Dubai Fountain

The Dubai Fountain lies on the 12-hectare Burj Khalifa Lake at the centre of Downtown Dubai, between the Burj Khalifa, The Dubai Mall and Souk Al Bahar. It was designed by WET Design of California, the company behind the Bellagio fountains in Las Vegas, and was built by Emaar. It began operating in 2009.

Built at a cost of about 800 million dirhams, it is described as the world's largest choreographed fountain system. Its shows have become one of the city's best known free sights.

The fountain is about 275 metres long. Its jets, set in curved rows, can shoot water up to about 150 metres into the air and are lit by 6,600 lights and 25 coloured projectors. Each show lasts a few minutes and is set to a piece of music, ranging from classical and Arabic songs to international pop. The water moves in sweeping arcs, sharp bursts and swaying lines in time with the music, with the lit Burj Khalifa behind.

Good viewing points include the promenade outside The Dubai Mall, the Souk Al Bahar bridge and restaurant terraces around the lake. A boardwalk on the lake and short abra boat rides offer closer views for a fee.

Shows are free. They usually run at lunchtime and every 30 minutes in the evening until late, with schedules changing during Ramadan and on special occasions. The fountain sometimes closes for maintenance.

What are the show times? From Saturday to Thursday there are two afternoon shows, at 1 pm and 1.30 pm, moved to 2 pm and 2.30 pm on Fridays. Evening shows run every 30 minutes from 6 pm to 11 pm. At full power the system can hold about 83,000 litres of water in the air at once, and its beam of light can be seen from more than 30 kilometres away.

The fountain closed for a major renovation that started on 19 April 2025 and reopened on 1 October 2025. The work treated the concrete base of the lake and upgraded the nozzles, lighting and sound, with a second phase planned for 2026, so check for short closures before you go. The jets are arranged in five circles and two arcs, with several types of shooters and robotic nozzles that swing to create the moving patterns.

Songs in the rotation include Whitney Houston's I Will Always Love You, Adele's Skyfall, Pavarotti singing Nessun dorma and Arabic classics, so it is worth staying for two or three shows.