New Year's Eve in Dubai: road closures, Metro hours and where your driver can meet you

Which Dubai roads close on New Year’s Eve, and when?

The 2026 plan is not out yet. The RTA and Dubai Police publish it in late December, and this page is updated then. The 2025 plan shows the pattern:

Time	What closed
From 4pm	Al Asayel Street, Mohammed bin Rashid Boulevard, Burj Khalifa Street, Lower and Upper Financial Centre Roads, Al Mustaqbal Street
From 8pm	Al Sukook Street
From 11pm	Sheikh Zayed Road, closing gradually

Pedestrian bridges and lifts across Dubai Creek also closed from 4pm. Treat this as a guide, not a promise for 2026.

Is the Metro running all night?

In 2025 the Red and Green Lines ran without a break from 5am on 31 December until about midnight on 1 January. Reports differ slightly on the end time. The tram ran from 6am to 1am. Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall station was set to close to arrivals from the evening, or when full.

For a station-by-station look at the line, read our Dubai Metro guide.

Can a car get you to Burj Khalifa on New Year’s Eve?

No. By early evening the streets around Burj Khalifa and Dubai Mall are closed to vehicles. A car stops at the edge of the zone, and you walk. Ask how far the walk is before you accept a drop-off point.

Where should your driver drop you and pick you up?

Pick a point that stays open, with a clear road out:

• Drop-off: outside the closure zone, for example a hotel on the Business Bay side, with a short walk in.
• Pickup: a different point from the drop-off if the first is on a road that closes late.
• Avoid: Sheikh Zayed Road, which closes from 11pm, and the Boulevard.

Assure sends the pin by WhatsApp and stays on the phone with you after midnight. Our New Year’s Eve chauffeur page explains how bookings for the night work. Compare the viewing options in our guide to New Year’s Eve fireworks by car.

How long after midnight do the roads reopen?

Closures lift in stages once the crowd disperses, and the zone around Burj Khalifa clears last. Allow two hours or more to leave Downtown by car. Plan your exit before you plan your arrival.

Going to a hotel party or a yacht instead?

Venues outside Downtown, such as Dubai Marina, Palm Jumeirah or Dubai Creek Harbour, avoid the central closure zone. Ask your hotel if guests need an access pass. Our Downtown wedding venues guide covers the same access rules for evening events in the area. For other nights with a big crowd, see Dubai event road closures.

If you have a ticket for a show that night, read the Dubai Opera drop-off guide. Shoppers can use the Dubai Shopping Festival driver guide.

New Year’s Eve checklist

1. Check the RTA plan in late December.
2. Agree a drop-off and a separate pickup point outside the zone.
3. Send your party size and entry time to your driver.
4. Charge your phone and keep WhatsApp open.
5. Book early through our events chauffeur service, a limousine service or a car with driver. The full year is in the UAE events calendar.