Dubai Fountain: Show Timings, Renovation, Best Places to Watch

Dubai Fountain Show Times

Each show lasts approximately 5 minutes.

Friday’s afternoon shows shift one hour later to accommodate Friday prayers. That said, evening shows run identically across all seven days.

Best Time To Watch The Dubai Fountain Show: The afternoon shows work well enough if you want less crowd. However, the evening shows are where the experience changes entirely. After 8:00 PM, the Burj Khalifa’s LED lights activate, the sound carries across the full lake, and the atmosphere in Downtown Dubai lifts noticeably. If you have a choice, go after dark.

Note: Schedule changes during Ramadan, Eid, and public holidays.

Renovation closures: The Dubai Fountain closes entirely during renovations. Always check the official Emaar or Burj Khalifa website before travelling specifically to see the fountain shows.

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Dubai Fountain Renovation

The Dubai Fountain completed a major Phase 1 renovation in October 2025 — new flooring, water insulation, upgraded tiles — returning on October 1, 2025 after a five-month closure.

Phase 2 of the renovation is currently scheduled for Q2 2026, which means a second closure window is coming. Emaar has confirmed Phase 2 will introduce new technology, improved choreography, and significant enhancements to the sound and lighting systems — effectively a new version of the show when it reopens.

Before visiting the Dubai Fountain, check if renovations are on.

The show is even better after the renovations: Watch this video.

Best Places to Watch the Dubai Fountain Show

Burj Lake is 30 acres. That is roughly the size of 23 football pitches. So there is no single “spot”… there are many places around this lake where you can watch the show, and they each feel quite different. Here is exactly where to go.

The Free & Easy Spots

Dubai Mall Waterfront Promenade

If you walk out of Dubai Mall through the Ground Floor exit near Five Guys, then you immediately land on the promenade railing facing the lake. This is the most popular free spot.

Souk Al Bahar Bridge

If you cross from Dubai Mall into Souk Al Bahar on the connecting bridge and stop halfway across, you get a good view as well.

Souk Al Bahar Walkway

Once you cross into Souk Al Bahar, walk along the lakeside promenade on its outer edge rather than stopping at the bridge. You see more of the full fountain spread.

Burj Park

Walk past Souk Al Bahar and continue along the lake toward the Burj Khalifa. After about five minutes, you reach Burj Park — an open green space right at the tower’s base.

Stores Within The Dubai Mall

Apple Store Balcony — First Floor, Dubai Mall

Go into Dubai Mall, take any escalator to the First Floor, and walk to the Apple Store — it sits directly above the main fountain exit. Then step through the glass doors at the back of the store onto the outdoor terrace.

Joe’s Café — First Floor, Dubai Mall

From the Apple Store balcony, walk along the First Floor toward the Food Court end. Joe’s Café sits on the First Floor with a balcony dining area that looks directly over the fountain.

Al Hallab — Level 2, Dubai Mall

Take any escalator from the First Floor up one more level to Level 2 and walk toward the waterfront side. Al Hallab is a Lebanese restaurant with balcony seating that looks over both the Burj Khalifa and the fountain.

Third Avenue Café — First Floor, Fashion Avenue, Dubai Mall

Walk to the Fashion Avenue end of the First Floor — the quieter, more upscale section of the mall. Third Avenue Café sits there with a balcony that offers clear views of the fountain and the Burj Khalifa.

Other Cool Secret Spots

Lower Ground Floor Exit, Fashion Avenue End

Most visitors take the Ground Floor central exit and surface directly into the thickest part of the crowd. Instead, go to the Lower Ground Floor, walk toward the Fashion Avenue wing near the At The Top ticket counter, and exit from there. As a result, you surface onto a quieter stretch of the promenade with a clean view and actual room to move.

Dubai Opera Waterfront

Walk past Souk Al Bahar and continue toward Dubai Opera — about 10 to 12 minutes from the mall. As you get further, the crowd thins to almost nothing. The fountain is still fully visible across the lake, and furthermore, the angle from here gives you a wide, clean view of the entire fountain length.

More Restaurants with a Dubai Fountain Show View

• Time Out Market Dubai — Level 3, Souk Al Bahar.
• Social House — Lower Ground Floor, Dubai Mall, waterfront side.
• Mausam — Ground Floor, Dubai Mall, waterfront side.
• Abd El Wahab — Level 3, Souk Al Bahar
• Karma Kafé — Souk Al Bahar, slightly further along the lake from Abd El Wahab.
• Thiptara — Palace Downtown Hotel, on the waterfront between Souk Al Bahar and Burj Park.
• Armani/Amal — Inside the Burj Khalifa, in the Armani Hotel on the lower floors.

In addition, there are two cool options to watch the Dubai Fountain show, but you have to pay for them…

The Dubai Fountain Boardwalk

The Boardwalk is a 272-metre floating platform built directly on Burj Lake. It sits between Burj Park and the main promenade, and it puts you just 9 metres from the fountain jets. In other words, you are on the water, not beside it.

Tickets: AED 25 per person (~$6.80 / £5.13)

Book via: atthetop.ae or third party websites like klook.com, klook.com

Hours: Daily, 5:45 PM – 10:45 PM

Once you have your ticket, go to the At The Top counter on the Lower Ground Floor of Dubai Mall. From there, staff will direct you to the boardwalk entrance. Arrive at least 30 minutes before your chosen show time, as the counter gets busy during peak hours.

Once you are on the platform, the difference from the free promenade is immediate. At 9 metres away, the jets are not a visual spectacle in the distance — they are walls of moving water right in front of you. You feel the mist. The sound hits differently at this range. Furthermore, because you are on the lake itself, the Burj Khalifa rises directly above you rather than sitting behind the fountain. The perspective changes completely.

