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Your Diwali party in a private Dubai desert camp

Book a camp in the Lahbab desert for your own Diwali night: diyas along the path, a rangoli at the entrance, a vegetarian and Jain dinner, and Indian music under an open sky. We collect your guests from their homes or hotels in Dubai and Sharjah, run the evening, and bring everyone back. Every Diwali night is quoted on your numbers.

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Four dancers in traditional dress performing together on a lit stage
The short version
Guests
From 10 guests
A private section of a camp, or the whole camp to yourselves.
The foodFood
Vegetarian and Jain
Confirmed in writing before you pay anything.
When it fallsSeason
The best desert weather of the year
Mild evenings, which is why the camp season runs October to April.

The night itself

What a Diwali night in the desert looks like

One evening, one camp, your guest list and nobody else's.
Your guest list and nobody else's
A private section of a camp, or the whole camp, with your own seating and your own service team. You choose the seating, the menu, the music and the running order, and no other group shares the evening with you. There is no dune bashing in a Diwali night unless you ask for it, so nobody has to sit the evening out.
Vegetarian and Jain food, cooked and served apart
The default Diwali menu is fully vegetarian, so nothing non vegetarian is cooked or carried at the camp on that night. We ask the kitchen for Jain meals without onion, garlic or root vegetables and confirm in writing what they can prepare before you pay anything. Diwali nights also run with no alcohol unless you ask for it, and we tell you plainly in the quote whether the camp we pick is licensed.
Diyas, rangoli and the music
A diya pathway runs from where the vehicles stop to the seating, lanterns hang over the tables, and a rangoli is laid at the entrance in coloured powder or flower petals before your guests arrive, with your family or company name worked into it if you want. Music is yours to choose: a playlist, a dhol arrival, a live Bollywood or Punjabi singer, a classical performance during dinner, or a DJ and a dance floor on the sand. Ask for a puja corner and we set one up away from the main seating so it stays quiet.
About firecrackers
We do not provide firecrackers, sparklers or fireworks, and we would not arrange them for you. In the UAE fireworks are reserved for licensed, approved displays, event organisers need prior permission from Dubai Police and Dubai Municipality, and private use is not permitted at all. We are a licensed operator and we are not going to put your family or your staff on the wrong side of that. What we can give you is the light the festival is actually about: hundreds of diyas, lanterns over every table, a lit pathway and a dark sky with no city glow in it.

The night in pictures

The camp once the diyas are lit

Real nights at the camps we use, shot on the sand. Lanterns over the tables, the long dinner once it is dark, and the lounges after everyone has eaten.
  • Shade canopies hung with warm festoon lights over sofas and low tables on carpets, candle lanterns across the sand after dark
  • Guests seated at long tables in the desert at night under strings of bulbs, with tall patio heaters lit on the sand around them
  • A large company party at night on the sand, guests standing and seated across floor cushions and rattan chairs under strings of lights
  • A close view of a place setting on a white cloth, with gold cutlery, a folded napkin on a rimmed plate, mercury glass votives and small potted succulents
  • Close view of a round cane table with a stone vase of dried pampas grass, lit lantern towers out of focus behind it at sunset
  • The same open lounge after dark, its shade sails and day beds lit by strings of round festoon bulbs and lanterns

Pick the scale

Three Diwali nights to choose from

Pick the scale. Everything inside it is built around your guest list.
  • Round and long tables with cane chairs under crossed strings of festoon lights at blue hour, a buffet counter at the back

    From 10 guests

    Family Diwali Night

    From ≈ $ 51 per guest

    One family, grandparents and children included. No dune bashing, so nobody sits the evening out.

    • A private section of a camp with your own seating and service team
    • Diya pathway and a rangoli at the entrance
    • A vegetarian dinner with a sweets counter
    • Jain meals prepared separately
    • A playlist you send us
    • Free pickup and a drive home in Dubai and Sharjah
  • Round stage and lit lantern towers behind a spread of floor cushions and cane tables on sand, orange sky at sunset

    Groups up to 500

    Company Diwali Night

    Quoted on your numbers

    A staff Diwali where part of the team celebrates it and the rest comes along.

    • A fenced section of a camp, or the camp itself
    • A stage, a dance floor and a sound and light rig
    • A dhol arrival and a live singer or a DJ
    • Vegetarian and Jain counters for the whole team
    • A branded entrance and your company name in the rangoli
    • One invoice, one coordinator and a run of show in writing
  • A long dressed table with cane chairs beside a lit lantern sculpture at sunset, fairy lights strung overhead and the camp glowing behind

    The camp to yourselves

    Whole Camp Diwali

    Quoted on your numbers

    Guests who want the camp closed to everyone else for the night.

    • The camp closed to everyone else for the evening
    • A puja corner set up away from the main seating
    • Dinner served to the table rather than a buffet
    • Live oud, sitar or classical music through the meal
    • Private vehicles both ways instead of a shared convoy
    • Add a photographer, a longer dune drive or an overnight stay

Every figure above is a starting point. We quote on your numbers, your date and what you want the night to include, and the quote is the price.

From pickup to home

How the evening runs

One evening, one camp, your guest list and nobody else's.

  1. We collect everyone

    We collect your guests in the late afternoon in our own 4x4s, one vehicle for every six guests, from their homes or hotels in Dubai and Sharjah. Everyone arrives together rather than in ones and twos.

