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The Dubai Mall & Dubai Fountain

#2of 10 places to visit in DubaiDubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

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Opening hours: Mall: 10:00 - 00:00 Sunday-Wednesday. Entry is free. Allow 2.5 hrs. Best time: 18:00 - 19:00.

Updated 18 September 2026 · Compiled by Traveliac, AI-assisted · 4 min read

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Photo: Ank Kumar / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Opening hours: Mall: 10:00 - 00:00 Sunday-Wednesday; 10:00 - 01:00 Thursday-Saturday. Dubai Fountain shows: two afternoon shows around 13:00 and 13:30 (later on Fridays), then every 30 minutes from 18:00 to 23:30, each show lasting about 5 minutes.
Entry fee: Free
Time needed: 2.5 hrs
Best time of day: 18:00 - 19:00
Best months: Nov – Mar
Address: Financial Center Rd, Downtown Dubai, Dubai

About The Dubai Mall & Dubai Fountain

The Dubai Mall covers over 1.1 million square metres of retail floor area, making it one of the largest shopping and entertainment complexes in the world by total leasable space, and it sits directly at the base of Burj Khalifa on a 12-hectare artificial lake. The mall houses more than 1,200 retail outlets across four levels, alongside the Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo's 51-million-litre tank viewed through a 32.88-metre acrylic panel, an Olympic-size ice rink, and the KidZania children's role-play city. The building opened in November 2008 as part of the wider Downtown Dubai development by Emaar Properties. The Dubai Fountain, set on the Burj Khalifa Lake directly outside the mall, was designed by WET Design - the California firm also responsible for the Bellagio fountains in Las Vegas - and covers a stretch of water roughly 275 metres long. Jets shoot water up to 150 metres, synchronised with a rotating repertoire of Arabic, classical, and contemporary music tracks and choreographed lighting, making the shows different from one performance to the next depending on the programmed track.

Best time of day: 18:00 - 19:00. For the first two evening fountain shows, when daylight fades into the illuminated Burj Khalifa backdrop but crowds have not yet reached their peak.

The Dubai Mall & Dubai Fountain timings

Opening hours: Mall: 10:00 - 00:00 Sunday-Wednesday; 10:00 - 01:00 Thursday-Saturday. Dubai Fountain shows: two afternoon shows around 13:00 and 13:30 (later on Fridays), then every 30 minutes from 18:00 to 23:30, each show lasting about 5 minutes.
Closed on: Open every day

Good to know: Fountain show frequency and hours can shift during Ramadan and around major public holidays such as New Year's Eve.

Opening hours compiled from thedubaimall.com and public records, last updated 18 September 2026. They change without notice — confirm before you travel. How we write these guides

The Dubai Mall & Dubai Fountain ticket price

Entry fees for The Dubai Mall & Dubai Fountain
Ticket	Price
Standard ticket	Free
Concession (student / senior)	Free
Children	Free

Entry to The Dubai Mall and to the Dubai Fountain show is free from all public viewing areas - the Waterfront Promenade, Burj Park, and Souk Al Bahar bridge. Paid extras inside the mall include the Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo (from roughly AED 120), KidZania, and Dubai Fountain boat/boardwalk rides (from roughly AED 30) - as of 2026, verify current add-on pricing at thedubaimall.com.

Prices compiled from thedubaimall.com and public records, last updated 18 September 2026. They change without notice — confirm before you travel. How we write these guides

Best time to visit The Dubai Mall & Dubai Fountain

Quiet
Moderate
Busy
Very busy

10:00 - 13:00
Morning OpeningBest time to go
Mall interior is quiet; the two afternoon fountain shows around 13:00-13:30 draw a modest, mostly tourist crowd to the promenade.
Quiet
13:00 - 17:00
Afternoon Shopping
Retail floors fill with shoppers and families; fountain area is quiet between the afternoon and evening show schedules.
Moderate
18:00 - 20:30
Evening Fountain Shows
Promenade and Souk Al Bahar bridge fill 15-20 minutes before each 30-minute-interval show; this is the single busiest window of the day.
Very busy
21:00 - 23:30
Late Evening
Dinner crowds and later fountain shows remain busy but with more breathing room than the 18:00-20:30 peak; last shows around 23:30 are noticeably calmer.
Busy

History of The Dubai Mall & Dubai Fountain

Emaar Properties broke ground on the Downtown Dubai megaproject, encompassing Burj Khalifa, The Dubai Mall, and the Old Town district, in the early 2000s as part of the emirate's post-oil economic diversification strategy toward tourism, retail, and finance. The mall opened its doors on 4 November 2008, roughly 14 months before the adjoining Burj Khalifa's official inauguration in January 2010, and quickly became one of the most visited retail and leisure destinations globally by annual footfall.

