Free stuff in the UAE

Garmin is hosting a free two-day fitness festival at AllSports Arena in Al Quoz, Dubai on 14 and 15 November. Over 10,000 participants are expected, so registration is first come first served. Sports on offer include Football, Cricket, Basketball, Volleyball, Badminton, Padel, Table Tennis and Swimming. Each person can sign up for one competitive sport and also join the Walk-a-thon, Fitness Challenge or Kids Activity on top of that. Register through the link.

Wafi City is running three days of free Halloween family activities from 30 October to 1 November. Monster Games and Trick-or-Treat Challenges are on across all three days, where kids collect passport stickers and treats at participating shops including Khan Murjan Souk for chances to win prizes. Timings: Friday 30 Oct: 4PM to 8PM Saturday 31 Oct and Sunday 1 Nov: 12PM to 7PM There is also a Costume Competition on Saturday and Sunday from 4PM to 7PM, with four categories: Cutest, Scariest, Overall Best, and Most Creative (Family). Daily prizes are up for grabs, but registration closes at 3PM each day so get there early. Magic Planet, VOX Cinemas, Cold Stone Creamery and NomNoms Candy are all part of it too. Register at wafi.com to sign up.

Times Square Center in Dubai is hosting Haunted Timesylvania from 29 October to 1 November, 12PM to 7PM daily. Everything is free. What's on across the four days: Free trick-or-treating throughout the mall Creepy crafts for kids Spooky face painting (12PM - 6PM daily) Frank-tastic Magic Lab with Magic Phil and Friends at Picnic Square, 6PM daily On 1 November at 5PM, there's also a Kids' Halloween Costume Competition hosted by Magic Phil, with prize bundles for the best-dressed. At Times Square Center, Dubai.

Bookends DSO is hosting a free open mic night called Sing Through the Decades on Friday 23 October from 5:30 PM. Entry is free for all ages, with a pay-what-you-can contribution on the night. You can perform solo, as a duo, or do a guitar jam. To register, comment MUSIC on the Instagram post or send them a DM. Put together in collaboration with Sellah and La Musiqaa.

Angel Cakes Dubai is giving away a free Clarins Lip Perfector when you buy a cake slice and a drink from their Whimsy Collection. The cake options are Keto Cheesecake, Napoleon, or Pistachio-Cherry, and the drinks are the Confetti Americano, Sprinkle Coffee Cream, or Sprinkle Matcha Cream. Running until 31st October at their three Dubai locations: Dubai Mall (Fashion Avenue, Level 2), Dubai Hills Park, and Bluewaters Island. The Clarins gifts are limited, so worth going earlier in the promo.

PacSun and SOIL are doing a pop-up at Mall of the Emirates on Thursday 23 and Friday 24 October, from 2 PM to 8 PM. Shop in-store at PacSun during those hours and you get a free froyo from SOIL, a UAE-based healthy food brand.

izil Beauty is giving away a free Argan Makeup Remover & Cleansing Balm (100ml, normally around AED 219), no purchase needed. Just register online through the link and then claim your gift in store or on their website. Available in store at: Dubai Mall Dubai Hills Mall Zahia City Center Abu Dhabi Mall Bawabat Al Sharq Mall Also claimable online at izilbeauty.com.

Doers Summit is a two-day event for founders, investors and operators happening on 25-26 November at Dubai Digital Park, Dubai Silicon Oasis. There are 100+ speakers this year including people from Meta, Spotify, NVIDIA, ElevenLabs, Airalo and Endeavor, across 2 stages with hackathons, workshops, roundtables and investor meetings on the side. A regular Doer Pass (General Access) goes for around €200 (about AED 800), but you can grab one free using the code WANTED26 at doerssummit.com/tickets. The pass gets you into all presentation areas and the expo, the networking app, selected side events and the food market. Only 25 passes are available, so the earlier you use the code the better.

The Ripe Market is offering free stall participation for young entrepreneurs aged 8 to 17 at their Ripe Next Gen Pop-Up Market on Saturday 24 October at Academy Park, Dubai. Normally a paid setup, but this date is free. Everything is covered: a white Ripe Market pop-up tent, lighting, power, table and tablecloth. Kids just need to bring their own handmade or original products to sell. It runs from 4 PM to 8 PM. Spaces are limited so you need to register in advance. They also have upcoming Next Gen Markets on 14 November and 12 December, but the free participation is only for the 24 October date.

Angel Cakes has teamed up with Clarins, and until 31 October, buying any cake plus a drink from their Whimsy Collection gets you a free Clarins Lip Perfector as a gift. It retails around AED 100-130 at Faces and Bloomingdale's. Gifts are limited. Cakes are AED 55 each (Keto Cheesecake, Napoleon, Pistachio-Cherry) and Whimsy Collection drinks run from AED 35 (Confetti Americano) to AED 49 (Sprinkle Matcha Cream), so around AED 90 minimum to qualify. They also have bento cake decoration workshops this month across Dubai, all from 2:00 to 3:30 PM. Materials, a drink and a Clarins goodie bag are included. Dates: 22 Oct (Thursday) at Bluewaters 26 Oct (Monday) at Creek Harbour 30 Oct (Friday) at Dubai Hills Park Book at angelcakes.setmore.com.