    Staff in black holding drinks trays line a matted walkway leading to a bamboo gateway, where guests step out of a white vehicle onto the sand

  2. The drive out

    The drive to the Lahbab red dunes off the Hatta Road (E44) takes about 50 minutes from central Dubai, so you reach the camp while there is still light on the dunes.

    A desert camp seen from a dune at sunset, with open-sided pavilions, a swing frame and hanging lantern cages on the sand

  3. You walk into a lit camp

    The diya pathway is already lit, the rangoli is finished at the entrance, and the seating is laid out the way you asked for it: low majlis cushions, long tables, or both. Tea, snacks and a sweets counter open first, because people arrive hungry.

    Lounge seating and low tables under shade canopies strung with festoon lights on sand at dusk, candles lining the walkway

  4. Dinner after dark

    Dinner is served after dark, when the desert cools and the sky clears. The menu is fully vegetarian by default, with Jain meals plated separately.

    A long banquet table laid for about twenty, lit from above by a cluster of large lantern cages and strings of fairy lights at night

  5. Then the night is yours

    A playlist, a live singer, a dhol arrival or a dance floor on the sand. We keep the camp open as late as the permit allows amplified music.

    Two musicians stand on a round wooden stage in the desert, one playing an oud beside a drum, with laid tables in the foreground and dunes behind

  6. Everyone home

    We drive everyone home at the end, back to the same addresses we collected them from. There is no dune bashing in a Diwali night unless you ask for it, so grandparents, pregnant guests and small children can come to this evening without sitting anything out.

    A dark 4x4 with its headlights on crossing a flat desert plain as the sun sets

On film

See it moving

Shot on our own evenings, not a stock library. Nothing plays until you press it.

The practical half

Numbers, timings and what we need from you

The practical half, in one table. Anything not here goes in the quote in writing.
Group size
From 10 guests. Tell us your headcount and we size the camp. We handle groups up to 500.
Your date
Any night in the Diwali window, and the nights either side of it. Diwali moves every year with the lunar calendar and falls in October or November, so send us your date rather than a year.
Pickup
Free from your hotel or home anywhere in Dubai or Sharjah. For a company night we can run the convoy from one or two office pickup points instead.
We provide
Vehicles and drivers, the camp, seating, lighting, diyas, the rangoli, florals, the full menu including Jain meals, soft drinks, service staff, sound, and one coordinator on the night.
You bring
Your guest list, your music if you have a playlist, anything you want in the rangoli or on a branded entrance, and warm layers for after dark.
If it rains
We offer you a new date. If the night is still 48 hours or more away you can cancel for a full refund instead.

Before you ask

Questions we get asked

Where can I celebrate Diwali in Dubai?
Dubai has public Diwali events every year, from the city's Festival of Lights programme to ticketed shows and restaurant nights. If you want your own night rather than a ticket to somebody else's, a desert camp is the alternative: a private section of a camp or the whole camp, lit with diyas, with your guest list and nobody else's. We run those nights in the Lahbab red dunes off the Hatta Road (E44), about 50 minutes from central Dubai.
What can we actually do at a Diwali party in the desert?
Light a diya pathway, lay a rangoli at the entrance, eat a full vegetarian dinner with a sweets counter and live chaat and dosa counters, and then take the night in whichever direction you want: a playlist, a dhol arrival, a live Bollywood or Punjabi singer, or a DJ and a dance floor on the sand. A puja corner can be set up away from the seating. Camel rides, sandboarding and a short dune drive can be added for the guests who want them.
How much does a Diwali party in the desert cost?
Every Diwali night is quoted on your numbers, because decor, menu, music and vehicle count all move with the guest list. The figure shown on this page is a starting point rather than a quote. Send us the date, the headcount and roughly what you want to spend per guest and we come back with one option and a price. There is no deposit to get a quote.
Can you do vegetarian and Jain food properly?
The default Diwali menu is fully vegetarian, so nothing non vegetarian is cooked or carried at the camp on that night. We ask the kitchen for Jain meals without onion, garlic or root vegetables and confirm in writing what they can prepare before you pay anything. Tell us how many Jain guests are coming when you enquire.
Can we have firecrackers or fireworks?
No. In the UAE fireworks are reserved for licensed, approved displays, event organisers need prior permission from Dubai Police and Dubai Municipality, and private use is not permitted. We are a licensed operator and we do not provide or arrange firecrackers, sparklers or fireworks. What we do provide is the light the festival is about: hundreds of diyas, lanterns over every table and a dark sky with no city glow in it.
When is Diwali, and do you only run these nights on the main night?
Diwali moves every year because it follows the lunar calendar, and the main night falls in October or November. We run Diwali nights through the whole festival window and on the weekends either side of it, which is usually easier for a large guest list anyway. Send us your date and we hold the camp.

Tell us the date

Tell us about your Diwali night

Send the date and the headcount and we will come back with one option and a price. No deposit to get a quote.

  • A written quote, not a call centre script
  • Free pickup across Dubai and Sharjah
  • Support on WhatsApp, any hour
  • Paid in AED, no deposit to get a quote

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N° 10 · Events25.0°N · 55.6°E

Two drummers in white and gold playing as guests arrive at a desert venueLahbab · 50 minutes from central Dubai

Hold a camp for your Diwali night

Send the date and the headcount. We come back with one option, a price per guest and the pickup plan, and nothing is owed until you accept it.

Ask for a quote Chat on WhatsApp

Free pickupDubai · Sharjah