December shows, two venues, one map.
In December 2026 the biggest event in Dubai is GITEX Global, at the Dubai Exhibition Centre in Expo City, and a string of other shows sits around it at Dubai World Trade Centre. If you are a buyer, an exhibitor or a delegation leader, you need to know which venue your show uses and which shows share your days. This page uses the organiser’s release, flags where sources disagree and gives our modelled drive times.
What the organiser says
On 19 August 2026 Dubai World Trade Centre published its event calendar for the rest of 2026, across its two venues: DWTC in the central business district and the Dubai Exhibition Centre (DEC) at Expo City. For December it names GITEX Global as the anchor, at DEC. The release is older than the 29 October one behind our November 2026 map, so dates may have moved since. DEC’s own what’s-on page agrees on GITEX Global and one other DEC show.
We are not the organiser’s transport provider and not a partner of these shows. Several events in the region were postponed or cancelled during 2026, so check each organiser’s notices before you book transport. If your dates change, we adjust the quote.
Planning this trip? Tell us the date and group size for a fixed price.
Get a quoteWhich show is where, December 2026
This is the release’s list in date order. Where another source differs, the last column says so.
| Show | Dates in the release | Venue | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13th EPOMEC (ophthalmology conference) | No dates printed | DWTC | Check the organiser |
| Jewellery and Bride Arabia | 3 to 6 Dec | DWTC | Organiser lists Main Exhibition Halls 5, 6 and 7 |
| Gallery of Dreams | 3 to 9 Dec | DWTC | |
| Gitex Global Summit | 4 to 8 Dec | DWTC | Our GITEX two-venue guide gives Monday 7 December for the Summit day |
| Sign and Graphic Imaging M.E. | 7 to 9 Dec | DWTC | |
| Expand North Star | 8 to 10 Dec | DEC | From DEC’s what’s-on list |
| GITEX Global | 8 to 11 Dec | DEC | North and South Halls, says DEC |
| UITP MENA Conference | 9 to 10 Dec | DWTC | Sources disagree: see below |
| MEBAA Show Dubai | 10 to 12 Dec | DWTC | Two sources disagree: see below |
| ISAT (aviation training summit) | 14 to 15 Dec | Not stated | Check the organiser |
| Asia Baby Children Maternity Exhibition, International Appliance and Electronics Show, China Products Fair | 15 to 17 Dec | Not stated | Check the organisers |
The release does not say who may enter each show, and we found no daily hours for most, so we print none. Check entry rules with each organiser.
Where the sources disagree
Three entries need a second look. UITP, the public transport association, lists its MENA Conference for 7 to 8 December 2026 at the World Trade Center in Dubai. The release says 9 to 10 December. We follow the organiser, and you should too.
The MEBAA Show is the second. The release lists 10 to 12 December. Our MEBAA Show guide records the organiser’s own dates of 8 to 10 December and the Dubai Airshow Site at Al Maktoum International Airport as the venue. The two venues are far apart, so confirm both date and venue with the organiser.
The third is the Summit day of GITEX, shown in the table. When dates are in doubt, plan from the organiser’s own page and tell us which one you used.
How far the venues are from the hotel areas
These are approximate drive times from our routing model, built on OpenStreetMap data, run on 31 October 2026. They assume free-flow roads, with no traffic and no event closures, and the point used for DEC is central, not a hall entrance. Treat them as the quickest case.
| Route (modelled) | Distance | Drive time, no traffic |
|---|---|---|
| DWTC to DEC | About 40 km | About 36 minutes |
| Dubai Marina to DEC | About 18.5 km | About 25 minutes |
| Downtown Dubai to DEC | About 37 km | About 34 minutes |
| Dubai Airport (DXB) to DEC | About 52 km | About 56 minutes |
Our guides to Marina and JBR hotels to Expo City, Downtown and Business Bay hotels to the GITEX venues and Dubai Airport to Expo City cover each leg.
The days that overlap
By the release’s dates, 8 and 9 December are the first days when both venues are busy: GITEX Global and Expand North Star open at DEC on 8 December, while Sign and Graphic Imaging runs at DWTC until 9 December.
Expo City also starts its Winter City evenings on 11 December, the last day of GITEX Global, on the same site. Our GITEX Global visitor guide covers the show itself.
What is not published
We found no dates for EPOMEC, no venue for ISAT or the three consumer shows, and no hall plans or visitor rules for most shows. We found no joint shuttle between the venues and no coach bay or drop-off at either.