Al Ghurair Centre is running a free Pink October wellness event at their Grand Atrium, with Canadian Specialist Hospital Clinics on the health screening side and MetroFitt Gym handling the fitness sessions. Health screenings are available daily from 10am to 10pm, and there are evening fitness sessions from 8 to 9pm. Also running throughout: health awareness sessions, panel discussions, and giveaways with vouchers. No registration mentioned, so just walk in. On until 31st October at the Grand Atrium, Al Ghurair Centre.

Town Centre Jumeirah is running a free Halloween circus event on 23 and 24 October, 4PM to 7PM both days. No booking needed, just show up. Show schedule: 4:00-4:25 PM: Halloween Magic Show 4:25-4:50 PM: Spooky Circus Spectacular 4:50-5:50 PM: Costume Contest & Catwalk 5:50-6:10 PM: Haunted Mime & Comedy Show 6:10-6:40 PM: Mad Scientist Show 6:40-7:00 PM: Halloween Parade & Closing There's also face painting, trick-or-treat, popcorn, cotton candy and Halloween treats around the event.

Silicon Central in Dubai Silicon Oasis is running free daily kids activities called Innovators Island until the 27th of October. Entry is free and you just register on the spot, no advance booking needed. Activities include Build a Boat, Inventors Lab, Wind & Water Lab, Rescue Mission and more. Running daily from 4 PM to 10 PM.

Oakley Community Club is hosting a free fun run at SeaWorld Yas Island, Abu Dhabi on 31 October 2026. Pick your distance, 2.5 km, 5 km, or 10 km, and it's a family-friendly morning with a spooky season theme. Registration is free. Over 600 people had already signed up as of 17 October with around 100 spots remaining at that point, so worth locking in your spot sooner rather than later. Sign up through the link below.

The UAE Ministry of Family has partnered with Fazaa to offer complimentary discount memberships to all resident families with children throughout 2026 as part of the "Year of the Family 2026" initiative. We are truly blessed to be living in UAE with these types of leaders. Who Can Apply? Resident families in the UAE Must have at least one child (son or daughter) in UAE The initiative includes the provision of: Platinum Membership for large families with four or more children, or families that include a Person of Determination. Gold Membership for small families with one to three children. Silver Membership for Emirati newly formed families. Discount membership for Resident families. Valid throughout 2026 (expires December 31 2026)

Emirates NBD has set up Pink ATMs across Dubai for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, offering a free breast cancer screening through Aster Hospital. No need to be an Emirates NBD customer. To book, find a Pink ATM and scan the QR code on the machine. You can also book online at emiratesnbd.com/en/promotions/breast-cancer-awareness. Pink ATM locations in Dubai: Jumeirah Al Wasl Al Muraqqabat Deira Al Quoz Al Qusais Umm Suqeim Business Bay Al Barsha Al Qiyadah Sheikh Zayed Road BurJuman (Bank Street) Mall

Fairmont Bab Al Bahr is hosting a free outdoor movement session called "Move in Pink" on Friday 31st October from 7AM to 9AM, in collaboration with THE BRIDGE Wellness Hub. It's part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month and takes place on the Falcon Lawn at the hotel in Abu Dhabi. After the session, you can also get 20% off breakfast at Mazaj Bab Al Bahr. Open to all but spots are limited, so worth registering early through the link.

Yas Island's "Kids Go Free" offer is back (they previously had it during summer months). If you book any participating hotel with 2 paying adults, you get 2 kids (under 12) to stay for free in your room, get free theme park access (all parks), and eat free on the same meal plan. It is valid for stays booked by October 31. Great for those planning to stay here over summer. The theme park tickets alone are AED 300+ per kid, so this adds up fast if you were planning a trip anyway.

Marina Home has teamed up with Crumb & Co to give out a free exclusive Brown Butter & Spiced Toffee cookie paired with a freshly brewed espresso where no purchase needed it seems. Available every Friday and Saturday from 4–7 PM until 31st October at their showrooms in Mall of the Emirates, Dubai Mall, City Centre Mirdiff, and their flagship on Umm Suqeim Street.

GemQuest is a kids activity pop-up running in the Main Atrium at Khalidiyah Mall in Abu Dhabi. There are 5 stations to keep them busy: Builder's Workshop, Gem Mining Station, LED Gaming Zone, Lockup Challenge, and Pixel Art Mosaic World. Entry is free. You just need to show a same-day receipt (or a few combined) from the mall totalling AED 50 or more to get access for that day. Open daily from 12 PM to 9 PM, running until 1st November.

