Ski Dubai 2026: Winter Wonderland Santa Packages, Prices and What’s New

Ski Dubai is the one place in the city where a white Christmas is guaranteed, and from 1 to 25 December 2026 it turns into Winter Wonderland, with Santa in his snowy village and a sleigh-load of new festive extras. Santa packages start from AED 140 and advance tickets go on sale on 9 November, so here is everything you need to plan the visit, plus the year-round Ski Dubai basics for when the tinsel comes down.

Ski Dubai Winter Wonderland 2026 at a glance

Winter Wonderland runs at Ski Dubai, Mall of the Emirates, from 1 to 25 December 2026. Meet Santa packages start from AED 140 and include hot chocolate, a goodie bag, a printed photo, fleece gloves and the new Festive Passport. Family tickets for four start from AED 550 and Breakfast with Santa runs 11-25 December at 8am.

• When: 1-25 December 2026
• Where: Ski Dubai, Mall of the Emirates, Al Barsha
• Prices: from AED 140 per person, or from AED 550 for a family of four
• Tickets: advance sales open 9 November at skidxb.com
• Early savings: book online by 30 November for visits between 1 and 11 December

What’s new at Winter Wonderland this year

Any mall can wheel out a tree and a Santa. Ski Dubai has the actual snow, and this year it has added a proper trail of things to do between the grotto and the hot chocolate.

• Festive Passport: a limited-edition passport that sends you round seven stops collecting stamps, with a gift at the end while stocks last. Another good reason to go early in the month.
• Festive Tunnel: the new entrance, designed to make the walk in feel like an arrival rather than a queue.
• Dress the Snowman: a hands-on station where children get to style a snowman however they like.
• LEGO Photo Pop-Up: mix and match festive pieces to build a life-sized LEGO Minifigure (think Santa hats, reindeer bodies and gingerbread legs), pose with your creation and take home a Minifigure mask.
• Snow Games: interactive family challenges at the entrance to Santa Village.
• AR filters: festive TikTok and Snapchat filters, plus a Snapchat game, for the inevitable stories.
• Medcare photobooth: the official Health Partner adds goodies to the goodie bags and runs a photobooth with prints to take home.
• Winter Wonderland website: follow Santa’s journey, meet his elves, reindeer and penguin helpers, play online games and open a digital Advent calendar with prizes.

Ski Dubai Winter Wonderland packages and prices

Package	Price	What's included	Good to know
Meet Santa	From AED 140	Meet-and-greet with Santa, hot chocolate, goodie bag, printed photo, fleece gloves, Festive Passport	Early savings when booked online by 30 November for 1-11 December visits
Family Meets Santa	From AED 550 for 4	Meet-and-greet, hot chocolate, goodie bags, printed group photo, fleece gloves, Festive Passport	No Snow Park access
Breakfast with Santa	AED 80 (aged 2 and under), AED 150 (aged 3+)	Festive breakfast at North 28, meet-and-greet, goodie bag, printed group photo	11-25 December only, 8am
Meet Santa & Snow Park	AED 295	Meet Santa inclusions plus snow park rides and attractions	The best all-rounder for kids
Meet Santa & Snow Daycation (new)	AED 375	Meet-and-greet, hot chocolate, goodie bag, printed photo, fleece gloves, snow park rides plus one activity: penguin encounter, Snow Bullet zipline, slope access or a ski or snowboard discovery lesson	New for 2026

Which package should you book?

Do the maths and the family ticket works out at AED 137.50 a head, a whisker under the single Meet Santa price. The catch is that it doesn’t include the Snow Park, and once children see the toboggan runs through the glass, good luck leaving. If rides are non-negotiable, Meet Santa & Snow Park at AED 295 is the sensible middle ground.

The new Snow Daycation costs AED 80 more and adds one headline activity. Animal-mad kids will want the penguin encounter, older ones the zipline, and if anyone has been threatening to learn to ski, the discovery lesson is a low-stakes first go. Breakfast with Santa is the calmer option for little ones who do better before the crowds arrive.

