Under a sea of twinkling lights, children frolic in snow and penguins waddle around a marching band of Candy Cane men playing festive tunes as families wait in line to meet Santa – but this is not Lapland, it’s scorching hot Dubai.
Christmas has become somewhat of a spectacle in the Emirate where Islam is the main religion, with extravagant markets, carol singing shows, and their own rendition of Winter Wonderland that dwarfs the original in London.
Another popular event is the Winter Festival at Expo City which drew nearly 170,000 visitors throughout December last year, where it’s a balmy 24°C.
From the start of the month, the futuristic urban district is transformed into a fully immersive Christmas dreamscape, featuring giant blinged up trees, impressive light displays, character meet and greets, an indoor food market serving a mixture of British and global cuisines and a Disney+ cinema screening classic Yuletide flicks.
The Winter District at Jumeirah Emirates Towers, where children can run around as their parents enjoy a tipple in the bar lounge, is also a hotspot.
Global Village – a bustling epicentre of culture with pavilions showcasing every country’s traditions, food and holidays – can attribute much of its record breaking 10.5million footfall last season to the Christmas period with people piling in to get a taste of how it’s celebrated across the globe.
The busiest Christmas markets look as if they could be seen from outer space, making London Southbank’s offerings look like a village primary school’s fete.
Madinat Jumeirah Festive and Dubai Festival City Mall’s markets draw the biggest crowds, with videos on social media showing people touching shoulders as they shuffle through busy streets lined with stalls selling pigs in blankets and steaming cups of fragrant mulled wine.
Under a sea of twinkling lights, children frolic in snow and penguins waddle around a marching band of Candy Cane men playing festive tunes
Christmas has become somewhat of a spectacle in the Emirate where Islam is the main religion, with extravagant markets, carol singing shows, and their own rendition of Winter Wonderland
Children are pictured playing in a snow patch at a Christmas market in Souk Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai
Elsewhere, people can try ice skating, walk around magical gardens preened for Christmas, or watch mind-blowing firework and drone shows.
Considering an estimated quarter of a million Brits have uprooted and moved to Dubai – where December is peak tourism season, with an annual average of five million travellers flying in – Christmas is an obvious market to tap into for the entrepreneurial elites in charge of making the city look lavish on the World stage.
Amongst the Brits flocking there for a tax-free life are hoards of flashy influencers – some of which have faced backlash from Muslims over their Christmas celebrations.
Safa Siddiqui, who was born and raised in London to Iraqi parents but now stars in hit Netflix reality show Dubai Bling which follows the city’s wealthiest influencers, was bombarded with hate comments under an innocent photo reel she posted of her family enjoying the festive season.
‘So sad seeing Muslims celebrating Christmas and in and Arab country. If it was in the West at least we could say it’s social pressure, but in Dubai, Subhanallah [Glory be to Allah], what is the excuse?’, one sneered.
Another took a particularly condescending tone, writing: ‘Safa, so sad my dear Sister, this is Shirk [a sin]. I realise you’re not the traditional practising Muslims, but please save yourself and your beautiful family from this one unforgiveable action.’
Others belittled Safa, 35, with prayers she didn’t ask for or sarcastic comments about Christians and Catholics celebrating Eid – but the glamourous reality star gracefully took the highroad and ignored them all.
Over on TikTok, they leave bemoaning comments under sweet videos of the Christmas market scenes visitors have posted, calling them ‘invaders’ and reminding them it is a Muslim country.
Safa, 35, (pictured) was belittled by some social media users – with prayers she didn’t ask for and sarcastic comments about Christians and Catholics celebrating Eid
Ms Siddiqui was born and raised in London to Iraqi parents but now stars in hit Netflix reality show Dubai Bling. She is pictured here celebrating Christmas with British former professional boxer Amir Khan and his wife Faryal Makhdoom
Even Emirates Airline’s annual animated Christmas greeting video managed to get under their skin.
This year, they teamed up with long-time collaborators 100.pixel whose digital artists reimagined its flagship superjumbo jet into the ‘Sleigh380’, adding a Rudolph nose, antlers and reigns attached to a huge Santa’s sled full of gifts trailing behind.
