A ten-day art route, across many venues.
ISEA2026 Dubai is a symposium on electronic and emerging art, and its live programme of works runs in person from 6 to 15 November 2026. The works are spread over many venues, from Dubai Mall to Dubai Creek and Expo City. If you bring an art society, a university art department or a gallery party, this page gives you what the organiser has published, what it has not, and how one vehicle can chain the venues in a day.
What the organiser says
ISEA2026 is the 31st International Symposium on Electronic/Emerging Art, with the theme “ELYAH: Constellating Place, Data and Identity”. The Dubai Culture and Arts Authority organises it with Zayed University. The symposium site says the dates are 6 to 15 November 2026, and shows a notice that it moved from 10 to 19 April 2026. It gives no reason, so we give none.
It has two parts. The core academic programme runs from 6 to 14 November and is held fully online, so nobody needs to travel for it and this page does not cover it. The Live Artistic Programme runs in person from 6 to 15 November. The organiser describes it as free to attend with registration required, and says it shows more than 100 selected artworks.
Two sources disagree on the dates. A calendar release from the Dubai World Trade Centre group lists ISEA as 7 to 18 November. The symposium’s own site and the Visit Dubai calendar both say 6 to 15 November, so we use those. Several events in the region were postponed or cancelled in 2026. Check the organiser’s notices before you book transport. If dates change, we adjust a quote. We are not the organiser’s transport provider and not a partner of the symposium.
Planning this trip? Tell us the date and group size for a fixed price.
Get a quoteThe venues and their hours
The site says the live programme is shown at 20 venues. Its by-venue page names 13, and the hours below are the symposium’s own. For the others it gives none, so we give none. Check the organiser’s current notice before you fix a time.
| Venue | Area | Dates and hours the symposium lists |
|---|---|---|
| ARTE Museum | Dubai Mall, Downtown Dubai | 6 to 15 Nov, 10:00 to 22:00 |
| Theatre of Digital Art (TODA) | Madinat Jumeirah | 6 to 10 Nov, 10:00 to 22:00 |
| Kanvas | Al Khayat Art Avenue, Al Quoz | 6 to 10 Nov, 10:00 to 17:00 |
| The Foundry | Downtown Boulevard | 6 to 10 Nov, 10:00 to 17:00 |
| Al Wasl Plaza Dome | Expo City Dubai | 8 to 15 Nov, 19:00 to 22:00 |
| Al Shindagha Museum | Dubai Creek | 6 to 15 Nov, 10:00 to 22:00 |
| DIFC, The Gate | Financial District | 12 Nov only, no hours listed |
| Etihad Museum | 1st Street, Jumeirah | 8 to 10 Nov, no hours listed |
The other five named venues are Dubai Design District, Al Wasl Façade and House of Arts at Expo City, Al Safa Library and Zayed University, with no dates or hours in the text we could read. Note that four of the main venues end on 10 November, so a later arrival shortens the list.
What the symposium says about Metro and taxis
ISEA publishes a draft visitor guide. It says every activation can be reached by Metro followed by a short walk or a taxi, and it names a station for each venue: the Red Line to Burj Khalifa / Dubai Mall for ARTE Museum and The Foundry, the Red Line to Mall of the Emirates and then a taxi for TODA, the Red Line to Expo 2020 for Al Wasl, and the Green Line to Al Ghubaiba for Al Shindagha. It tells visitors to confirm entrances and opening times before they travel.
That works for one or two people. A party of 15 students moving between four venues in a day is a different job, because each change of line costs time and the group splits. Our guide on when to combine the Metro and a coach shows which parts of a day suit each.
