Dubai's National Month starts on Flag Day, with the Flag Garden back by Burj Al Arab
Brand Dubai runs a month of national celebrations from 3 November to 2 December, ending with the UAE's 55th Eid Al Etihad, and the beach Flag Garden at Umm Suqeim is again one of the main sights.
Today, Tuesday 3 November, is UAE Flag Day, and in Dubai it opens a month of celebrations. Brand Dubai, the creative arm of the Government of Dubai Media Office, said it will run "National Month" from 3 November to 2 December 2026, working with government, semi-government and private sector bodies across the emirate. The month builds up to the UAE's 55th Eid Al Etihad on 2 December.
Brand Dubai named the main parts of the programme: the Flag Day celebrations, the Flag Garden, the Eid Al Etihad festivities, the UAE Parade and a short film competition called "Stories of Our Determination", launched by the Dubai Films and Games Commission to invite film makers to tell stories of unity and determination. It said other events will be announced through the month, with their dates and places, as companies and government bodies add their own.
The Flag Garden is the one most residents know. Every year thousands of UAE flags are planted in rows on the Umm Suqeim beachfront next to Burj Al Arab, close to Kite Beach, so that from above they form a picture. Visitors can walk among the flags and look over the display from viewing points. Brand Dubai's archive traces the garden back to 2014. Last year's edition used about 11,000 flags in an area of 60 by 90 metres and stayed up from 3 November until 10 January. Khaleej Times reports that this year's theme and flag count have not been announced yet.
Flag Day has been marked on 3 November since 2013, with flags raised at government offices, schools and companies at the same moment in the morning. Separately, Global Village has said it will fly 1,000 drones for Flag Day this evening.
For residents, the beach garden is free to visit. It is best seen in the early morning or around sunset, when the beach is cooler, and parking near Umm Suqeim and Kite Beach fills quickly at weekends. The full calendar of National Month events has not been published yet: Brand Dubai says details will be released step by step, so the dates of the UAE Parade and of the Eid Al Etihad events are still to come.