The Dubai Annual Food Festival DFF DIKF

The largest food event from all over the world returns back annually to Dubai, The city of family, positivism and good times.

It offers many events and activities for both residents and visitors, providing the chance to enjoy the finest cuisines inspired from the international cuisines. The festival also includes competitions, prizes and various motivations that make the event a unique family destination.

It  is the only truly citywide food festival in the Middle East. Held every year, it celebrates Dubai’s emergence as a gastronomic destination. The festival offers a calendar of exciting food-related events and promotions, highlighting Dubai’s unique food scene, its personalities and its world-class dining experiences.

With over 200 nationalities living in Dubai, the Dubai Food Festival reveals the diversity and creativity in our culinary offerings—from gourmet and avant-garde restaurant concepts to local haunts and hidden gems.

Dubai Food Festival is organized by Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), an agency of Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM). It is part of a larger strategy to develop a year-round program of citywide festivals that contributes to the growth of tourism and retail sectors in Dubai.

Benefits of this food festival

• Good quality street food and Budget-Friendly eats (enjoy all the flavors at Great Prices)
• Casual Dining in Dubai (Countless casual dining options)
• Fine Dining in Dubai (Luxurious Portfolio of High end dining)

The main events held in this festival

• Beach Canteen:

The wildly popular Beach Canteen returns to Sunset Beach for a fresh edition from 22 February 2018. The pop-up venue, a highlight event of Dubai Food Festival ever since its inaugural appearance back in 2014, is set to feature food trucks and restaurants from around Dubai serving up selections of some of their most delectable dishes.

Sample cuisines from all over the world, including Emirati-inspired food, as the beach behind Sunset Mall transforms into a dining and entertainment hotspot. Running for 17 days, until 10 March, you can expect to find much more than food, with markets, live music, fitness classes, and kids’ activities. Stay tuned as a host of fun-filled activities are planned — past years have also seen demonstrations and appearances from your favorite celebrity chefs.

• Restaurant Week:

A star-studded line-up of restaurants returns as part of Dubai Restaurant Week 2018.  From 22 February until 3 March, food lovers all over Dubai will be able to enjoy exclusive set menus created especially for the Dubai Food Festival at some of the city’s leading restaurants at an incredible price. Dubai’s finest restaurants are taking part, offering gourmet three-course meals for just AED199 per person. Get ready to embark on a diverse culinary journey over 10 days

Participating restaurants

Huge number of all standards restaurants.

• Hidden Gems:

Dubai Food Festival is on the lookout for 10 of Dubai's unsung culinary heroes and we need your help. Hidden Gems returns for another year to shine a spotlight on some of Dubai’s lesser-known restaurants, cafes and eateries. From traditional Emirati restaurants to curry houses in the heart of Bur Dubai, there are hundreds of places off the beaten track serving up delicious food that won’t cost you a fortune. And we’re calling on the city’s food lovers to vote on which one they think is best – with prizes and surprises in store.

• Fatafeat Kitchen:

Organized by Fatafeat TV, the biggest cookery channel in the Middle East, Fatafeat Kitchen is a two-day event at Dubai Festival City Mall. Part of the Dubai Food Festival ever since it launched back in 2015, the pop-up event will be back from 2-3 March. It’s set to feature cooking classes, workshops, and demonstrations from a line-up of celebrity chefs, who are yet to be announced. Visitors can also expect to take part in competitions and activities.

• Taste Of Dubai:

Head down to Dubai Media City Amphitheater from 8 March for Taste of Dubai, one of the main events taking place during the annual Dubai Food Festival. Taste of Dubai is the city’s biggest food, drink, and music festival. It celebrates the diversity of cuisine throughout the city, and showcases some of the most world-renowned restaurants. Visitors can sample gourmet dishes for a fraction of the usual price, as well as take part in cooking demonstrations and watch live music – past years have seen artists like Billy Ocean and Boney M take to the stage.

• Dubai International Kite Fest:

The Dubai International Kite Fest is back annually on March. free-to-attend event will see the skies over Jumeirah filled with color, as people flock to Dubai from all over the world to fly their kites. The event will be taking place during Dubai Food Festival's signature Beach Canteen, at Sunset Beach. Visitors can take advantage of the pop-up venue while they’re there and try out dishes from some of Dubai’s diverse home-grown restaurants and food trucks. It's the perfect family day out.

• Dubai Street Food Awards:

The inaugural Dubai Street Food Awards are set to take place on 10 March 2018, as part of the Dubai Food Festival. The free-to-attend event, which will take place on Sunset Beach, will honor some of the city’s best home-grown food trucks and street food vendors. The family-friendly event will feature cuisines from all over the world, as well as showcase the city’s continually-evolving food scene. With a jury of bloggers and entrepreneurs, some of the awards you can expect to see given out at the ceremony include Best Dessert and Best Street Food Concept.