How far apart the venues are, as modelled
The symposium publishes no drive times, so these are our own, from OpenStreetMap routing with no traffic and no event closures. They are modelled, from approximate points, and the quickest case. Add time at busy hours.
| Between | Distance | Modelled drive, no traffic |
|---|---|---|
| Dubai Mall and Madinat Jumeirah (TODA) | About 15.6 km | About 14 minutes |
| Dubai Mall and Al Quoz (Kanvas) | About 11.9 km | About 12 minutes |
| Kanvas and Madinat Jumeirah | About 6.6 km | About 9 minutes |
| Dubai Mall and Al Shindagha (Creek) | About 10.6 km | About 13 minutes |
| Dubai Mall and Expo City (Al Wasl) | About 26.3 km | About 25 minutes |
| Etihad Museum and Dubai Mall | About 6.2 km | About 9 minutes |
We have no separate figure for The Foundry, which is on Downtown Boulevard close to Dubai Mall. Downtown, Al Quoz and Madinat Jumeirah are short hops apart. Expo City is the longer run.
What is not published
We found no entrance, coach drop-off or parking text for any venue, and the visitor guide is marked as a draft. So we cannot say where a coach may stop, and we do not guess. We agree a drop-off point and a collection point with you once they are published, and we cannot promise a stop at an entrance. Ask the organiser how its registration treats a group.
Planning the day
Start with the venues you must see, then check which close first. Here is an example sum, not a promise. A university group staying in Downtown plans Monday 9 November. Kanvas opens at 10:00, so the group leaves at about 9:15, which allows the modelled 12 minutes plus a margin. TODA at Madinat Jumeirah is about 9 minutes on. Dubai Mall and its ARTE Museum are about 14 minutes after that, with The Foundry close by. The Foundry and Kanvas both close at 17:00, so they come first. The evening could end at the Al Wasl Plaza Dome, listed from 19:00 on 9 November, about 25 minutes from Dubai Mall. Your venues, hours and group size will change this.
Give the group one return time in writing, and tell us if it splits, because two returns need two vehicles. For a day that also takes in the old town, see the Creek, souks and abra half day. For permanent galleries, our contemporary art day covers Alserkal Avenue and Jameel Arts Centre.
A licensed guide can be arranged for a fee: ask when you request a quote. Our driver is not a guide.
Choosing the vehicle
Count passengers first, then any cases or portfolios. 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 an art school or a society party.
How a booked vehicle fits
- Send the plan. Dates, hotel area, party size, any cases or portfolios and the venues 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 venues publish their 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
- World Art Dubai 2026 group transport: World Art Dubai, 19 to 22 November 2026 at the Dubai World Trade Centre: the afternoon-to-evening hours, the organiser’s own travel notes and a late-night return plan for an art group.
- Art Dubai 2027 group transport: Art Dubai 2027, 7 to 11 April at Madinat Jumeirah: the preview and public days, the venue, modelled drive times from the main hotel areas and what the fair has not yet published.
- Art group day: Jameel Arts Centre and Alserkal Avenue: An art society or university group can see Jameel Arts Centre and Alserkal Avenue in one day. Group booking rules, hours, entrances, parking and modelled drive times between the two, about 21 km apart.
- City tour by private minibus: A one-day Dubai city tour route for a group, how a private minibus compares with a hop-on hop-off bus, and what each option costs per head.
- 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.
Frequently asked.
Quick answers for this trip.
When is ISEA2026 Dubai?
The symposium site gives 6 to 15 November 2026, with the live art programme in person. One calendar release lists different dates, so check the organiser’s notices before you book transport.
How far apart are the main venues?
Our routing model with no traffic gives about 12 minutes from Dubai Mall to Al Quoz, 14 to Madinat Jumeirah, 13 to Al Shindagha and 25 to Expo City. Add time at busy hours.
Can a coach stop at each venue?
We found no coach drop-off or parking text for any venue. We agree a drop-off point and a collection point with you once they are published, and we cannot promise a stop at an entrance.
Should the group use the Metro instead?
The symposium suggests Metro plus a short walk or taxi. That suits a few people. A group that wants several venues in a day often prefers one vehicle. Our Metro and coach guide explains the trade-off.
Can you collect us at the airport?
Yes, if you tell us the flight and the date. Your written quote states the meeting arrangement for the airport, so you know it before you fly. See Dubai Airport to Downtown Dubai.
How do I get a price?
Ask for a fixed written quote through the booking form with the dates, hotel area, party size and venues. Nothing is charged until you confirm.
Across the venues, one planned day.
Two questions now, a fixed price in your inbox shortly after.