GITEX Global 2026: Dates, Location, Venue, Tickets and Shows
GITEX Global 2026 will run from 7 to 11 December 2026: the GITEX Summit at the Dubai World Trade Centre on 7 December, then the exhibition at the Dubai Exhibition Centre in Expo City Dubai from 8 to 11 December. A Visitor Pass costs AED 480 until the early bird ends on 25 October 2026, against a full price of AED 650, and it is sold online at visit.gitex.com.
GITEX Global 2026 is Dubai's big technology show, and this year almost everything about it has changed. It will run from 7 to 11 December 2026 at Expo City Dubai.
That matters most if you have been before. Last year the show was held in October at the Dubai World Trade Centre. The month, the place, the price and the passes are all different now. The plan you used last year will not work.
Even the price moved in the last few weeks. In September the official form listed AED 630. In early October it was AED 465. Today one Visitor Pass costs AED 480 at the early bird price. This guide resets all of it, for visitors, exhibitors, startup founders and people who fly in for the show.
GITEX Global 2026
We start with the dates and the new location, then how to get there. After that come tickets and registration, what GITEX is, what is new this year, and each show inside it. We end with exhibiting, the mistakes to avoid and what is still not announced.
Every fact in this guide comes from the organiser's own pages: gitex.com, the official ticket page and the registration form. We read them on 13 and 15 September, 3 October and 11 October 2026, and read the ticket page again on 23 October 2026. Details have changed between those dates, so check the official page before you book. All prices are in UAE dirhams (AED).
Where to get your GITEX Global 2026 pass
Go to the official ticket page: visit.gitex.com. Press BUY NOW on the Visitor Pass card. That opens the form where you register and pay.
Here are the numbers to remember:
GITEX Global 2026 Dates
Let's start with the date, because many people are guessing the wrong month. GITEX Global 2026 will run from Monday 7 December to Friday 11 December 2026. It is not in September, and it is not in October.
Why the confusion? GITEX Global 2025 ran from 13 to 17 October 2025. This year the show has moved to December.
How many days is GITEX Dubai?
GITEX Dubai lasts five days in 2026. But the five days are not all the same. The first day is a conference, and the other four are the exhibition:
- Monday 7 December is The GITEX Summit. It is a one-day event for leaders.
- Tuesday 8 to Friday 11 December is the GITEX Global expo. These are the four days when the exhibition halls are open.
What is open on each day
Two shows close one day early. Expand North Star, the startup show, and LivX, the health show, run for three days, from 8 to 10 December:
So if you want to walk the exhibition, come from Tuesday. If startups or health technology are your reason to go, do not leave your visit until Friday.
The organiser has not published the daily opening hours, so we cannot give you the GITEX timing yet.
GITEX Global 2026 Location and Venue
Now for the biggest change. The GITEX Global 2026 location is the Dubai Exhibition Centre in Expo City Dubai. Expo City is in Dubai South.
This is a new venue for the show. Last year GITEX was at the Dubai World Trade Centre. If you go there on an expo day this year, you will be in the wrong place.
There is one detail to watch. The official ticket page puts the Summit at the old venue, in these exact words:
“"Excludes Certified Trainings, workshops and the Summit at the Dubai World Trade Centre"”
GITEX Global ticket page, visit.gitex.com, read 11 October 2026
The Summit passes on the ticket page say the same: 7 December at the Dubai World Trade Centre. So the Summit and the expo are in two different places. If you go to both, plan two different journeys.
Looking for a GITEX map? The floor plan for Expo City has not been published yet.
How to Get to GITEX Global 2026: Metro, Parking and Taxi
The good news is that the new venue has its own Metro station.
GITEX Metro station: Expo 2020 on the Red Line
The GITEX Metro station is Expo 2020, on the Red Line. The station is on the Expo City site itself. From Burj Khalifa / Dubai Mall station, the ride takes about 33 minutes:
That ride is 17 stops and costs AED 7.50 on a silver Nol card. A Nol card is the payment card for public transport in Dubai.
Be careful at the platform. Not every Red Line train goes to Expo 2020. Read the destination on the platform screen before you get on.
GITEX parking, taxi and shuttle bus
You can also come by road. Here is how the journey times compare:
- Parking. The venue has large car parks on the site and Park and Ride zones. The organiser has not published GITEX parking details or prices for the show days.
- Taxi. A taxi from central Dubai takes about 35 to 45 minutes. December is a busy month on Dubai roads, so leave extra time.
- Shuttle bus. No GITEX shuttle bus has been announced.
Which way should you travel?
Your best route depends on where you start. Find yourself below:
Booking GITEX hotels? A hotel near a Red Line station saves you a taxi twice a day.
GITEX Global 2026 Tickets and Registration
The main ticket on public sale is the Visitor Pass. It costs AED 480 until 25 October 2026, and the page shows AED 650, struck through, as the full price. All prices include 5% VAT.
The pass covers the four expo days. It includes exhibition access to GITEX Global, Expand North Star and LivX, and the free conferences at the venue.
