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A New Year party in Dubai, out on the red dunes

On 31 December we drive out of the city before the roads close and set you down on the Lahbab red dunes, about 50 minutes from Dubai. Dinner at a desert camp, the countdown with nothing above you but the sky, and your own driver waiting to take you home. No crowd, no minimum spend, no queue for a taxi at 2 am.

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A full desert venue at night, with guests at every table watching a performer on a lit stage under searchlight beams
The short version
The dateDate
31 December
One night a year, and the first thing we sell out.
Pickup
From 6:30 PM
On the dunes well before the city road closures start.
The placeWhere
Lahbab red dunes
Off the Hatta Road, E44, about 50 minutes from central Dubai.

What it is

What a New Year party in the desert actually is

A 4x4 picks you up, drives you out to the dunes, and you spend the last night of the year at a desert camp with dinner, a fire and the countdown. It is a private booking, not a ticketed event.
The crowd
Your group, and the camp staff. There is no ticket and no door time, because we quote the night on your numbers rather than selling you a seat at somebody else's party.
The road
Out of the city by 7 pm, along the Hatta Road, E44, in the opposite direction to the city traffic.
The view
An unlit sky, about 50 minutes from the nearest streetlight. On a clear night you can pick out the Milky Way from the camp.
The spend
Quoted once, on your numbers. No bar minimum, and no deposit asked for to get a price.

Photos

What the camp looks like after dark

Nights at the camp we use on 31 December. Tables under lights, a stage, somewhere warm to sit, and the dark that starts where the camp ends.
  • A desert camp seen from above at night, with strings of fairy lights fanning out over dining tables and guests standing on a wooden deck in the foreground
  • Guests seated at long tables in the desert at night under strings of bulbs, with tall patio heaters lit on the sand around them
  • Four dancers in traditional dress performing together on a lit stage
  • Round and long tables with cane chairs under crossed strings of festoon lights at blue hour, a buffet counter at the back
  • 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
  • Desert lounge seating at blue hour, lantern towers on the left and a red-lit stage area across the sand under a purple sky

The options

Three ways to spend 31 December

All three are quoted, not ticketed. Tell us your number of guests and we price the night once.
  • Round tables laid with white linen and candles at a desert venue at night, with a lit stage behind them

    Two to six guests

    A table at a shared camp

    From ≈ $ 51 per guest

    Suits a couple or a small group of friends who want the night out of the city without booking a camp.

    • Free pickup from Dubai or Sharjah in a shared 4x4
    • A dune drive on the way in
    • Your own table at a desert camp, with other small groups at theirs
    • Grilled dinner, soft drinks, tea and coffee
    • Live music and the countdown
  • Low cushioned seating curving around candlelit tables at a desert venue in the evening

    Six to twenty guests

    A private majlis for your group

    Quoted on your numbers

    Suits a family, a friend group splitting the bill, or a small team.

    • A private majlis camp with floor seating and low tables nobody else shares
    • A 4x4 of your own, so your group travels together and leaves when it wants to
    • Grilled dinner laid for your number
    • Your own fire, and a countdown with only your people around it
    • Free pickup from Dubai and Sharjah
  • 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

    Twenty to sixty guests

    The whole camp, booked out

    Quoted on your numbers

    Suits an extended family of three generations, a company social night, or a group that wants the sky to themselves.

    • One desert camp, booked for your group alone
    • The cars, the dinner, the seating plan and the music set up for your night
    • A cake, a speech, a photographer or a sound system on request
    • Nobody else comes through the gate
    • This option goes first and usually closes in November

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.

The night

How the night runs, from pickup to your door

Times for a standard 31 December. We confirm your exact pickup window the day before, once Dubai Police publish the road closures.

  1. Pickup

    6:30 pm to 7:15 pm. Your driver calls when he is outside. Free from anywhere in Dubai and Sharjah. On 31 December we pick up earlier than usual, because some roads into Downtown and along the beaches close during the evening.

    A driver holding the rear door of a white 4x4 open at a hotel entrance in Dubai

  2. The drive out

    About 50 minutes. Out along the Hatta Road, E44, in the opposite direction to the city traffic. You will watch the skyline get smaller behind you.

    A line of white 4x4s driving across the dunes under a low sun

  3. The dunes

    7:45 pm to 8:15 pm. A dune drive in the dark, with the headlights on the ridges. Say the word and the driver takes it gently, or stops for photos instead.

    Two white 4x4s throwing up sand as they climb a dune slope at sunset

  4. Camp and dinner

    8:15 pm to 11:30 pm. Grilled dinner at the camp, vegetarian and non-vegetarian, with tea, coffee and soft drinks. Fire, music and a place to sit. Shisha and a camel ride if you want them.

