Golden dunes, a sunset that makes your phone camera look good and an entire village running partly on sunshine. Liwa Village is the family festival zone of the Liwa International Festival, set up each winter at the foot of Moreeb Dune in the Al Dhafra region. It is the easiest way to get a proper taste of the Empty Quarter without committing to a camping trip.
The most recent edition ran from 12 December 2025 to 3 January 2026, and the festival has followed that mid-December to early January pattern for several years. Keep an eye on liwainternationalfestival.ae for the next set of dates.
Solar power, and why it matters out here
For the 2024-25 edition, organisers ran 20% of the village’s operations on solar power and introduced what they described as the GCC’s first mobile battery storage system. In a place this remote, that means fewer diesel generators humming over the dunes, which you will appreciate when you are trying to hear the music or simply enjoy the silence of the desert after dark.
The zones
The 2025-26 village was laid out in six areas: Souk, Adrenaline, Shams Liwa, Tarab Liwa, Meydan and Wanasa. Between them you got traditional performances, market shopping, Monster Jam, karting, gaming, a Ferris wheel and a petting zoo, with Emirati and international food stalls throughout.
The 2024-25 edition grouped things slightly differently, with a dedicated food zone, a live music stage and a cultural area for falconry and heritage crafts, so expect names to shift from year to year while the mix of food, thrills and tradition stays the same. Curious how it all started? Our Liwa Village 2023 recap covers the edition that put it on the map.
Getting there
Where: Moreeb Dune, Liwa, Al Dhafra region, roughly 255km from Abu Dhabi Corniche.
Drive time: just under three hours each way.
Tickets and info: liwainternationalfestival.ae
WOW Abu Dhabi Expert Tip: Do not try to squeeze Liwa into a day trip. Six hours of driving plus a festival evening is a lot, and the desert roads get dark and dusty after sunset. Book a night nearby, arrive mid-afternoon for the dune light and drive back after breakfast.
Need a bed nearby? See what a stay at Aldhafra Resort in Liwa includes, or browse our round-up of outdoor things to do in Abu Dhabi for more winter plans.
More on this: Liwa Village Recap: How 100,000 People Partied in the Desert | Aldhafra Resort Liwa: What a Desert Weekend Here Actually Includes
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