By Mohammed Rashad Hussain, Managing PartnerPublished 4 min read
What is the Sharjah light festival?
The Sharjah Light Festival turns landmarks into projection screens at night. Light shows play on mosques, forts, a waterfall and a dam, each with its own title and artwork. The festival’s own site calls the 2026 edition the 15th, and names the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority as organiser.
The shows are spread over the emirate, from Sharjah city to Al Dhaid in the interior and the east coast towns. That spread is the main planning problem. You choose an area, not the whole festival.
When is it, and what are the show times?
The 2027 dates were not announced when we checked on 17 October 2026. The 2026 edition is the best guide.
| Item | 2026 edition |
|---|---|
| Festival | 3 to 15 February |
| Light shows | Daily 6 pm to 11 pm, to midnight at weekends |
| Light Village | 29 January to 22 February |
| Light Village hours | Sunday to Wednesday 5 pm to midnight, Thursday to Saturday 5 pm to 1 am |
The Light Village is a ticketed area with food stalls and light installations. Khaleej Times reported adult entry at AED 20 and child entry at AED 10 in 2026. It ran into the first days of Ramadan that year.
Our Dubai and UAE events calendar updates when the organiser announces 2027.
Where are the 13 sites?
The official site lists these for 2026. Drive times are from Downtown Dubai in free-flowing traffic, as OSRM estimates.
| Area | Sites | From Downtown Dubai |
|---|---|---|
| Sharjah city | Sharjah Mosque, Al Majaz Waterfront, Aljada, House of Wisdom, Sharjah Fort, Dr. Sultan Al Qassimi Center | Al Majaz about 21 km, 23 min. Aljada about 30 km, 27 min |
| Al Hamriyah | General Souq | Not measured |
| Al Dhaid | Al Dhaid Fort | About 75 km, 57 min |
| Kalba | Kalba Waterfront, Hanging Gardens | About 127 km, 1 h 36 min |
| Khorfakkan | Al Rafisah Dam, Khorfakkan Waterfall | About 130 km, 1 h 37 min |
| Dibba | Al Tayari Mosque | About 146 km, 1 h 52 min |
Our guide to places to visit in Sharjah shows what else is nearby, and getting around Sharjah covers taxis, buses and the ferry from Dubai.
How do you get from Dubai to the city sites?
By road. Al Majaz Waterfront is about 21 km from Downtown Dubai. Aljada is 11 km further on, about 12 minutes from Al Majaz. Free-flow times hide the evening problem: roads between Dubai and Sharjah are busy at the end of the working day and again as the shows finish.
Plan to leave Dubai before 5 pm for a 6 pm start, or after the evening rush, and agree the pickup point before the last show. Taxis and ride apps stretch at closing time. A car with a driver by the hour stays with you and drives from site to site, and a chauffeur in Sharjah is available on request for your route.
How do you reach the east coast and Al Dhaid sites?
Treat these as a separate trip.
- Al Dhaid Fort: about 75 km from Downtown Dubai, an inland drive of roughly an hour.
- Kalba and Khorfakkan: the two towns are about 32 km apart. Each is about 1 h 40 min from Downtown Dubai.
- Dibba: about 146 km, nearly 2 hours.
From Sharjah city, Al Majaz to Khorfakkan is about 116 km. A full east coast night means leaving Dubai in the afternoon, watching one or two shows and driving back after 9 pm. Book a car for the whole evening instead of finding rides on a quiet coast road at midnight.
Similar day trips are in our guides to the Sheikh Zayed Festival and the Liwa Festival, and Sharjah’s other big venue is covered in getting to Expo Centre Sharjah.
A night plan for the city sites
An example, with times you can shift.
- 4:45 pm: collect from your Dubai hotel.
- 5:30 pm: reach Al Majaz Waterfront. Walk the waterfront before the 6 pm start.
- 7:00 pm: short drive to Sharjah Mosque or Sharjah Fort.
- 8:30 pm: dinner or the Light Village.
- 9:45 pm: return to Dubai, about 25 minutes in free traffic, longer at night.
For groups, the events service covers vans and larger vehicles, subject to availability through our partner network.
What to check before you go
Confirm the sites, because the list can change by edition. Check the weekend hours if you plan a late show, and check whether the Light Village needs a ticket on your date. Your driver can only wait where the site allows, so agree a pickup spot away from the main crowd. Our event day chauffeur checklist has a message to send.
Photos in this guide
Sharjah Fort (Al Hisn) covered in yellow and pink projected light during the Sharjah Light FestivalAkbarali / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
A building facade lit by a projection show at the Sharjah Light Festival, with a next-show board in frontAprilsenting / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Light beams over the Sharjah waterfront towers at night during the Sharjah Light FestivalShalika999 / Flickr, CC BY 2.0
