Dubai in December: the best weather, and the highest prices
Dubai in December: peak weather, peak prices, National Day and New Year. Why early December is a fraction of the cost for the same conditions.
- Daytime
- Mid to high 20s °C
- Nights
- Cool
- Sea
- Warm
- Prices
- Annual peak
December is peak Dubai: the weather is close to ideal, the city is at its busiest, and the last two weeks of the month carry the highest rates of the year. Daytime temperatures sit in the mid to high twenties, evenings turn genuinely cool, and every outdoor part of the city works at any hour.
It also holds two of the biggest dates in the local calendar (National Day at the start of the month and New Year at the end) and both change the city considerably.
The two halves and the New Year premium
Early December is November with slightly cooler evenings, at high but not extraordinary rates. The last ten days are a different market: New Year in Dubai is a major international event, hotel rates multiply rather than rise, and minimum-stay requirements appear.
If December is fixed but the dates are flexible, the first fortnight offers nearly identical weather at a fraction of the New Year cost.
National Day, and what it looks like
The UAE marks its founding on 2 December, and the run-up transforms the city visually, flags on every building and vehicle, light displays, and a public holiday atmosphere. It is a genuinely good time to be here and it is worth understanding instead of being surprised by.
The Etihad Museum, which covers the founding of the country, is the obvious pairing and it is busy over the holiday.
New Year fireworks
The Burj Khalifa and Downtown display is one of the largest new-year events anywhere and it draws very large crowds into a district that is already busy. Roads close, the metro runs extended hours and is packed, and viewing positions are claimed hours in advance.
Restaurants with a view sell fixed packages at substantial prices, booked months ahead. Watching from a free vantage point is possible and requires arriving very early indeed.
Weather, and the one thing visitors get wrong
Mid to high twenties by day is close to perfect. What surprises people is the evening: December nights drop enough that a jacket is genuinely needed, particularly by the water, and visitors who packed for a desert country regularly find themselves cold.
Rain is possible this month, briefly, and the day after is the clearest air of the year.
December against the rest of the year
Against November it is cooler, busier and more expensive, with two major events. Against January it is very similar in weather, marginally busier, and the New Year fortnight is more expensive than anything January offers.
For the same weather without the peak, early December and late November are the value windows either side of it. See when to visit for how the whole year compares.
Christmas here, and what it is like
Christmas is not a public holiday in the UAE and it is not a religious occasion in the city, and yet it is thoroughly visible. Hotels and malls decorate comprehensively from late November, restaurants run Christmas menus, and the retail displays are as elaborate as anywhere in Europe. It is a commercial season laid over an ordinary working week.
What that means in practice: the shops, the offices and the transport all run normally on the twenty-fifth, so nothing is shut and nothing needs planning around. Hotel Christmas lunches book out well ahead and are priced accordingly. Churches in the city hold services and are busy.
For a visitor, the effect is a version of Christmas with the logistics removed. There is no closed-down week, no reduced timetable and no shortage of open restaurants, which is exactly why a certain kind of traveller comes here for it in the first place.
The other half of the month is the New Year, which is a different proposition entirely and is covered above. Between the two sits the quietest week of an otherwise peak month, roughly the twenty-sixth to the twenty-ninth, which is when the rates dip briefly before the New Year premium takes hold.
One practical consequence of all this: December is the month where booking ahead stops being advice and becomes a requirement. Restaurants, deck slots, desert trips and hotels are all capacity-limited at exactly the same time, and the walk-in strategy that works fine in September fails comprehensively here.
Book the room first, the restaurants second, and everything else once you have arrived.
Dubai in December — common questions
Is December a good time to visit Dubai?
It is the peak, and the weather is close to ideal, mid to high twenties by day with cool evenings. It is also the most expensive and busiest month, particularly the last ten days.
How hot is Dubai in December?
Daytime highs in the mid to high twenties Celsius, with genuinely cool evenings. A jacket is needed after dark, especially by the sea.
Why is December so expensive in Dubai?
New Year. The last ten days are a major international event with rates that multiply rather than rise, plus minimum-stay requirements. Early December is far cheaper for near-identical weather.
What is UAE National Day?
The country marks its founding on 2 December. The run-up fills the city with flags and light displays and carries a public-holiday atmosphere, which is a good time to be here.
Are the Dubai New Year fireworks worth it?
The Burj Khalifa display is among the largest anywhere. It also means road closures, a packed metro and viewing positions claimed hours ahead, so it needs planning instead of wandering into.
Can you swim in Dubai in December?
Yes, comfortably, the sea stays warm through the winter while the air is at its most pleasant, which is the combination that makes these months the best for a beach trip.
Does it rain in Dubai in December?
Occasionally and briefly. The day or two after rain gives the clearest air of the year, which makes it the best time for the observation deck.
What should you pack for Dubai in December?
Summer clothing for the day and a genuine jacket or jumper for the evening. This is the month visitors most consistently underpack for.
Is early or late December better in Dubai?
Early, on value, nearly identical weather at a fraction of the New Year cost. Late December is better only if the New Year event is the reason you are coming.
Do you need to book December well in advance?
Yes, and months ahead for the New Year fortnight, where minimum stays and fixed packages are standard.