Oh man. Halloween is days away, and that means lots of Halloween-themed events everywhere.
But if the fright-fest isn’t your thing, no worries, I got your back. We have other happenings to look forward to, including a goats festival, a no-parents mountain hike in Fujairah, Design Week, the Fitness Challenge, and Diwali.
🐐 THIS WEEKEND: GLOWING GOATS, A HOGWARTS BATTLE AND A NO-PARENTS HIKE
Glowing Pygmy Goat Garden — Festival Land, Ajman. Festival Land Ajman has opened a glowing pygmy goat garden for AED 5 per person, adding an affordable evening attraction for families. Visit at sunset. Sat–Thu 11am–11pm, Fri 3pm–midnight, ages 1–10, under 3s free.
Battle of the Houses — Courtyard Playhouse, Dubai. Enjoy Theatresports as the Hogwarts houses go head-to-head in a whirlwind of improvised fun! Pick a house and heckle accordingly. Free. Sat Oct 31, 8pm, ages 10 and up.
Kids-only Hike — Fujairah Adventure Park. No wifi, no parents, licensed mountain guides. Oct 31–Nov 1, 6am–1:30pm, ages 8 and up, AED 300.
Little Pieces of Shazil — The Space, Dubai Production City. Art by an 18-year-old neurodivergent artist, with all proceeds going to People of Determination causes. The ticket includes light bites. Sun Nov 1, 3–6pm, ages 8 and up, from AED 55.
🎃 BOO! SATURDAY IS HALLOWEEN.
Toddlers (0–3)
Halloween Festival — Terra, Expo City Dubai. Costumes and a Magic Phil show. Oct 31–Nov 1, 10am–6pm, AED 50 (AED 75 with the show), free for ages 3 and under. Tickets
Little Monsters Eat Free — Circle Café, 8 Dubai branches. Come in costume, and a child’s meal is free with the purchase of an adult entrée meal. Oct 29–31, from noon, ages 1–10. Info
Ages 3–7
Free Magic Show and Face Painting — Magic Planet, Mirdif and Al Zahia. Free at both City Centres. Al Zahia is in Sharjah. Sat Oct 31, 5–9pm, ages 3–8. Info
Halloween Storytime — Kinokuniya, Dubai Mall. Limited seats, so RSVP by email. Thu Oct 29, 5pm, ages 4–6. RSVP at [email protected]
Spooky Pizza-Making — Osteria Mario, Dubai Hills, JVC and Festival City. Kids make their own pizza and get face paint and a spooky milkshake, children only. Oct 30–Nov 1, from 5:30pm, ages 4–10, AED 129. Info
Harvest Trick or Treat — Harvest Café, Deira. Cupcake making, crafts, and a goodie bag. Sat Oct 31, 2–5pm, ages 15 and under, AED 79. Register
Spooky Night — Marsana East Beach, Abu Dhabi. Pumpkin painting, trick-or-treating and stories on the sand. Sat Oct 31, 5–9pm, ages 3–10, AED 25 kids and AED 50 adults. Info
Ages 7–12
Kids by Spartan — The Sevens Stadium, Dubai. The kids' event is sold out, but you can still participate as a family. Sat Oct 31, from 9am. Tickets
Halloween Carnival — Black Bunny, Al Quoz. Get a Spooky Passport to stamp all week, then enjoy a parade, slime lab, and scavenger hunt on the big day. Oct 27-31, AED 299. Info
Twilight Spectacle — House of Hype, Dubai Mall
Trick-or-treat through the venue, then follow the music to a parade with giant creatures. Costume competitions run at 2, 4 and 6pm from Oct 30.
Through Nov 1, from AED 149. Tickets
Costume Contest — Adventure Parx, Al Safa. The three best-dressed kiddos win a free week of play. Oct 31. Info
Spooky Sea-son — SeaWorld Abu Dhabi. Till Nov 1, from AED 375, under 3s free. Info
Teens (13+)
Ghost Mode — 961 Bey, World Trade Centre, Dubai. A Halloween party for teens too old for trick-or-treating. Fri Oct 30, 7–10:30pm, ages 14–18, AED 100 cash. More.
Bounce Unfiltered Halloween Edition — Bounce Inc, Dubai. Four hours of trampolines after dark, pizza included. Sat Oct 31, 8pm–12am, ages 12 and up, early bird AED 50. More.
