Art Dubai 2027

What is Art Dubai?

Art Dubai is the leading international art fair in the Gulf, held each spring at Madinat Jumeirah, the resort complex on Jumeirah Beach Road. The organiser says it was founded in 2007 as the first international art fair in the region, and it has always focused on artists from the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia, alongside connections across the wider Global South.

The 2026 edition, its 20th, was a Special Edition moved from April to 14 to 17 May, and it was free to attend. It drew more than 25,000 visitors on its public days, a record, with over 100 presentations from galleries, institutions and partners. Some reports said it was smaller than originally planned because of the delay, so the 2026 numbers are not a guide to 2027's size.

The organiser describes how much has changed over those two decades: institutions across Dubai and the Gulf have matured, galleries have multiplied and collecting has diversified. Art Dubai sits at the centre of that scene each spring, and the week around it brings exhibitions and openings across the city's galleries and museums, many of them organised independently of the fair.

What is new for 2027?

Art Dubai returns to Madinat Jumeirah from 9 to 11 April 2027, with preview days on 7 and 8 April, back in its usual spring slot. The organiser's 2027 announcement sets out five sections and their curators:

• Art Dubai Galleries: established galleries showing contemporary and modern work.
• Bawwaba: solo presentations of new work by emerging artists, curated by Amal Khalaf, Artistic Director of the Busan Biennale.
• Zamaniyyat: the modern section, revisiting 20th-century artists from the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Latin America, curated by Dr. Sarah A. Rifky.
• Art Dubai Digital: art and technology, curated by Nadine Khalil and co-curated by Ulrich Schrauth.
• Art Dubai Extended: large-scale and site-responsive work beyond the booth, indoors and out, curated by Alexie Glass-Kantor.

For galleries, there is also a new payment structure that ties more of their costs to sales. The exhibitor list and talks programme had not been announced when this guide was checked.

How is the fair organised?

The five sections run side by side across the Art Dubai campus at Madinat Jumeirah. The Galleries section is the commercial core, Bawwaba and Zamaniyyat are curated, Digital has been the region's main platform for digital art since its launch in 2022, a role the organiser links to Dubai's own plans for MODA, a Museum of Digital Art due to open in 2030, and Extended places installations, sculpture, sound, performance and film around the resort, inside and outside the halls.

The week has two kinds of day. The preview days, Wednesday 7 and Thursday 8 April, are VIP days for collectors, institutions, press and invited guests. The public days, Friday 9 to Sunday 11 April, are when everyone else can visit. Around the fair, the organiser runs talks, artist-led workshops and student tours, and its education programme has long brought school and university groups through the halls.

When is it, and what are the hours?

Opening hours for 2027 have not been published. One of the organiser's older visitor pages still shows April 2026 dates and hours, so ignore it.

Where is it held?

At Madinat Jumeirah, Jumeirah Beach Road, Al Sufouh 1, Dubai. The complex includes the Souk Madinat Jumeirah, which sits just south of the Burj Al Arab, and the fair has used the Madinat Jumeirah Conference & Events Centre entrance in past years. Check the 2027 entrance when visitor details are released.

How do tickets work?

2027 ticket types and prices have not been published. The organiser's visitor page links to its ticket seller, so start there once sales open. The 2026 Special Edition was free, but that does not mean 2027 will be.

For the preview days, the organiser runs a separate VIP accreditation application; applying does not guarantee access. Journalists apply through the press page and receive a confirmation email with their preview access if approved.

How do I get there and get around?

From Dubai International Airport, the Metro Red Line runs from Terminals 1 and 3. The Souk Madinat Jumeirah says its nearest station is Mall of the Emirates, followed by a short taxi ride. RTA lists bus routes 8, 88, X28 and N55 for Madinat Jumeirah, and the S'hail app plans journeys across the Metro, tram, buses and taxis. Taxis and ride-hailing are often the simplest option.

In past years the organiser has run shuttle buses from overflow parking; 2027 shuttle details have not been announced. The resort's abra boats are sightseeing tours on its internal canals, not public transport to the fair.

Where can I park?

Souk Madinat Jumeirah has underground parking at AED 20 an hour, up to AED 200 for 24 hours, and spending AED 100 at participating shops gets up to three hours validated. That is the souk's own car park, not a fair parking package. In earlier editions, Art Dubai offered free parking at the Police Academy with a shuttle to the fair; whether that returns in 2027 has not been confirmed.

What can I bring, and what should I wear?

No 2027 bag policy, list of banned items or dress code has been published. The organiser's older guidance for student visits asked for no eating or drinking in the gallery halls and allowed photography without flash, with some exceptions; expect similar etiquette. April in Dubai is warm, and some of the Extended works are outdoors, so dress for the heat and wear comfortable shoes.

Children, service animals and accessibility

The fair runs artist-led workshops and student tours, but 2027 rules on children's admission, ages and prices have not been published. No policy on service animals has been published either, so ask the organiser before you visit.

The Souk Madinat Jumeirah says it is wheelchair friendly, with lifts to its shopping and promenade levels and wheelchairs available through the souk's management. That covers the souk, not necessarily every fair space, so visitors who need step-free routes should contact Art Dubai in advance.

Who goes, and what do first-timers get wrong?

The preview days bring royal-family visitors, institutional, corporate and private collectors, and museum groups; in 2026, institutions came from more than 20 countries. The public days draw Dubai's art lovers, students, families and visitors from across the region and beyond.

First-timers commonly book a trip from 7 April without realising those days are VIP only; rely on old pages still showing 2026 dates; assume entry is free again because 2026 was; and treat the resort's abra boats as a way to reach the fair. Check the public days, watch for the 2027 ticket release, and leave time to explore the Extended works around the resort.