The ticket page also lists other passes. Students aged 16 or over can apply for a Visitor Student Pass at AED 70 or a Student Delegate Pass at AED 300, subject to approval. Passes for workshops, conferences, the Summit and certified training cost from AED 600 to AED 10,000.
The price has already changed twice this year:
GITEX registration and buying a ticket are the same thing. You register on the form, and you pay there too:
- Open the official ticket page, [visit.gitex.com](https://visit.gitex.com/). You will see several passes. Find the Visitor Pass card and its price.
- Press BUY NOW on the Visitor Pass card. The registration form opens with the pass already selected.
- Fill in the form. It asks for your name, email, nationality, company and job title. It also asks if you need a visa invitation letter.
- Enter a promo code if you have one, and press APPLY. Then read the total.
- Tick the required boxes, submit and pay. One box confirms that you are 18 or older.
We did not submit the form, so we cannot describe the payment screen.
Three of our guides go deeper: GITEX Global 2026 tickets, GITEX Global 2026 registration and the GITEX Global 2026 free pass.
What Is GITEX Global?
GITEX Global is a technology trade show held in Dubai every year. A trade show is an exhibition for people who work in an industry. Companies show their products on stands, and visitors come to meet them.
What is GITEX's history? The show started in 1981 at the Dubai World Trade Centre as the Gulf Computer Exhibition. It took the name GITEX in 1988. The 2026 show is the 46th edition, and Dubai World Trade Centre is still the organiser.
The show is very large. These are the numbers the organiser expects for 2026:
Because it is a trade event, the GITEX exhibition is not a family day out. Visitors must be 18 or older, and the registration form asks for your company and job title. The only exception is the two student passes, for students aged 16 or over. The 2026 theme is "Bold New Frontiers".
GITEX Global Dubai is also several shows in one. This map shows what is inside it:
What Is New at GITEX Global 2026
Here is the heart of this guide. If you visited last year, compare what you remember with what is true now:
The passes changed too, and that happened only recently. We read the official registration form and ticket page on different dates, and they showed three different offers:
In under three weeks, the listed price fell by AED 165 and the free startup pass disappeared. By 23 October, the early bird price was AED 480, and student, delegate and Summit passes were listed too. What does that tell you? Advice about GITEX 2026 gets old fast. A friend's tip from September may already be wrong.
One more thing is new. The organiser and Dubai's Department of Economy and Tourism have launched TechCation, a programme that links the show to hotels and December events.
The next sections cover each show inside GITEX Global 2026, one by one.
GITEX RobotiX 2026
GITEX RobotiX is the robotics show. Here, robots are shown working live on the floor through the day. It runs on all four expo days, 8 to 11 December.
You will see robots for these jobs:
- Factories: manufacturing and automation.
- Services: healthcare, shops and hotels.
- Warehouses: moving and sorting goods.
- Transport: vehicles that drive themselves.
GITEX COMPUTEX 2026
GITEX COMPUTEX is the data centre show. A data centre is a building full of computers that store data and run online services. AI needs many of them, so this show has grown quickly.
The floor covers computing for AI, power supply, cooling and networks. Names on the show page include AWS, Google Cloud, Microsoft, Alibaba Cloud and Oracle.
GITEX New Energy 2026
GITEX New Energy is about electricity for the AI economy. The show's own page says data centre power demand is heading from 415 TWh to 945 TWh by 2030. TWh means terawatt-hours, a unit for very large amounts of electricity.
The main areas are small nuclear reactors, solar power, battery storage, wind and geothermal energy.
GITEX Quantum Expo 2026
GITEX Quantum Expo covers quantum technology. Quantum computers work in a different way from normal computers, and the field is still young. Real hardware will be on display, including quantum processors.
The show also covers quantum software, secure communications and sensors. The Advanced Quantum Conference runs beside it.
GITEX Cyber Valley 2026
GITEX Cyber Valley is the cybersecurity show. The organiser hosts it with the UAE Cyber Security Council, and its page lists more than 70 security brands.
The floor covers threat detection, identity security, cloud security, incident response and data privacy.
GITEX Move 2026
GITEX Move is the mobility show, which means technology for transport. A lot of it will happen outdoors, because Expo City has space for large live demonstrations.
It has four areas:
- Electric vehicles and charging.
- Self-driving vehicles and robotaxis.
- Small vehicles for city transport.
- Air taxis, also called eVTOL aircraft.
Expand North Star 2026: The GITEX Startup Show
Expand North Star is the startup and investor show at GITEX. Some people call it GITEX North Star. Its own site lists about 2,000 startups from more than 90 countries and more than 1,000 investors.
Remember its dates. It is shorter than the main show:
Are you a founder? The Expand North Star site has two buttons. PRE-REGISTER TO VISIT opens a form to register your interest. APPLY FOR FOUNDER'S PASS opens an application.
LivX by GITEX 2026
LivX by GITEX is the health and longevity show. Longevity means living longer in good health. LivX covers biotech, life sciences and technology for older people.
It runs from 8 to 10 December, and the Visitor Pass includes it. The programme includes the World Longevity Forum.