Fright Nights IX — Motiongate, Dubai Parks. The scare-actor event for teens who want to be properly frightened. Not for young kids. Through Nov 8, ages 13 and up. More.
🏃 DUBAI FITNESS CHALLENGE
What is it? For the whole family: Join the city in taking on 30 minutes of activity each day for 30 days, from 31 October to 29 November.
Other highlights:
Dubai Ride: Sun Nov 1, ages 6 and up.
Stand-Up Paddle: Hatta Dam, Nov 7–8.
Dubai Run: Sun Nov 22.
Dubai Yoga: Sun Nov 29.
And More
🧢 MORE TEENS AND TWEENS
Wildwood — Cinemas across the UAE. Laika, the Coraline studio, goes darker: two kids enter a hidden forest to rescue a baby brother from crows. From Thu Oct 29, It’s PG15.
FNDM 2026 — Dubai Outlet Mall. Celebrate the best of anime, comics, art, cosplay, TV, gaming, TCG, and K-pop—all in one place! And if you’re in the crowd when a song comes on unexpectedly, be ready to jump in and show off your choreography. Join the fun Oct 31–Nov 1.
Korean Culture Festival — B1 Mall, Al Barsha. K-pop, food, calligraphy and beauty. A little further ahead. Nov 6–8, 10am–10pm, ages 10–17, free.
WrestleFest: Once Upon a Slam — The Fridge, Dubai. An interactive wrestling improv theatre experience where kids help create the story and professional wrestlers bring it to life.
📅 PLANNING AHEAD
Cat in the Hat VOX Fun Run, Mall of the Emirates: Sat Nov 7, free with a film ticket, ages 3–10. Register
Diwali — Global Village, Dubai: A Baithak music night Fri Nov 6, family games Saturday, and a 600-drone show Sun Nov 8 at 8pm. Nov 6–10, ages 5 and up. Info
The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Meyana Theatre: Tue Nov 10, 4pm, ages 1 and up. Tickets
Noor: Festival of Lights — Souk Al Seef, Dubai A Diwali procession, live music and dance by the creek. Nov 7–8, from 6pm, free, register first, ages 4 and up. Info
Children's Biennale, Umm Al Emarat Park, Abu Dhabi: Nov 6–Dec 6, free, ages 3–12. More
Sharjah International Book Fair, Expo Centre: Nov 4–15. Info
Mumu Family National Day Party, Dubai Hills Mall: Sat Nov 28, from 4pm, ages 2–8. Info
MOTN Festival, Al Ain, Al Dhafra and Abu Dhabi: Nov 28–Jan 3. Info
🎨 DUBAI DESIGN WEEK
November 3-8 at Design District. Tons of things to do, especially for older kids, including Paper in Motion: a kirigami workshop, Dubai, Imagined by Children: a workshop where kids redesign the city, Ceramics by Young Creators: an exhibition by Al Jalila Cultural Centre for Children, Peek, Pivot, Play! by Arquitectonica: a playful structure to move around, Stop Motion Animation: learning the basics of stop motion by creating a short animation using smartphones and simple craft materials, Paper Mâché Sculpture: a hands-on workshop. And there’s lots more. Check it out.
Spoilt for choice, I say.
🧾 ETCETERA
Kids get 50% off Etihad Rail, and under-2s ride free. Info
Arte Museum has up to 50% off, but it's closed Nov 6–15. Tickets
Emirates Park Zoo: buy 2 spooky tickets, get the third free, Oct 30–Nov 1. Book
Brick Borrow in DIP1 lends LEGO from AED 69. Info
Riverland has a Scare Zone, AED 30 at the gate. More
Yazzar Café in Hatta has horses at the windows.
WEN Kids City — Dragon Mart 2, Dubai. All-day play: AED 30; parents enter free. ages 2–10.
Free Cinema — Manarat Al Saadiyat, Abu Dhabi. Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, October 31 at 11am, and a Mystery movie at 1pm. Free, ages 8 and up. More
Orange Wheels — Rimal 5, JBR. Now open. Supervised indoor play on the plaza level, the brand's newest branch.
Longbeach Campground — Al Nadiyah, Ras Al Khaimah. The luxury family glamping getaway is open again.
That's your week. If I may so, it’s a good one.
— Parves
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