The Dubai Fountain Abra Ride

The Abra Ride is a 30-minute boat journey on Burj Lake in a traditional wooden abra. Each boat holds a maximum of 8 passengers. So depending on when you go, you share the ride with a small group or, earlier in the evening, sometimes no one at all.

Tickets: AED 75 per person (~$21 / £15.38)

Book via: atthetop.ae or third party websites like klook.com, klook.com

Departures: Every 30 minutes from 5:45 PM.

Last ride: Approximately 10:45 PM

As with the Boardwalk, collect your ticket, then go to At The Top counter on the Lower Ground Floor of Dubai Mall. Give yourself plenty of time — the counter is shared with the Burj Khalifa At The Top experience and queues build up quickly in the evening. From the counter, staff direct you to the pier in front of Dubai Mall where the abras depart.

Here is what actually happens on the ride. The abra moves out onto the open lake and positions itself in front of the fountain before the show begins. When the music starts, the jets rise directly in front of you. Because you are sitting low on the water, the fountain’s full height — 150 metres — is visible from base to tip in a way it simply isn’t from the promenade.

The Dubai Fountain Show Music

This is the question that fills Reddit threads every week. You catch a show, some piece of music moves you, and you don’t know what it was. The fountain’s playlist draws from across the world — Arabic pop, Western classics, opera, Hindi film music, K-pop. The set rotates, so no two evenings are identical.

Here are some of the specific songs confirmed in the rotation:

• Sama Dubai by Mehad Hamad — an Emirati tribute to Sheikh Mohammed, typically the first show of the day
• Dubai Kawkab Aakhar (“Dubai is another planet”) by Rashed Al Majed — usually the last show of the night
• Baba Yetu by Christopher Tin — Grammy award-winning, originally composed for the video game Civilization IV; performed by the Soweto Choir and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
• Con Te Partirò (Time to Say Goodbye) by Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman
• Nessun Dorma by Puccini
• La Vie en Rose by Édith Piaf
• I Will Always Love You by Whitney Houston
• Ain’t No Mountain High Enough (DHL remix) by Vula Malinga
• Shik Shak Shok — a classic Arabic dance track
• Ishy Bilady — the UAE National Anthem, played daily

The set changes. Adele, Amr Diab, Lionel Richie, EXO, and Jacky Cheung have all featured at different points. There is no publicly published schedule that tells you which song plays at which show, on which day.

If something catches your ear mid-performance — open Shazam immediately and hold it up. The fountain’s sound system is powerful enough for Shazam to identify the track even from a distance. It works. Plenty of visitors leave the promenade with a new song saved.

How to Get to the Dubai Fountain?

The Dubai Fountain is located on Burj Lake in Downtown Dubai, directly in front of Dubai Mall. That is the most important thing to know — it sits outside the mall, on the lake, not inside it.

Option 1: First go to Dubai Mall. In this case, to reach the fountain…

• Go to Dubai Mall. By metro, take the Red Line to Burj Khalifa / Dubai Mall station. The air-conditioned walkway from there leads directly into the mall.
• By taxi or rideshare, ask for Dubai Mall or Souk Al Bahar.

Option 2: You can also reach the fountain without entering the mall at all..

This applies, if you’re arriving from…

• Souk Al Bahar,
• Downtown hotels like the Address or Palace Downtown,
• or on foot along the waterfront

In this case, you can walk straight to the lake’s edge. The promenade around Burj Lake is open and accessible from multiple directions.

FAQs

Q. What are the Dubai Fountain show timings?

A. The Dubai Fountain runs every 30 minutes from 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM, daily. Afternoon shows run at 1:00 PM and 1:30 PM from Monday to Thursday and Saturday to Sunday. On Fridays, afternoon shows are at 2:00 PM and 2:30 PM. Each performance lasts approximately five minutes.

Q. Is the Dubai Fountain free to watch?

A. Yes. All shows are free from the public promenade around Burj Lake — including the Dubai Mall waterfront, the Souk Al Bahar walkway, and Burj Park. The Boardwalk (AED 20) and the Abra Ride (AED 68.25) are optional paid upgrades that get you closer to the water.

Q. What is the best time to see the Dubai Fountain show?

A. Evening shows after 8:00 PM are the best. The Burj Khalifa’s LED lights are fully active, the sound carries across the entire lake, and the atmosphere peaks in the later evening. For smaller crowds, visit on a Tuesday or Wednesday rather than a Thursday or Friday.

Q. How do I get to the Dubai Fountain?

A. The fountain is outside Dubai Mall on Burj Lake in Downtown Dubai. By metro, take the Red Line to Burj Khalifa / Dubai Mall station and follow the signs inside the mall to the waterfront exit. By taxi or rideshare, ask for Dubai Mall or Souk Al Bahar.

Q. What is the Dubai Fountain Boardwalk?

A. The Dubai Fountain Boardwalk is a 272-metre floating platform on Burj Lake that places you 9 metres from the fountain jets. It costs AED 20 per person and runs daily from 5:00 PM to 11:00 PM. Book via atthetop.ae or at the lakeside ticket desk. [Verify before publishing.]

Q. Do the Dubai Fountain show timings change during Ramadan?

A. Yes. During Ramadan, afternoon shows don’t run. Evening shows begin after Iftar, typically from around 7:00 PM. Confirm the exact schedule with Emaar or Dubai Mall directly before visiting during the holy month.

Q. Is the Dubai Fountain open during the 2026 renovation?

A. Phase 1 of the renovation completed on 1 October 2025 and the fountain is fully operational. Phase 2 is scheduled for Q2 2026 and will close the fountain again for an unconfirmed period.