Liwa International Festival 2026: dates set for 11 December to 2 January
Abu Dhabi's big desert winter festival returns to Tal Moreeb; the full programme is still to come.
The Liwa International Festival returns on 11 December 2026 and runs until 2 January 2027, The National reported in its winter reopening guide. It is held around Tal Moreeb, the giant dune in Liwa in the Al Dhafra region of Abu Dhabi, and the paper describes it as one of Abu Dhabi's biggest annual winter events.
The festival has been running since 2001. Past editions have featured drifting, drag racing, falconry and dune sports, plus Liwa Village with rides, ziplines, hot-air balloons, concerts and fireworks. The full 2026 programme had not been announced.
For reference, the last Liwa Village ran for 23 days and opened from 4pm to 2am on Fridays and Saturdays and from 4pm to midnight the rest of the week, according to its Platinumlist page. It had six zones, from a Ferris wheel and kids' areas to an Emirati crafts souk and an automotive zone with classic cars and a 4x4 track.
Children aged four to ten had to be accompanied by an adult, and children up to three and people of determination entered free last time. The dates also overlap with the Al Dhafra Festival finale in the same region, from 12 to 19 December.
Source: The National, Platinumlist (Liwa Village 2025-26), Abu Dhabi Media Office
