Dubai Run 2026 Road Closures: Which Roads Close, When, and How to Get There
The RTA has not announced the Dubai Run 2026 road closures yet, and it usually posts them one to three days before the run on Sunday 22 November. In 2025 Sheikh Zayed Road was closed from Trade Centre Roundabout to Al Hadiqa Road bridge from 3am to 10am, and the Metro opened at 3am.
The RTA has not yet announced the Dubai Run road closures for 2026. However the organizers have confirmed that roads in and around the Dubai Run routes will be closed on the day. The event, Dubai Run is to take place on Sheikh Zayed Road on Sunday 22 November. The RTA usually posts its plan one to three days before the run.
Dubai Run Road Closures in 2026
Until the RTA posts the 2026 plan, in this guide you can see exactly what closed in 2025, and we will update it the day the new list comes out.
Latest announcements, updated 15 October 2026
- Official FAQ: "Roads in and around the Dubai Run routes will be closed on 22 November".
- Not announced: the 2026 closure list and times, the Metro opening time and the Salik rates for the morning. Metro timings
Also read:
Which Roads Close for Dubai Run
The 2026 list is not out yet. The official Dubai Run FAQ says only that "roads in and around the Dubai Run routes will be closed on 22 November". The routes are the same as last year: both start on Sheikh Zayed Road near the Museum of the Future, so expect the same roads to close.
Here is what the RTA closed for Dubai Run 2025, on Sunday 23 November 2025. Read it as last year's plan, not this year's:
- Sheikh Zayed Road, fully or partly, from Trade Centre Roundabout to the Al Hadiqa Road bridge.
- Lower Financial Centre Street, between Sheikh Zayed Road and Al Khail Road.
- Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Boulevard in Downtown, in one direction.
- Al Sukook Street in DIFC, one lane.
- The parking bays beside Sheikh Zayed Road, for the whole run.
The RTA posts its plan on its website and on its social media accounts, including @rta_dubai on X. Our page will carry the 2026 list as soon as it appears.
Do not mix this up with Dubai Ride. Sheikh Zayed Road also closes on the morning of Sunday 1 November for the cycling event, three weeks earlier. Our Dubai Ride 2026 guide covers that morning.
Dubai Run Road Closures Map
The RTA has not published a 2026 closure map. Until it does, this sketch shows the 2025 closures in one picture. Sheikh Zayed Road runs down the middle, and the two long roads on either side of it stayed open.
The pattern is simple. Sheikh Zayed Road was shut from Trade Centre Roundabout down to beyond the Dubai Canal, so any trip along it between Trade Centre and Al Safa had to use Al Wasl Road or Al Khail Road instead. The smaller closures were around DIFC and Downtown, where the two routes finish.
Dubai Run Road Closure Timings
In 2025 the RTA traffic plan ran from 3am to 10am on the Sunday. Gulf News reported that normal traffic would return after 10am. Some roads around the course began to close earlier, at 8pm on Saturday, according to Khaleej Times.
Two numbers in the reports do not match: Khaleej Times expected roads to reopen by 9:30am, and the RTA plan ran to 10am. The safe reading is this: if you need Sheikh Zayed Road, travel before 3am or after 10am.
For 2026, nothing has been announced. In 2025 the RTA posted the plan on Friday 21 November, two days before the run. On that pattern, look for the 2026 plan from about Thursday 19 November, and check the RTA news page with the button above.
Alternative Routes for Drivers on Dubai Run Day
If you are not running and only need to cross the city on Sunday morning, use Al Khail Road or Al Wasl Road instead of Sheikh Zayed Road. These were the RTA's suggestions in 2025, with two more for the roads around DIFC.
| If you normally use | In 2025 the RTA suggested |
|---|---|
| Sheikh Zayed Road, Trade Centre to Al Safa | Al Khail Road or Al Wasl Road |
| Lower Financial Centre Street | Upper Financial Centre Street |
| Other roads near the closures | Zabeel Palace Road |
Expect more traffic than usual on those roads until about 10am, because everyone else is using them too. The RTA's advice in 2025 was to plan the journey early and allow extra time. For buses, check the route in the S'hail app or the RTA journey planner, because some buses that use the closed roads change their route.
Salik, Dubai's road toll, also changed for the morning in 2025. The toll was AED 6 between 6am and 10am, the peak rate, on the Sunday of the run. The 2026 Salik rates for 22 November have not been announced.
FAQs
Is Dubai Run on 8 November 2026?
No. Dubai Run 2026 is on Sunday 22 November 2026. A social media post with 8 November is wrong. The road closures are on 22 November.
Will Sheikh Zayed Road be closed on 22 November?
Yes, in part. The official FAQ says roads in and around the routes will close on 22 November, and both routes use Sheikh Zayed Road. The RTA will publish the exact stretch and times.
Can I drive to Dubai Mall on Dubai Run morning?
Yes, but not along Sheikh Zayed Road while it is closed. In 2025 runners parked at Dubai Mall and took the Metro to the start. Use Al Khail Road and allow extra time.
Does the Dubai Tram or bus run on Dubai Run day?
The official FAQ says public transport that is not affected by the road closures runs as normal. Buses on the closed roads may change their route, so check the S'hail app.
Sources and method13 sources from 6 publishers · last checked 15 October 2026
Official
Reporting and other sources
- About this guide: the official Dubai Run page and FAQ and the RTA news page were read on 15 October 2026. Every closure, time and car park shown is from the 2025 run, because the RTA has not posted the 2026 plan. The closure map is our own drawing and is not to scale. We will update this page when the RTA announces the 2026 plan.
- RTA News
- Gulf News Road closures announced for Dubai Run 2025 on SundayRTA extends Metro hours for Dubai Run 2025Dubai Run 2025: How to deal with road closures
- Khaleej Times Dubai Run 2025: RTA announces list of roads affected, closure timingsEverything to know about Dubai Run 2025Dubai Run 2025: date, time, routes, collection pointsDubai Metro to extend operating hours on 1 February 2026Dubai Run: Metro to start at 3.30am
- What's On Road closures for Dubai Run, 23 November 2025