That matters for a group, because a coach needs to know where it may stop. We agree a drop-off point and a collection point with you once the organiser or the venue publishes them, and we cannot promise a stop at any hall entrance. The access detail for DWTC is on our DWTC event transport page.
Planning the days
For an example, a buyer group staying in Dubai Marina plans one day at GITEX Global at DEC, which is about 25 minutes away by our model, and one day at a DWTC show. A day that uses both venues is a different job: the model puts them about 36 minutes apart with no traffic, so add the walk out of one hall, the walk into the other and a margin for the road, and it is a planned move, not a quick hop. Your own shows, group size and hotel will change the sum.
If the group splits across both venues, tell us at the start. The Metro and coach guide shows what suits each. We supply the vehicle and a driver. A licensed guide can be arranged for a fee: ask when you request a quote.
Choosing the vehicle
Count passengers first, then bags and sample cases. Our guide figures:
- Mercedes V-Class: up to 7 passengers and 6 bags.
- 13-seater HiAce: up to 13 passengers and about 10 suitcases.
- Mercedes Sprinter: up to 16 passengers and up to 12 suitcases.
- 30-seater mini coach and 50-seater coach for delegations and larger buyer parties. Tell us if you carry samples or boxes, and we confirm what fits.
How a booked vehicle fits
- Send the plan. Dates, the show names, the hotel area, party size and the hours you must make.
- Ask for a fixed written quote. Nothing is charged until you confirm.
- Read the pick-up and drop-off arrangement. The quote states it, and we update it when the organiser publishes its notices.
- Agree the return time. We plan the margin and tell you what is not yet published.
- Tell us if plans change. We adjust where we can, and cannot promise to beat queues or traffic.
Keep reading
- Dubai November 2026 shows: DWTC or DEC: Dubai in November 2026: which of the 20 shows is at Dubai World Trade Centre and which at the Dubai Exhibition Centre, which days overlap, and how far apart the two venues are.
- GITEX two venues in five days: GITEX Global 2026 starts at Dubai World Trade Centre on 7 December and moves to Expo City on 8 December. How the Metro, the organiser shuttle and a private vehicle handle the move.
- DWTC event transport: Getting to Dubai World Trade Centre for a show: Metro, taxis, parking, and when a pre-booked shuttle for exhibitor crews and delegates is the better plan.
- Downtown and Business Bay hotels to GITEX: Staying in Downtown Dubai or Business Bay for GITEX Global 2026: a short hop to DWTC on 7 December, a longer run to Expo City from 8 to 11 December, and when a vehicle helps.
- UAE National Day 2026 plan for visitors: The National Day dates, what is still unannounced, what ran in 2025 and how a visiting group can plan a Dubai break around 2 and 3 December.
- Gulfood 2027 two-venue day: Seeing both Gulfood venues in one day: the 40 km between DWTC and Expo City, the Metro, the organiser’s shuttle and when one private driver makes the day simpler.
Frequently asked.
Quick answers for this trip.
Which December 2026 shows are at the Dubai Exhibition Centre?
GITEX Global, 8 to 11 December, and Expand North Star, 8 to 10 December, according to DEC’s own what’s-on list. The Dubai World Trade Centre release of 19 August 2026 puts most other named December shows at DWTC. Check each organiser’s notices before you book transport, since several regional events were postponed or cancelled this year.
Which dates are right for UITP MENA and the MEBAA Show?
The sources disagree on both. UITP lists 7 to 8 December, and the DWTC release says 9 to 10. For MEBAA the release says 10 to 12 December at DWTC, and the organiser’s dates in our guide are 8 to 10 December at the Dubai Airshow Site. Confirm with each organiser.
How far is DWTC from the Dubai Exhibition Centre?
Our routing model gives about 40 km and about 36 minutes with no traffic. Allow more on show days.
Is there a shuttle between the two venues?
We found none published. Read each organiser’s notices, and ask us for a written quote if your group needs to move between the venues on one day.
Can I go to two shows on one pass?
We found nothing that says so. Entry rules belong to each organiser, so ask the organiser of each show.
Can you collect us at the airport and take us to a show?
Yes, if you tell us the flight, the date and the venue. Your written quote states the meeting arrangement for the airport, so you know it before you fly. Our big group arrival guide covers larger parties.
How do I get a price?
Ask for a fixed written quote through the booking form with the dates, show names, hotel area and party size. Nothing is charged until you confirm.
Your December shows, one planned route.
Two questions now, a fixed price in your inbox shortly after.