Dubai Design District (d3): parking, Metro, The Block and events

Dubai Design District, known as d3, is a free zone for design, fashion and culture next to Downtown Dubai. Public parking is free for now, according to d3, with about 2,800 spaces in four public car parks. The nearest Metro station is the one d3 calls Dubai Mall Metro Station, RTA bus route D03 runs in and out of the district, and buggies loop between the buildings. Its busiest week of the year is Dubai Design Week, held at d3 from 3 to 8 November 2026.

What d3 is

d3 opened in 2013 and is part of TECOM Group. It describes itself as the region's hub for design, fashion and culture, with more than 550 partners, more than 10,000 professionals and more than 50 local and international retailers. It is a free zone governed by the Dubai Development Authority, and it is also home to the Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation and the in5 Design centre, which has prototyping, fashion and 3D printing labs for students and start-ups. The district itself is open around the clock; each company, shop and restaurant inside keeps its own hours.

Getting there

d3 says it can be reached by Metro, public bus, taxi and ride-hailing apps.

Metro: d3 names Dubai Mall Metro Station as the nearest. From there, a bus, a taxi or a ride-hailing car covers the last stretch.

Bus: RTA bus route D03 serves the district. d3 does not publish its timetable; RTA's journey planner has it.

Taxi and ride-hailing: taxis can be stopped on the street or booked on +971 4 208 0808, and Uber and Careem both pick up in the district.

By water: d3 says RTA marine services are available to the district, without naming a route.

Parking

d3's own answer is plain: "At this time we are not charging for public parking." There are four large public car parks, two shaded and two open, holding about 2,800 cars. The underground car parks are for registered business partners only.

Valet parking is open to the public at the district, with special rates for community members, a monthly paid service for staff and pre-paid valet vouchers. d3 does not publish the valet price.

Getting around inside

A buggy service runs between the buildings through the day. You can hop on and off as the buggies pass, or ask any building's reception to call one.

What to do there

The Block, on the d3 Waterfront, is what d3 calls the country's first urban beach park: courts, lawns, outdoor seating and entertainment areas, with basketball and volleyball courts, a skatepark and a rock-climbing wall, all in view of Burj Khalifa.

Shopping is built around design. d3 counts more than 20 luxury and boutique homeware and furniture retailers and more than 20 fashion and jewellery retailers, plus concept stores, galleries and showrooms. Cafes, restaurants and bistros fill the ground floors and stay busy into the evening, and there are banks, grocery stores, gyms and nurseries for the people who work there.

The district also hires out indoor and outdoor event spaces and a set of floating meeting rooms, bookable by the hour, half day, full day or for several days.

The big events

Dubai Design Week has been held at d3 since it started in 2015. The 12th edition runs from 3 to 8 November 2026, with exhibitions, commissions, installations, talks and workshops across the district's public spaces. Downtown Design, the design fair at its centre, runs from 4 to 8 November. The festival sells tickets through its own website; d3's pages do not give prices. d3 also hosts Dubai Fashion Week and Sole DXB.

Common questions

Is parking free at d3? Public parking is free for now, d3 says. Valet is paid, and the price is not published.

Is d3 open at the weekend? The district is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Shops and restaurants set their own hours.

How do I contact d3? The office is on Level 2, Building 3. Call +971 4 433 3000 or 800 42633 (800 iamd3). The contact page gives office hours as Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm.