A Winter Wonderland In the Desert

There's a reason Dubai is a favourite amongst Indians in the winter. While Delhi chokes and Mumbai sweats, there’s a shift that happens in Dubai once the temperature dips. The desert heat recedes, the sky turns a cleaner shade of blue, and the city finally exhales. Terraces fill up at golden hour, fairy lights dangle across palm trees and festive markets fill up boulevards.

This is Dubai’s real season—the one locals wait for all year. It’s also when the city reinvents itself as something unexpected: a winter destination. Not really in the traditional sense—there’s no snow, or frost—but when has that ever stopped the city? In December, you can sip hot chocolate in the shadow of a 250-metre Ferris wheel, float above the city in a 200-metre infinity pool, and watch Santa arrive in snow in a winter garden. If you think Dubai could not do Christmas, think again.

Here are six ways the city makes winter its own.

BLUEWATERS ISLAND

It’s easy to forget that Bluewaters didn’t always exist. A man-made island just across from Dubai Marina, it’s the kind of place that could only have been dreamed up here. Home to Ain Dubai, the world’s tallest observation wheel, Bluewaters feels like someone built a Pinterest moodboard and gave it a postcode. There are over 200 restaurants and shops to wander through, each one polished to within an inch of its life. Spend the day walking the 500-metre beach, check into Banyan Tree Dubai for a spa session, or eat your way through Demon Duck’s take on Asian comfort food. Alici, all lemon light and Amalfi ease, does the coastal Italian thing properly, while Brass Monkey turns up the volume after dark.

ALSERKAL AVENUE’S FARMERS’ MARKET

In a city full of speed and spectacle, Alserkal Avenue is a gentle anomaly. The industrial-turned-art district is already Dubai’s creative nucleus, but every winter, it slows down for its weekly Farmers’ Market. Here, small growers from across the UAE sell produce ranging from tomatoes and greens to dates and honey. Around them, bakers line up loaves of sourdough still warm from the oven, while baristas serve espresso. There’s no skyline view, no luxury—just a reminder of what home feels like.

DUBAI MIRACLE GARDEN

Just when you think Dubai can’t outdo itself, you walk into the Miracle Garden. Over 150 million blossoms bloom across 72,000 square metres of desert, shaped into hearts, peacocks, castles and even life-size Emirates A380s. It’s maximalist, surreal and utterly mesmerising. Opened on Valentine’s Day in 2013, the garden is now the world’s largest floral installation—and possibly its most photogenic. It’s the perfect winter stop, where temperatures are mild and the blooms are in peak condition.

MADINAT JUMEIRAH FESTIVE MARKET

Every December, the Madinat Jumeirah transforms. The souk’s stone pathways fill with music, the scent of cinnamon and roasted nuts drifts through the air and a 36-foot Christmas tree comes to life. The Madinat Festive Market is Dubai’s own version of a European Christmas, but wrapped in palm trees. Here, Santa pulls up in an abra. The market—spread over 1,750 square metres—puts on the whole show: snow machines misting over stalls, bungee jumpers swinging over fairy lights, and families wandering through a kaleidoscope of gift stalls and light shows.

WINTER DISTRICT IN DUBAI MEDIA CITY

It turns out Dubai can do “winter,” it just looks a little different. At the Jumeirah Emirates Towers Plaza Terrace, opposite the Museum of the Future, the Winter District festival turns the space into something that feels halfway between a design fair and a street party. There are tunnels of lights, snow machines and a crowd dressed for sweater weather. There are carollers weaving through the crowds, street food pop-ups, design-led stalls and a stage that blasts jazz with holiday classics. There’s a Santa’s Grotto, kids painting candy canes, adults sipping spiced cocktails under neon-lit trees. And yet, it all feels local.

WINTER CITY AT EXPO CITY

Finally, there’s Winter City—the former Expo site reimagined as a festive wonderland. Think Santa’s Toy Factory on a monumental scale, choirs singing Silent Night in five languages, and a nightly tree-lighting ritual. Children post letters to Santa, adults linger over coffee beneath the Al Wasl dome, which glows with light projections every evening. It defines Dubai—vast, ambitious and warm.

To read more stories from Esquire India's December 2025 issue, pick up a copy of the magazine from your nearest newspaper stand or bookstore. Or click here to subscribe to the magazine.