💡 WOW Expert Tip: Book online by 30 November and visit between 1 and 11 December for the early savings, ideally on a weekday. Ski Dubai asks you to arrive 40 minutes before your Santa slot, and it is worth doing: getting a family into snow suits takes longer than you think, and past visitors have reported queues at the start of each slot.

Making a full festive season of it? Our guides to Christmas events for kids in Dubai and Christmas tree lighting ceremonies have plenty more to fill December.

About Ski Dubai

Real snow in the middle of the desert still feels slightly ridiculous, which is exactly why it works. Ski Dubai covers 22,500 square metres inside Mall of the Emirates, with five slopes of varying difficulty (including a black run), a freestyle zone, a snow park and a resident colony of penguins.

It suits complete beginners and confident skiers alike. Non-skiers get toboggan runs, a giant zorb ball, a chairlift and the Snow Bullet zipline, while lessons cover everyone from first-timers to people dusting off their technique before a trip to the Alps.

Ski Dubai tickets, timings and what’s included

Outside the Santa packages, general admission starts from AED 250 (checked November 2026). The passes stack up roughly like this:

• Snow Classic: full-day Snow Park access with one chairlift ride and one Mountain Thriller ride
• Snow Plus: unlimited chairlift and Mountain Thriller rides, a locker and either two hours on the slopes or two Snow Bullet rides
• Snow Premium: unlimited Snow Park, a penguin encounter, hot chocolate, a locker and either a slope pass or a one-hour beginner lesson

Inclusions shift slightly depending on where you buy, so check the small print before you pay. Jackets, trousers, boots, socks and helmets are provided, but hats are not, so bring your own beanie.

• Monday to Thursday: 10am-11pm (last ticket 9.30pm)
• Friday: 10am-midnight (last ticket 10.30pm)
• Saturday and Sunday: 9am-midnight (last ticket 10.30pm)
• Book: Ski Dubai tickets on Platinumlist

The best time to visit Ski Dubai

The snow is the same in August as it is in January, so the real question is crowds. Weekday mornings are the quietest, while weekends and school holidays get busy, especially from mid-afternoon. December is peak season thanks to Winter Wonderland, so book ahead and aim early in the day. In summer, Ski Dubai is one of the city’s best escapes from the heat; in winter, it’s the one place you can actually see your breath.

Who can go to Ski Dubai?

Ski Dubai doesn’t allow children under two into the snow, and children aged two to 14 need adult supervision. Beyond that, it works for most ages: toddlers love the sledging, teens head straight for the zipline and grandparents can sit it out with a hot chocolate.

💡 WOW Expert Tip: It’s properly cold in there, and the rented suits don’t cover heads or hands for long. Pack a beanie, thick socks and a warm layer for underneath, and keep the visit to two or three hours with small children. Cold, tired toddlers and Santa photos are not a winning combination.

How to get to Ski Dubai

Ski Dubai is inside Mall of the Emirates on Sheikh Zayed Road in Al Barsha. The easiest route is the Red Line metro to Mall of the Emirates station, which links straight into the mall. Driving is fine too, though the car parks fill up fast on December weekends.

The Ice Warrior Challenge at Ski Dubai

If skiing and penguins are the easy days at Ski Dubai, this is the hard one. Run with the Dubai Sports Council, the Ice Warrior Challenge is an obstacle race on snow with more than 20 obstacles, from rope walls and ice pools to monkey bars and net crawls. The 17th edition took place on 20 September 2026, with Elite, Individual and Team categories priced from AED 200 to AED 280, open to all genders aged 15 to 60.

It has been running since 2010 and usually lands in September, so if this year’s photos have you itching to sign up, watch for 2027 registration in late summer.

The bottom line

Ski Dubai has always been the kind of place that makes you think, wait, are we really doing this in Dubai? In December, the answer gets even sillier and more wonderful: real snow, real Santa and a LEGO reindeer of your own making. Book early, wrap up warm and pair it with a Christmas Day brunch for a proper festive double. If you’d like to compare options first, here’s where else you can celebrate a white Christmas in Dubai.

Frequently Asked Questions