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Updated: 22 September 2026

Dubai K-Fest 2026 runs from Friday 25 September to Sunday 4 October — ten days of Korean music, film, beauty, shopping and food across the city. It opens with two free K-pop concerts at Festival Bay, Dubai Festival City Mall: ONEUS and Kwon Eunbi on 25 September, AIKI and Youngjun Choi on 26 September. Opening day is also Chuseok. The official “Taste Korea in Dubai” page lists eight food deals, and Mukbang Shows is on it with unlimited halal Korean BBQ from AED 69 a head.

TL;DR
– Dates: 25 September – 4 October 2026, citywide, first edition.
– Free concerts at Festival Bay, Dubai Festival City Mall: Fri 25 Sept (ONEUS, Kwon Eunbi, fireworks) and Sat 26 Sept (AIKI, Youngjun Choi).
– Four pillars: Celebrate, Taste, Shop, Win — a citywide raffle with a Genesis G80 as grand prize.
– Eight official food deals; Mukbang’s unlimited halal Korean BBQ from AED 69 is the cheapest sit-down one.

What is Dubai K-Fest 2026 and when is it?

Dubai K-Fest 2026 is a ten-day, citywide Korean culture festival from 25 September to 4 October, and it is the first one Dubai has held. The official Dubai K-Fest page on Visit Dubai puts it in one line: “Discover the best of Korea in Dubai from 25 September to 4 October, as Korean culture, beauty, food and entertainment take over the city.”

It is organised by the Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), part of the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism, with support from the Korea Creative Content Agency’s UAE Business Center and KOREA 360, under the theme “Discover Korea in Dubai”. Time Out Dubai’s report on the festival calls it “the inaugural edition” and describes “live entertainment, opportunities to shop and win, special offers and pop-ups plus limited-edition menus all across the city”.

There is no single festival ground. The concerts are at Dubai Festival City Mall; the shopping and dining offers are spread across malls, hotels and restaurants from Deira to JBR. That matters for planning: you go to Festival City for the stage, and anywhere in the city for the food.

Which K-pop acts are playing, and is it free?

Yes, the opening concerts are free. ONEUS and Kwon Eunbi headline on Friday 25 September, and AIKI and Youngjun Choi take the stage on Saturday 26 September, both at Festival Bay, Dubai Festival City Mall. The official event listing prints “FRI, 25 SEPTEMBER 2026, 20:00 – 22:00, Festival Bay, Dubai Festival City Mall, Free event”.

Khaleej Times on the free opening concerts sets out the running order. Friday opens at 7:30pm with the IMAGINE Show, then the live concert from 8pm: Kwon Eunbi, the solo artist and former member of IZ*ONE, and the boy band ONEUS, playing what the organisers call “their first global stage since the release of their new album” — the twelfth mini album, FIRST LIGHT. The evening also carries traditional Korean performances and a taekwondo dance act, and fireworks are confirmed for opening night.

Saturday runs from 7:30pm with a Korean-Arabic fusion act, another taekwondo dance act and then the dancers: AIKI, known from Street Woman Fighter and leader of the crew HOOK, and Choi Young-jun, a choreographer for leading K-pop artists, both of 1MILLION Dance Studio. Our guide to K-pop concerts in Dubai covers how the city’s earlier shows ran; this one is free, outdoors, and on a mall promenade, so arrive early. Our K-Fest Dubai concert guide has both nights in detail.

What are the four pillars of Dubai K-Fest 2026?

The official page organises the festival into Celebrate, Taste, Shop and Win. In its own words: “Celebrate Korea in Dubai — gear up for lots of live entertainment and cultural experiences”; “Taste Korea in Dubai — from Korean BBQ to cafés and special menus, there’s plenty to dig into”; “Shop Korea in Dubai — K-beauty, fashion, exclusive launches, pop-ups and offers, all in one place”; “Win Korea in Dubai — shop and win! Unlock exciting prizes and exclusive rewards during Dubai K-Fest.”

Under Celebrate, the organisers’ announcement lists K-pop concerts, Korean cinema and “Korean movie nights”, cultural showcases, K-beauty and fashion. Beyond the two opening concerts, the programme is still being announced; the official page is the place to check for new dates, and this guide will be updated as they land.

Under Shop, the anchor is a Chemist Warehouse K-beauty push: a Medicube pop-up at Al Ghurair Centre with device demonstrations and consultations on select days (advisors Wednesday to Sunday, 3pm to midnight), and festival discounts on Medicube and more than 25 Korean skincare brands — Anua, Beauty of Joseon, Biodance, Cosrx, Round Lab, Skin1004, Tirtir, Torriden and VT among them — at Al Ghurair Centre, BurJuman and B1 Mall.

