Dubai keeps finding new ways to honour the falcon, but this one is a first. The emirate has approved the Dubai Falcon Market, billed as the first fully integrated, specialised market of its kind anywhere in the region. If you keep a bird, train one, or just want to understand why the falcon turns up on the national emblem and the coins, this is for you.
Here’s what we know so far.
What Is The Dubai Falcon Market?
“Dubai Falcon Market” is among the new development projects and initiatives by Dubai Municipality approved by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, and Chairman of The Executive Council… pic.twitter.com/f0XlnzPA1R
— بلدية دبي | Dubai Municipality (@DMunicipality) June 25, 2026
It’s a dedicated home for everything related to falconry, all under one roof. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, approved it on 25 June 2026. Dubai Municipality is developing this project as part of a package of new initiatives under the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan.
Falconry has been part of life here for centuries, from Bedouin hunting trips at dawn to a sport that UNESCO now lists as intangible cultural heritage. Until now, there hasn’t been a single purpose-built market that brings the whole community together. The trade, the care, and the public into one place. That’s the gap this fills. The design takes its cue from the bird itself. The architects modelled the architecture on a falcon’s outstretched wings to convey strength and movement. So it’s not a shed full of stalls. It’s a building that looks like the thing it celebrates.
Dubai Falcon Market: Details At A Glance
- Project: Dubai Falcon Market, the region’s first integrated and specialised falcon market
- Approved by: Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai
- Announced: 25 June 2026
- Size: Around 50,000 square feet
- Estimated cost: AED 50 million
- Design concept: Architecture inspired by a falcon’s wings
- Behind it: Dubai Municipality, under the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan
What’s Inside Dubai Falcon Market?
The developers designed the market to cover every aspect of owning and caring for a falcon, not just shopping. Confirmed features include:
- Specialised retail outlets for falcons and related supplies. Think of the gear falconers actually use: hoods, gloves, lures, anklets, and the rest.
- A fully integrated veterinary clinic, so owners can have their birds checked and treated on site rather than travelling elsewhere.
- Spaces for cultural and heritage events and activities, which are where the public comes in. Expect this to be the part that draws curious residents and visitors, not just the falconry crowd.
- A range of visitor services and experiences, set within one connected urban environment rather than scattered across separate buildings.
If you’ve been to the Falcon Heritage and Sports Centre, you’ll recognise the DNA here: the trading souq, the clinic, the heritage displays. The difference is scale and intent. They are designing this destination from scratch
The Two Projects Announced Alongside It
As part of our efforts to enhance quality of life and urban services across the emirate, I have approved a new package of Dubai Municipality projects. These projects include the 'Dubai Falcon Market', the first of its kind in the region, celebrating our heritage with a… pic.twitter.com/GlmKvhJHbB
— Hamdan bin Mohammed (@HamdanMohammed) June 25, 2026
- Dubai Creek Lighting project: An integrated lighting system running roughly 8 kilometres along the historic Creek. It will cover promenades, heritage markets, building façades, and walkways. The aim is to turn the Creek into a proper night-time destination. They are targeting completion in the first quarter of 2027.
- The world’s first AI-Powered Park Design Challenge: Exactly what it sounds like. Dubai wants the public, students, researchers, and startups. And designers to help design a park using AI and data, with winners picked by a panel of international designers and senior Dubai officials.
Dubai Municipality also confirmed a separate collaboration with Japanese architect Kengo Kuma on a new Reservoir Park, his first park project in the city.
WOW Emirates Expert Tip: No location or opening date has been announced for the Dubai Falcon Market yet. If you want to get a feel for what it’ll cover before then, the Falcon Heritage and Sports Centre near Nad Al Sheba is open now. Free to enter, and gives you the souq-and-clinic experience the new market is scaling up. Good way to bring the kids along for an afternoon.
When Does It Open?
Here’s the honest answer: we don’t know yet. The project and the concept are set. But Dubai Municipality hasn’t released a location, a construction timeline, or an opening date for the Falcon Market specifically. The Creek Lighting project beside it is targeting Q1 2027, which gives you a rough sense of the wider rollout, but treat that as context, not a promise to the market itself.
We’ll update this piece the moment a date or location lands.
FAQs
It’s the region’s first fully integrated and specialised falcon market, approved by Dubai Municipality in June 2026. It will bring Falcon Retail, a veterinary clinic, heritage event spaces, and visitor experiences together in one purpose-built location.
There is no confirmed date yet. We’ll update this article once a date is announced.
The project covers roughly 50,000 square feet and is estimated to cost around AED 50 million.
Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, approved it on 25 June 2026 as part of a wider set of Dubai Municipality projects.
Two other projects: the Dubai Creek Lighting project, an 8-kilometre lighting scheme along the Creek targeted for Q1 2027, and the world’s first AI-Powered Park Design Challenge. Dubai also confirmed the design of a Reservoir Park by architect Kengo Kuma.
Yes. The Falcon Heritage and Sports Centre is open. It includes a falcon trading souq, a veterinary clinic, and heritage exhibits, so it’s the closest thing to the experience.
Images: Official websites
Also Read: A Slice Of Venice Is Coming To J1 Beach: Cipriani Beach Club Opening in 2027