    Long tables laid for dinner in the desert at blue hour, with bulb strings overhead, small table lamps and tall patio heaters between the rattan chairs

  5. The countdown

    Midnight. We do not run fireworks and nobody sets them off over the Lahbab dunes. The camp lights come down, everyone stands up, and you get a few minutes of noise and then a very large quiet.

    Shade canopies hung with warm festoon lights over sofas and low tables on carpets, candle lanterns across the sand after dark

  6. Home again

    From 12:30 am. The cars leave the camp as your group is ready and the drive back is about 50 minutes. Most guests are at their door between 1:30 am and 2:30 am, coming in from the Hatta Road rather than out of Downtown.

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

Logistics

Group sizes, timings and what we provide

One table, so you can check it against your own numbers before you write to us.
Guests
Two to six at a shared camp table, six to twenty in a private majlis, twenty to sixty for the whole camp
Pickup
Free from any hotel or home address in Dubai and Sharjah, from 6:30 pm, staged by vehicle for a larger group
At the camp
About 8 pm to 12:30 am, or later by arrangement when the camp is booked out for your group
Home by
Cars leave from 12:30 am as your group is ready, and most guests are at their door between 1:30 am and 2:30 am
Included
A licensed driver and a 4x4 with a seatbelt for every seat, child seats free on request, the dune drive, the camp, seating, a grilled dinner with vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes, water, soft drinks, tea and coffee, washrooms, live music and the countdown
What you bring
A jacket: the desert drops to around 12 to 15 degrees after midnight in late December and the camp is open on every side. Closed shoes if you plan to walk up a dune

Before you ask

Questions we get asked

Where can you celebrate New Year in Dubai away from the crowds?
On the dunes. We run 31 December at a desert camp on the Lahbab red dunes, about 50 minutes from central Dubai off the Hatta Road, E44. There is no ticketed crowd, no road closure between you and the camp, and no minimum spend. Your driver picks you up at your door and brings you back to it.
Are there fireworks at the desert New Year party?
No. We do not run fireworks and nobody sets them off over the Lahbab dunes. The city's displays are over the Burj Khalifa, the Palm and the beaches, and you cannot see them from the camp. What you get instead is an unlit sky, which is the reason most of our guests choose the desert over a rooftop.
What time is pickup on 31 December?
Pickup starts at 6:30 pm, which is earlier than our usual evening safari. We leave the city before the New Year road closures take hold, so you are on the Hatta Road while everyone else is still trying to park. If your building sits inside a closure we move your window earlier and confirm it with you the day before.
What time will I get home after the countdown?
The cars leave the camp from 12:30 am and the drive is about 50 minutes. Most guests are at their door between 1:30 am and 2:30 am. A whole-camp group spread across several vehicles can run to 3:00 am. You are travelling in from the Hatta Road rather than out of Downtown, so you miss the heaviest midnight traffic.
How much does a New Year desert party in Dubai cost?
31 December is quoted on your group rather than sold as a ticket. A table at a shared camp is the cheapest way in, a private majlis for six to twenty guests costs more per head, and booking out a whole camp for twenty to sixty is priced as one night. Tell us your numbers and we will send a figure in AED with no deposit asked for.
Can children come to the New Year desert party?
Yes, and most families bring them. Child seats are free on request and the dinner has food children will eat. The honest caution is the hour: a child who stays for the countdown will not be asleep before 2:30 am and a desert camp has no quiet room. If that is too late, book a private majlis and we will send your car back early while your group stays.
Is pickup included, and where do you collect from?
Pickup and drop-off are free from any hotel or home address in Dubai and Sharjah, and they are included in every option on this page. Your driver calls when he is outside. On 31 December we may ask you to meet the car on a nearby open road if your own street is inside a police closure, and we will tell you the day before if that applies.
How late should I leave it to book?
Later than mid-December and you are choosing from what is left. The whole-camp option usually closes in November, private majlis bookings go through early December, and shared tables fill in the last two weeks. An enquiry costs nothing and holds nothing against you, so send your numbers as soon as you know roughly how many of you there are.

Enquiry

Tell us your numbers for 31 December

31 December is the one date in our year that closes. The private camps go in November and the shared tables fill through December, so send your numbers and we will come back with a price, a pickup window and what is still open. Support is on WhatsApp 24 hours a day, and nobody asks you for a card at this stage.

  • 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

A large company party at night on the sand, guests standing and seated across floor cushions and rattan chairs under strings of lightsLahbab · 50 minutes from central Dubai

One night a year, the sky is the whole show

Send us your numbers for 31 December and we will come back with a price, a pickup window and what is still open. No deposit, no card, no obligation.

Ask for a quote Chat on WhatsApp

Free pickupDubai · Sharjah