Under Win, the mechanic is a citywide raffle. Spend AED 300 or more in a single transaction at any of more than 2,500 participating stores, scan the official K-Fest QR code on the window display or tent card, upload the receipt, and you are in the draw — with no limit on entries. Four prizes are printed: a 2026 Genesis G80 Prestige, a Samsung smart-home package (Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, an 85-inch The Frame Pro, and Bespoke AI fridge, washer and dryer), an AED 10,000 Dubai Festival City Mall voucher, and a K-beauty package. Keep the receipts; terms apply.

Taste Korea in Dubai: every official K-Fest food deal

Eight food and drink offers are listed on the Visit Dubai K-Fest deals page as of 22 September, all running 25 September to 4 October unless stated. Here they are, in the order of what they cost.

Two things stand out on the list. First, only two of the eight are unlimited or by-the-head formats — Mukbang’s tiers and HANU’s set menu — and they sit at opposite ends: AED 69 against AED 259. Second, three of the eight are built around Chuseok, which falls on opening day (more on that below). Everything else on the list is a single dish or a cup. Our Korean BBQ price guide for Dubai has the wider ladder outside the festival.

Where can you eat Korean BBQ near the Festival City concerts?

The closest unlimited Korean BBQ to the concerts is Mukbang Shows Deira on Al Ittihad Road, Port Saeed, a short drive from Dubai Festival City on the Deira side of the Creek. Festival Bay is the mall’s waterfront promenade; the mall itself is home to Korea 360, the year-round K-pop, K-beauty and K-food centre Time Out names, and Cupbop’s Deira City Centre counter is the nearest official K-Fest food line in the same district.

Mukbang Deira is the branch on our Korean restaurant near Dubai Festival City page, and its numbers are the festival’s cheapest sit-down deal: Gangnam AED 69 a person, Daegu 89, Jeju 99, Bukchon Hanok 129, each with seven kinds of beef and chicken BBQ, eight banchan, two gimbap, soup and steamed rice, unlimited, minimum two, with a AED 60 charge for meat left on the table. Two people after the Friday show are AED 138 all in. Phone +971-4-886-4494.

If you are staying on the Marina side, Mukbang JBR (Plaza Level, Bahar 7, The Walk; +971-54-523-1898) is a short walk from Cupbop’s JBR The Walk counter and the Mina Seyahi hotels where Sui Mui’s AED 100 seafood special runs on weekdays; Gangnam is AED 79 there. For Downtown and Jun’s, Love Mukbang at DWTC (The Apartments Block A, Sheikh Zayed Road, opposite World Trade Centre metro; +971-54-524-5904) is the third branch on the official listing.

Why is Chuseok part of Dubai K-Fest 2026?

Because the festival opens on Chuseok. Korean Thanksgiving falls on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month, which in 2026 is Friday 25 September, with the three-day holiday running 24 to 26 September. That is the same Friday as the ONEUS and Kwon Eunbi concert, and it explains why three of the official food deals are Chuseok menus: HANU’s five-course “Dal:On” dinner with a Chuseok storytelling moment, Koreana’s Chuseok sharing spreads, and 1004 Gourmet’s limited-edition Chuseok special.

Chuseok food is songpyeon (half-moon rice cakes), jeon (savoury pancakes) and galbi, eaten with family. On a Dubai menu the closest everyday equivalents are the pancake and the rib: Mukbang prints Haemul Pajeon and Kimchi Jeon at AED 53 each, LA Galbi at AED 109, Tteokguk at AED 51 and Japchae at AED 55 all year, and all of them sit on the table beside the unlimited grill. Our Chuseok Dubai 2026 guide covers the holiday in full, and our Korean family restaurant guide for Dubai covers the group side of a Chuseok dinner.

Is the food at Dubai K-Fest halal?

The festival does not make a blanket claim, so check venue by venue. Mukbang Shows is 100% halal — beef and chicken only, no pork, no alcohol served — and its official Taste Korea listing prints “100% halal all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ and seafood feast”. Sui Mui is inside the Westin, Palazzo Versace’s “A Taste of Seoul” stay is a hotel package, and HANU, Jun’s, Koreana, Cupbop and 1004 Gourmet publish their own menus; confirm directly with each on licence and dietary needs. Our halal Korean food guide for Dubai lists the Korean kitchens whose printed menus carry no pork.

What else is on the K-Fest deals page?

Two non-food offers are worth knowing. Palazzo Versace Dubai’s “A Taste of Seoul” package — a two-night stay for two in a Deluxe Versace Room from AED 800 plus the AED 20 Tourism Dirham fee, with daily breakfast, a Korean-inspired high tea for two, a complimentary upgrade to a Premier Creek View Room subject to availability, and 50% off spa treatments of 60 minutes or more — runs from 14 September to 4 October, and the hotel is on the Creek, a short hop from Festival City. And the Chemist Warehouse K-beauty pop-up at Al Ghurair Centre puts the Shop pillar in Deira too, walking distance from Al Ittihad Road.

