Ghafa Is Turning Festival Arena Into A Giant Local Playground
The new three-day indoor event combines UAE brands, regional food, skill games and live leaderboards.
yapped Editors · Sep 15, 2026 · Updated Sep 23, 2026 · 3 min read
Quick facts
- When
- 25–27 September 2026
- Where
- Festival Arena, Dubai Festival City
- Adult day ticket
- AED 20
- Three-day pass
- AED 35
Dubai has plenty of markets where you browse, buy a coffee and leave with a candle you didn’t know you needed.
Ghafa wants a little more participation.
Running from Friday 25 to Sunday 27 September, the new indoor event takes over 6,500 square metres of Festival Arena. Expect UAE brands, regional food and coffee, live entertainment, skill games and an interactive challenge that turns browsing into a competition.
The marketplace focuses on local brands and makers. The final line-up is still being released, but the pitch is clear: discover homegrown businesses, eat something good and become unusually invested in a leaderboard.
How Does The Game Work?
Every ticket holder can claim a Ghafa ID and receives 100 voting points.
Use those points to support participating businesses across five award categories. Visitors can vote by scanning QR codes at event kiosks or browsing the categories, then watch the rankings change on live leaderboards throughout the weekend.
Challenges and skill games also let visitors collect Ghafa Coins, level up and compete for rewards.
For clarity, Ghafa Coins are not real money. Nobody is leaving Festival Arena with a promising new investment portfolio.
The prizes and further competition details haven’t been announced yet.
“Discover local businesses, eat something good and become unusually invested in a leaderboard.”
What Is There To Eat?
Food and coffee concepts from across the region will take over part of the event floor.
The full vendor list is still under wraps, so this isn’t the time to arrive emotionally committed to one particular sandwich.
Treat lunch as part of the browsing. Find a local brand, try something new and use the leaderboard as permission to become briefly competitive about coffee.
How Much Are Tickets?
Adult day tickets cost AED20 for visitors aged 13 and over. A three-day pass costs AED35 per person.
Children under 11 can attend all three days for AED5. Published ticket information doesn’t make the category for children aged 11 and 12 clear, so families should confirm before booking.
Admission includes access to the marketplace, interactive game system, competitions, sponsor activations, entertainment and activities.
Ghafa’s best idea is that shopping isn’t the entire assignment. You can eat, play, vote and watch the rankings move. Useful if you normally reach the third market stall and start wondering what else there is to do.