Amongst comments wrongly accusing the airline of using AI to create the jolly clip of the jet taking off, again you find angry remarks fuelled by religious differences.
One declared that the world’s largest long haul airline, as well as the largest airline in the Middle East, had now ‘lost credibility’ over the fun video.
‘Tolerance is allowed but don’t celebrate, Qatar Airways is better,’ another said, whilst many simply wrote: ‘Astaghfirullah’ – an Arabic phrase which translates to ‘I seek forgiveness from Allah’ but is often used as slang to express shock or disapproval.
However, not everyone in the comments was such a Scrooge, as one said: ‘Is UAE too serious for Christmas? Think again. Even Santa’s flying Emirates!’
Apart from having to brush off these cruel jabs from closed-minded people, some Brits in Dubai still struggle to adjust to their new Christmas traditions in the desert.
Expat and lifestyle blogger Sarah Osman, who boasts over 22.3k followers on Instagram, uploaded a video explaining how ‘very bizarre’ the experience has been for her and her family.
A Christian Dior Christmas tree is pictured at the Dubai Mall as onlookers look up at the towering structure in awe
The iconic Burj Al Arab luxury hotel can be seen in the backdrop of a festive riverside Christmas scene
A magnificent golden Christmas tree – standing at 20 metres tall – lights up Dubai’s exhibition and trade centre
She said whilst she was ‘having an amazing time, in an amazing place, with all the glitz and glam, there are always people missing around the table’.
The influencer missed the little things that come hand-in-hand with a Christmas spent at home in Britain.
‘I miss boardgames around the table, the arguments, laughs and tears,’ she said solemnly into the camera, adding: ‘It’s just a very bittersweet feeling, so sending lots of love to the expats out there whose families are living overseas.’
Her comment section was filled with people who felt similarly or parents whose children told them Christmas isn’t the same in Dubai.
‘Couldn’t agree more! I’m so lucky we get to live here and enjoy all Dubai has to offer, but there’s nowhere quite like home at Christmas time,’ one said.
Another commented: ‘It’s our first Christmas in Dubai and I completely agree. It’s a very weird feeling!’
Meanwhile, others are embracing the hybrid festivities as their new normal and are convinced Dubai does it better.
One expat living out there told the Mail: ‘I wouldn’t want to have Christmas anywhere else because Dubai does it so well!
From the start of the month, the futuristic urban district is transformed into a fully immersive Christmas dreamscape. A popular event is the Winter Festival at Expo City (pictured) which drew nearly 170,000 visitors throughout December last year, where it’s a balmy 24°C
The Winter District at Jumeirah Emirates Towers, where children can run around as their parents enjoy a tipple in the bar lounge, is also a hotspot
One expat told the Mail that similarly to the UK, the Christmas season in Dubai ‘is just an excuse for excessive consumerism’
‘It’s really well celebrated here, there’s a tree in every hotel, mall, and in most restaurants.
‘They love to go over the top and have insane displays in the malls especially, like the gingerbread Christmas tree.
‘There are also pantomimes held every year too that are actually super popular among the expats too.’
She explained how, similarly to the UK, the Christmas season in Dubai ‘is just an excuse for excessive consumerism’, with a lot of the biggest displays and decorations emblazoned with branding from sponsors such as Sephora or high-end designers like Christian Dior.
‘All the shops are full of Christmas-themed winter attire despite it being like 25 degrees. Basically it’s super Westernised – you’ll find everything here,’ she added.
One budding influencer, who moved over from the UK at the start of December with her husband posted a TikTok video declaring that they hadn’t been feeling the festive spirit before, but Dubai has made them feel ‘so Christmassy’.
After attending the Carols by Candlelight show, she said: ‘That was honestly just like a Christmas show in the UK but ten times better.
‘Obviously in this country, not everyone here celebrates it, but everyone is kind of celebrating the festive period everywhere you go.
‘People say it’s soulless but it’s really not, we are already excited for next year. We are going to get a big tree and our families are going to come out.’
Brits thinking of holidaying in Dubai for the festive season or considering moving over don’t need to worry about missing out on Christmas dinner around a table with friends.
Hotels and restaurants happily cash in by serving traditional roast dinner buffets around dressed up tables which expats scramble to book.