For a Deira evening built around the opening weekend, then: K-beauty at Al Ghurair in the afternoon, the free concert at Festival Bay from 7:30pm, and unlimited Korean BBQ at Mukbang Deira after — all inside one district.

Mukbang Shows at Dubai K-Fest 2026: the listing, and one honest limit

Mukbang Shows and Love Mukbang are official Taste Korea in Dubai participants. The Visit Dubai listing reads: “From 25 September to 4 October, Mukbang Shows and Love Mukbang invite you to experience a sizzling tabletop grill night across three Dubai locations… With prices starting at AED69 per person for dine-in group of two or more.”

The three locations are Deira (Al Ittihad Road, +971-4-886-4494), JBR (Plaza Level, Bahar 7, The Walk, +971-54-523-1898) and DWTC / Love Mukbang (The Apartments Block A, Sheikh Zayed Road, +971-54-524-5904). Every tier — Gangnam, Daegu, Jeju, Bukchon Hanok — brings seven beef and chicken BBQ kinds, eight banchan, two gimbap, soup and rice, and every drink on the menu is non-alcoholic.

The honest limit: Mukbang is not inside Dubai Festival City, and the listing is the restaurant’s standard unlimited ladder rather than a festival-only discount. There are no performances at the restaurant, the Abu Dhabi branches on Muroor Road and Electra Street are outside the Dubai festival, and a halal kitchen means no pork and no soju, which some K-Fest visitors will want to find elsewhere.

What it offers is an official listing, the lowest unlimited price on the deals page, halal certainty, a grill in the table for a group after the show, and the nearest branch to the concerts. Our guide to the best Korean BBQ in Dubai sets it against the rest of the city.

Dubai K-Fest 2026: a practical plan for the opening weekend

Friday 25 September: be at Festival Bay, Dubai Festival City Mall, before 7:30pm for the IMAGINE Show, the concert from 8pm with Kwon Eunbi and ONEUS, and the fireworks. It is free and outdoors on a promenade, so treat it like a public event and get there early. Book a table for after — Mukbang Deira is the nearest unlimited Korean BBQ, minimum two, from AED 69.

Saturday 26 September: back to Festival Bay from 7:30pm for AIKI and Youngjun Choi, or spend the day on the Taste and Shop pillars — a free Dalgona latte at a Nespresso boutique, a Korean BBQ cup at Cupbop from AED 29, K-beauty at Chemist Warehouse Al Ghurair — and put every AED 300 receipt into the raffle. From Monday, Sui Mui’s AED 100 weekday special opens, and HANU’s Chuseok menu and Koreana’s four-for-three run every evening to 4 October. Dubai K-Fest 2026 is ten days; the free stage is two of them.

FAQ

When is Dubai K-Fest 2026?

Friday 25 September to Sunday 4 October 2026 — ten days, citywide, the festival’s first edition, organised by the Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment.

Are the K-Fest concerts free?

Yes. ONEUS and Kwon Eunbi on 25 September and AIKI and Youngjun Choi on 26 September are free-to-attend at Festival Bay, Dubai Festival City Mall; the official listing prints “Free event”, 8pm to 10pm on the Friday with the IMAGINE Show from 7:30pm.

Where is Dubai K-Fest held?

Across the city. The opening concerts are at Festival Bay, Dubai Festival City Mall; the food, shopping and beauty offers are at participating restaurants, malls and hotels from Deira to JBR.

What are the Taste Korea in Dubai deals?

Eight are listed: a free Nespresso Dalgona latte, Cupbop cups from AED 29, Mukbang Shows’ unlimited halal Korean BBQ from AED 69, Sui Mui’s AED 100 Haemul-Bokkeum, Koreana’s buy-3-get-1 on mains, a 1004 Gourmet Chuseok special, HANU’s AED 259 Chuseok menu and Jun’s AED 425 Steak and Bulgogi.

How does the K-Fest raffle work?

Spend AED 300 or more in one transaction at a participating store, scan the K-Fest QR code, upload the receipt. Prizes: a 2026 Genesis G80 Prestige, a Samsung smart-home package, an AED 10,000 Festival City Mall voucher and a K-beauty package. No limit on entries; keep receipts.

Is Dubai K-Fest on Chuseok?

Yes. Chuseok, Korean Thanksgiving, falls on 25 September 2026 — opening day — with the holiday running 24 to 26 September, which is why HANU, Koreana and 1004 Gourmet’s deals are Chuseok menus.

Is Mukbang Shows part of Dubai K-Fest?

Yes — Mukbang Shows and Love Mukbang are listed on the official Taste Korea in Dubai deals page with unlimited halal Korean BBQ from AED 69 a person at Deira and AED 79 at JBR and DWTC, minimum two, 25 September to 4 October.