GITEX Global 2026 Exhibitors and Exhibiting
The organiser expects about 6,800 exhibitors at GITEX Global 2026. Looking for the GITEX exhibitor list? We did not find a full list for 2026 on the pages we read, so check gitex.com closer to the show.
Do you want a stand of your own? Here is how exhibiting works:
- Where to ask. Fill in the official Book a Stand form, or email the sales team at GitexSales@dwtc.com.
- What it costs. There is no public price list. The organiser quotes floor space per square metre.
- What to decide first. Choose your show and how much space you need. The sales team will ask for both.
Choose the show with care, because it decides which visitors walk past your stand. Sponsorship is handled separately, at gitexpartnerships@dwtc.com.
GITEX Global 2026: Three Things You Will Be Told
People who know GITEX well will give you advice. Much of it was true last year, or even last month.
"GITEX is in October at the World Trade Centre"
This was true in 2025. That show ran from 13 to 17 October 2025 at the Dubai World Trade Centre. In 2026 the expo is in December at Expo City Dubai.
"The startup show is free"
This was true on 15 September 2026, when the form listed a free Expand North Star pass. It is not on the form now. Entry to the startup show is part of the AED 480 Visitor Pass.
"One pass covers the whole week"
Not quite. The Visitor Pass covers the four expo days. It does not cover Monday's Summit, certified trainings or workshops. The Summit, All Access and Premium passes cover the Summit, from AED 3,000.
What Can Go Wrong on a GITEX Global 2026 Visit
Most problems this year come from using last year's plan. Here is what each mistake costs:
| Situation | What happens | What it costs | How to avoid it |
|---|---|---|---|
| You plan your trip for October | The show is on 7 to 11 December | Flights or leave on the wrong dates | Put the December dates in your calendar now |
| You go to the Dubai World Trade Centre on an expo day | The expo is at Expo City Dubai | A late start and a long ride | Travel to Expo 2020 Metro station |
| You come on Monday 7 December with a Visitor Pass | Only the Summit runs, and the pass excludes it | A wasted day | Come from Tuesday 8 December |
| You come on Friday for Expand North Star or LivX | Both shows end on Thursday 10 December | A wasted day | Visit between 8 and 10 December |
| You board the wrong Red Line train | Not every train goes to Expo 2020 | Extra time on the way | Read the platform screen first |
| You buy after 25 October 2026 | The early bird price ends. The page shows AED 650 as the full price | AED 170 more, if AED 650 applies | Buy early if you are sure you will go |
| You bring someone under 18 | Visitors must be 18 or older, or 16 with a student pass | They cannot come in without the right pass | Leave children at home |
A five-minute check before you book anything
Before you book flights, hotels or leave, do this quick check:
- Open gitex.com and read the dates at the top of the page.
- Open visit.gitex.com and read the price and the early bird date on the Visitor Pass card.
- Check that your Metro route ends at Expo 2020 station.
- If you want Expand North Star or LivX, mark 8 to 10 December.
If anything is different from this guide, trust the official page. It has changed before.
Plan your visit in three questions
These questions turn everything above into a plan:
GITEX Events Around the World
GITEX is not only a Dubai show. The organiser and its international company, Kaoun International, now run events in other countries. Each one has its own tickets, so a pass for Dubai does not work anywhere else.
Here are the 2026 events in date order:
Dubai is the only 2026 event still to come.
What Is Not Announced Yet for GITEX Global 2026
As of 11 October 2026, the organiser has not announced these things:
- Daily opening hours.
- The floor plan and which hall each show is in.
- The full agenda and speaker list.
- Badge collection and badge printing.
- Registration at the venue, and the refund policy.
FAQs
When and where is GITEX Global 2026?
GITEX Global 2026 will run from 7 to 11 December 2026. The four expo days, 8 to 11 December, are at the Dubai Exhibition Centre in Expo City Dubai.
Is GITEX free to attend?
No. There is no free visitor pass on the ticket page. The Visitor Pass costs AED 480 until 25 October 2026, and students aged 16 or over can apply for a Visitor Student Pass at AED 70. Our GITEX Global 2026 free pass guide explains the other routes.
Is GITEX Global open to the public?
It is a trade event. Anyone aged 18 or older can register, and students aged 16 or over can apply for a student pass. The form asks for a company name and a job title. Children cannot attend.
Is GITEX Shopper part of GITEX Global?
No. GITEX Shopper was a separate sale of consumer electronics. GITEX Global sells nothing at retail. Our GITEX Shopper guide explains where things stand for 2026.
How do speakers, delegates and journalists apply?
The organiser has separate enquiry forms for delegates, speakers and media on its website. The ticket page now lists paid passes for workshops, conferences and the Summit, from AED 300 to AED 10,000.
Sources and method13 sources from 8 publishers · last checked 13 September 2026
Official
- GITEX Global gitex.comofficial ticket pageBook a Stand formdelegate enquiry formspeaker formpress enquiry form
Reporting and other sources
- Expand North Star official site
- LivX by GITEX official site
- Dubai Exhibition Centre official site
- GITEX Africa GITEX Africa
- GITEX Africa GITEX AI Asia
- GITEX Africa GITEX AI Europe
- GITEX Africa GITEX Nigeria