The Dubai Fountain was commissioned as the centrepiece water feature for the man-made Burj Khalifa Lake and began operating alongside the mall's opening, with the fountain system using over 6,600 lights and 25 colour projectors to accompany the water choreography after dark.

Rules & etiquette at The Dubai Mall & Dubai Fountain

Dress code inside the mall is smart-casual and relatively relaxed by Gulf standards - shorts and sleeveless tops are common among tourists - but swimwear and overtly revealing clothing are discouraged by mall management and can draw a request to cover up from security. Photography for personal use is unrestricted throughout public areas, but tripods and commercial filming require prior written permission from mall management.

For the fountain show, the Waterfront Promenade directly outside the mall's Burj Views terrace and the Souk Al Bahar footbridge are the two best free vantage points, both of which fill up 15-20 minutes before showtime on weekend evenings. Boat rides and the fountain boardwalk experience are ticketed separately and require booking a specific show slot in advance during peak season.

Tips for visiting The Dubai Mall & Dubai Fountain

1
Arrive at the mall via the Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall Metro Station rather than by car on a Thursday or Friday evening - the mall's multi-storey car parks routinely fill by 19:00 on weekends, and valet queues can run past 30 minutes.
2
The Souk Al Bahar side, across the footbridge from the mall's main waterfront terrace, offers a quieter, less crowded fountain viewpoint with restaurant terraces that allow a seated dinner view of the show without the standing-room crush of the main promenade. For photographers, the elevated Burj Views terrace on the mall's lower level gives an unobstructed sightline to both the fountain and Burj Khalifa in a single frame, particularly useful for the 18:00 and 18:30 shows before the crowd density peaks later in the evening.

How to reach The Dubai Mall & Dubai Fountain

The red star is The Dubai Mall & Dubai Fountain; the numbered pins are the 5 nearest places in our guides, each showing its rank in its city. Tap a pin for details.

Financial Center Rd, Downtown Dubai, DubaiDirections in Google Maps

From Dubai International Airport (DXB)
15 km · 20-30 min
AED 45-65 by taxi; AED 8.50 by Metro Red Line to Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall station (Nol Card)
From Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall Metro Station
1 km · 10 min
AED 3-8.50 (Nol Card, zone-dependent) plus a free covered walkway
From Dubai Marina
18 km · 25-35 min
AED 8.50 by Metro Red Line (Nol Card) or AED 55-75 by taxi

Nearest airport

From Dubai International Airport (DXB)

approximately 15 km, 20-30 minutes by road.

Nearest station

From Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall Metro Station (Red Line)

connected by a direct covered walkway to the mall's Fashion Avenue entrance, roughly 10 minutes on foot.

The Dubai Mall & Dubai Fountain FAQs

Is the Dubai Fountain show free to watch?

Yes, the Dubai Fountain show is free from all public viewing areas including the Waterfront Promenade, Burj Park, and the Souk Al Bahar bridge. Only optional extras such as fountain boardwalk access or boat rides carry a separate charge, roughly from AED 30 as of 2026.

How often does the Dubai Fountain perform?

The fountain runs two afternoon shows around 13:00 and 13:30, then every 30 minutes from 18:00 to 23:30 in the evening, with each performance lasting about 5 minutes. Show times can shift slightly during Ramadan and major holidays.

What time does The Dubai Mall close?

The Dubai Mall closes at midnight Sunday through Wednesday and at 1:00 AM Thursday through Saturday, opening daily at 10:00 AM. Individual restaurants and the fountain-facing terraces may stay busy past the shopping floors' closing time.

Where is the best free spot to watch the fountain with Burj Khalifa in the background?

The Waterfront Promenade directly outside the mall's Burj Views terrace gives the clearest combined sightline of the fountain and Burj Khalifa. The Souk Al Bahar footbridge across the lake offers a quieter alternative with restaurant seating for a less crowded, seated view.

Compiled with AI assistance from official sources and public records, and published only after the checks in How we write these guides. Nobody from Traveliac has visited this place. Last updated 18 September 2026. How we rank and check places