Desperate for a night where the bill comes to Dhs0?
Sometimes you have to give the bank account a little break and feel the satisfaction of not having to fork out on the weekend.
But don’t worry – a free Saturday night by no means has to be boring.
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If you thought the only option was staying at home with the TV, you couldn’t be more wrong. There are incredible free activities in Dubai that won’t cost you anything.
So if this Saturday needs to be a cheap one, check out our top picks below.
Free activities to do in Dubai on a Saturday night
Spend the evening at Alserkal Avenue
There is a great range of free activities you can do at Alserkal, from viewing art to window shopping, and occasionally you can even catch a free film at the Akil cinema – but make sure you check its website first.
The art is endless if you’re in the mood to get lost in it, and make sure to stop in at the Mestaria and Zawyeh galleries if you can.
Open daily, 10am-7pm (individual store timings vary). 17th Street, Al Quoz, alserkal.online (04 333 3464).
Watch the fish at Dubai Aquarium
Located in Dubai Mall, take a browse around the stores with a route that will leads you to the aquarium.
Although you have to pay to go inside, you can still see a huge section of the tank from outside, for free. Let yourself be mesmerised by the different creatures without paying for the full experience.
From reef sharks to stingrays and endless species of fish, take a few photos and watch the underwater magic unfold.
Mon-Thurs, 10am-midnight, Fri-Sun 10am-1am, Dubai Mall, Downtown Dubai, thedubaimall.com (800 3822 462 55).
Watch in awe at the Dubai Fountain Show
There aren’t many places in the world you can see a show like this for free. Running every 30 minutes from 6pm, secure yourself a spot on one of the bridges for a front row seat to this water show spectacle.
Look on as Burj Khalia lights up with a range of colours and images and the water jets reach world-record-breaking heights. It’s quite a show!
Daily from 6pm. Burj Khalifa, Downtown Dubai.
Get thinking at the Foundry Art Space
The art space offers you an entire evening of activities that you don’t need to spend a penny on. From thought-provoking open exhibitions to talks and film screenings, there are even cool elevated pods to curl up in with a good book.
The displays change on a monthly rotation, so you can head along every few weeks if you want to see something different.
Open daily, 10am-10pm. Boulevard Crescent, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Blvd, Downtown Dubai, foundry-downtowndubai.ae (04 367 3696).
Stand under the Al Wasl Plaza projection show at Expo City
You’ll have surely seen this incredible dome on Instagram, but if you haven’t witnessed it in person yet, this is your chance.
The huge steel structure has the largest 360-degree projection surface in the world, and runs a light show every day from sunset until midnight.
Take a stroll underneath swirling shapes and lights, take a few photos and enjoy the magic.
Open daily, show runs from 5pm-midnight. Al Wasl Plaza, Expo City Dubai, expocitydubai.com (04 555 2030).
Sign up for a free gym trial
If you want Saturday to be all about sweating it out, sign up for a range of free gym and class trials across Dubai. For all of the ladies, boutique gym FitnGlam offers a free trial session, where you can test out both the facilities and a class at any of its three locations. Or if boxing might be more your thing, schedule in a session and head to BoxIQ in Al Quoz.
Check out our full guide on free fitness classes in Dubai for more.
FitnGlam, open Mon-Fri, 6am-11pm, Sat-Sun, 7am-10pm. Various locations, fitnglam.ae (04 333 2215).
BoxIQ, open Mon-Thurs, 6am-9pm, Fri, 6am-7pm, Sat-Sun 9am-5pm. BoxIQ, Level M, Al Joud Centre, Al Quoz, boxiq.me (058 563 6123).
Explore the Gold Souk at night
Wander through the traditional old souk on a Saturday night and watch as the vendors try to sell you their latest fineries.
You don’t need to haggle for a bargain to enjoy the experience, instead make the most of browsing each stall without the pressure of having to find anything.
If you find a few spare dirhams in your pocket, there’s also the option to end the evening with a Dhs2 abra ride along the canal before heading home.
Open daily, 9am-9pm. Deira, Al Ras.
Take a drive to Love Lake
The ultimate romantic spot, the two intertwined hearts are a beautiful sight at sunset, so why not take a drive out in the early evening. Take a picnic with you to make the most of this nature-filled moment. The area is home to over 100 different species of animals, flowers and plants, so grab a pair of binoculars if you fancy a little wildlife immersion too.
Not costing you a thing, enjoy the man-made beauty spot by heading out along the D63 route and turning right onto the road for Al Qudra Lakes.
Al Qudra.
Turn some pages at Mohammed bin Rashid Library
Sometimes it’s a treat to have a quieter Saturday evening, but you don’t have to be at home to do it. If you want to slow down the pace, why not spend a few hours browsing the books at Mohammed bin Rashid Library. Spread over seven floors, there’s over 1 million books waiting to be flicked through, from atlases and religious manuscripts to poetry and literature.
Once you’re done exploring, sit down, flick through a few pages and watch the evening disappear as you get lost in a story.
While entry is free, you do have to book a timed entry slot before your visit.
Free. Mon-Thurs, 9am-9pm, Fri, 2pm-9pm, Sat, 9am-9pm, Sun, closed. Al Jaddaf, mbrl.ae (04 222 2025).
Night swimming at Kite Beach
The beach is open after dark, and is completely free if you want to head down and take a dip. Floodlit by large lamps letting swimmers head out safely, you float underneath the moon and enjoy the warm waters for the evening.
If you want to make a night of it, why not head down before sunset bringing a picnic from home, then watch sun dip behind Burj Al Arab before having a star-lit swim.
Daily, from sunset-sunrise. Jumeirah 2, Jumeirah 3 and Umm Suqeim 1.
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