, and spirit in the most festive way possible. Expect a ton of food stalls, craft stalls, events and an absolute abundance of lights! There are fireworks every Saturday at 10PM, making this a truly spectacular thing to do. Be warned, it gets very, very busy so plan to go early and leave early if you’re not down with crowds!

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Timings: 4PM - midnight

Location: Al Wathba

Getting there: There’s a free bus that runs from Abu Dhabi City's Central Bus Station, heads to the Co-operative Society Supermarket in Rabdan moving on to Baniyas Court parking space, and then onwards to Al Wathba. Trips start from 3pm until 10pm during the week.

Price: AED10

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YAS WINTERFEST

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This pop-up winter wonderland is a big hit for families. There are loads of food stalls, activities for children including some rides, masterclasses, and a ton of snow, perfect for playing in and making little snowmen!

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Timing: Friday- Sunday: 12pm- 11pm, Monday- Thursday: 4pm- 11pm

Pricing: Get your tickets now from Platinum List - tickets start at AED15. A season 3 day pass costs AED100.

Location: Yas Gateway Park North

Getting there: Bus 190 from the city, large car parking area FOC

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WARNER BROTHERS WORLD

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This incredible theme park does festive very well! From shows with snowmen and dancing fairies, to visits from Santa Claus under the big Christmas tree, kids and adults alike love the festive season at WB! Stay tuned for more information about what’s happening when!

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FESTIVE FOOD

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CHRISTMAS BRUNCHES

On Christmas Day, most of the hotels run a brunch loaded up with all your festive must-haves: resplendent turkeys, roast vegetables, seafood, fun desserts and of course, bubbly options to really get in the festive swing.  There’s always live music and people make an effort to get dressed up, to really make it feel special. 

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Where to find the list of all the Christmas Eve and Day brunches? The Best Bites UAE app of course!

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CHRISTMAS MENUS

Some venues around Abu Dhabi, usually bars, offer Christmas all through December.  The turkey dinner can be found at places like McCafferty’s - perfect if you love to get your festive on early. 

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This year, the Dusit Thani is offering early Christmas offerings at nearly all their restaurants - check them out on the Best Bites app! 

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FESTIVE TREATS

Eating chocolate is almost a pastime in Abu Dhabi and all the big chocolate shops have amazing things to tempt your palate. Laderach has great gift options, as do Patchi and Godiva - find these at a mall near you!

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Like it hot? Hot chocolate has become an artform, with good options being found in quite a few cafes around town.  Mirzam at Qasr al Hosn does an excellent version, worth checking out … just for quality assurance purposes of course!

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CHRISTMAS TO TAKEAWAY

It’s not quite a case of can’t-cook-won’t-cook, but Abu Dhabi loves a turkey takeaway. On Christmas Day, some lucky appointee will drive to the hotel of their choice to pick up the huge box, filled with a massive bird, roasted vegetables, stuffing, gravy and other condiments … (the smell in the car is enough to tempt even the hardiest grinch!) If you’ve had one too many egg nogs on Christmas morning and don’t fancy the schlep to pick up your turkey, order from La Cuisine de Manou - their little elves will deliver it to you all ready to serve!

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A number of hotels and businesses offer alternatives to the bird. Serves Gourmet does, in our opinion, the best roast potatoes in town, which can be bought separately and finished off by you in the oven.  Southern Sun hotel does an excellent beef Wellington and Marriott al Forsan has outstanding gammon, great for feeding the five thousand if you have family or friends expecting boxing day sandwiches.

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Best of all, these turkeys are usually available from Thanksgiving at the end of November and often run all the way through to the end of the first week of the new year, making them a great option for a friends catch-up before Christmas or a new year’s dinner.

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Download the Best Bites UAE app to see all the possible turkey, steak, beef Wellington and other glorious options available this season! 

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NEW YEAR’S EVE

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New Year’s is massive in Abu Dhabi and hotels do packages for an unforgettable night out that includes decorations, party poppers, balloons galore, live music and impeccable food.  Heads up though, prices are fairly steep so shop around on the Best Bites app and keep an eye on the Best Bites Abu Dhabi Facebook Group for the places we know will be good.  

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FIREWORKS

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There are fireworks in a number of locations in Abu Dhabi on New Year’s Eve.  

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• Yas Bay (get a primo view from Raha Beach side)
• The Corniche - the Observation Deck at 300 at Conrad Abu Dhabi, Lexx Terrace at Grand Hyatt and Jazz and Fizz bar at Sofitel will get you a front row seat for these.
• Hudayriat
• The Sheikh Zayed Festival

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Stay tuned here for dates and timings for fireworks, made to kick of 2025 in the best way!

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DAYS OFF

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Christmas Day isn’t an official holiday in the UAE - although some lucky residents might score the day off depending on their workplace. For the most part, you’ll need to pop in an annual leave day or two if you want to skip work to celebrate during the day!

New Year's Day (January 1st) a week later is a public holiday - and it falls on a Wednesday in 2025, so you can enjoy a tipple and stay up to ring in the New Year before enjoying a sleep-in the following day.  

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School holidays

This year, most schools are off from around December 13th and don’t go back until January 6th, a longer holiday than normal. While many people go abroad during this time, for expats it’s the perfect time of year to have family and friends visit Abu Dhabi to experience Christmas here: the weather is absolutely beautiful and it’s a great time to have people to stay to experience all Abu Dhabi has to offer, at its semi-mild best!

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