Every Friday until December 11th, kids can enjoy free Chicken Tenders with Fries at the IKEA Restaurant as long as their parents are IKEA Family members. Available from 11:30am until 3pm. If you haven't signed up for IKEA Family yet, it's free to join.

Saravanaa Bhavan is running a daily evening offer: buy any coffee or tea and get a vada for free. Available every day from 3 to 5 PM, dine-in only. Spread across 18 branches in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah, Bur Dubai, Central Mall, Karama, Oud Metha, Deira, Al Quoz, Al Nahdha, Al Barsha, BurJuman, Business Bay, Discovery Garden, Al Qusais, Al Rigga, Abu Dhabi Madinat Zayed, Abu Dhabi Musaffah, Sharjah Abu Shagara, Clock Tower, and Lulu Muweila.

Take online courses from the world’s top universities for free. Below, you will find 1,700 free online courses from universities like Yale, MIT, Harvard, Oxford and more. Note: This page includes a lot of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). If you want to enroll in a free version of a MOOC, please select the “Full Course, No Certificate” (edX) or “Audit” (Coursera) option. If you take the course for a certificate/credential, you’ll be charged a fee, and we will receive a commission from our affiliate partners–Coursera, FutureLearn and edX. Examples (I had to cut off half way due to too many chars) Humanities & Social Sciences Archaeology Courses Archaeology: from Dig to Lab and Beyond — Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) — University of Reading Hannibal — Free Online Course — Patrick Hunt, Stanford Pyramids of Giza: Ancient Egyptian Art and Archaeology — Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) — Peter Der Manuelian, Harvard Roman Art and Archaeology — Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) — David Soren, University of Arizona The Changing Landscape of Ancient Rome. Archaeology and History of the Palatine Hill — Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) — Sapienza University of Rome Wonders of Ancient Egypt — Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) — David P. Silverman, University of Pennsylvania Architecture Courses Architecture Studio: Building in Landscapes — Free Online Course — Jan Wampler, MIT History of Architecture - Free Online Course — Jacqueline Gargus, Ohio State Making Architecture — Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) — IE School of Architecture and Design Roman Architecture — Free Online Course - Diana E. E. Kleiner, Yale Sustainability in Architecture: An Interdisciplinary Introduction — Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) — University Polytechnic Valencia The Architectural Imagination — Free Online Video — Multiple instructors, Harvard Theory of City Form — Free Online Course — Julian Beinart, MIT Art & Art History Courses Aesthetics & the Philosophy of Art - Free Online Video — James Grant, Oxford University Art Through Time: A Global View — Free Online Video — Annenberg Media Digital Photography — Free Online Course — Dan Armendariz, Harvard Effective Fundraising and Leadership in Arts and Culture — Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) — University of Leeds European Paintings: From Leonardo to Rembrandt to Goya — Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) — Universidad Carlos III de Madrid Fashion as Design — Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) — Museum of Modern Art Foundations of American Cyber-Culture — Free Online Video — UC Berkeley In the Studio: Postwar Abstract Painting — Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) — Museum of Modern Art Intentional Public Disruptions: Art, Responsibility, and Pedagogy — Free Online Video — Stephen Carpenter II and Lawrence Susskind, MIT Introduction to Digital Photography — Free Online Course — Marc Levoy, Stanford/Google Introduction to Visual Design - Free Online Course — Carnegie Mellon Introduction to Visual Thinking — Free Online Video — John McNamara, UC Berkeley Islamic Calligraphy: An Introduction to the Art of Handwriting — Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) — University of Malaya Italian Renaissance — Free Online Course — Dr. Vida Hull, East Tennessee State University Italic Calligraphy & Handwriting — Free Online Course — Lloyd Reynolds, Reed College Let This Be a Lesson: Heroes, Heroines & Narrative in Paintings at Yale — Free Online Video — John Walsh, Yale Modern Art & Ideas — Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) — Museum of Modern Art Photography Lectures from the School of Visual Arts (SVA) — Free Online Lectures Seeing Through Photographs — Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) - Museum of Modern Art Sexing the Canvas: Art and Gender — Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) — University of Melbourne SmARThistory Video Lectures — Free Online Video/Audio — Beth Harris, MoMA & Steven Zucker, Pratt Institute Teaching Critical Thinking through Art with the National Gallery of Art — Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) The Elements of Drawing — Free Online Course — Stephen Farthing, Oxford University What Is Contemporary Art? — Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) — Museum of Modern Art Words Spun Out of Images: Visual and Literary Culture in Nineteenth Century Japan — Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) — The University of Tokyo

You can take four courses for free at Columbia University thanks to a 100% discount coupon. Each course is priced at $99 USD. After enrollment, you have one year of access to the course. If you wish to purchase a certificate, it costs $20 USD but is optional. Courses: AI Cybersecurity & Governance Foundations of Blockchain Decentralized Finance: Markets, Protocols, and Design Prompt Engineering & Programming with OpenAI Steps: Go to the offer link Register with email and password Click on Enroll Use the code CYBER26 The price will drop from $99 USD to $0. You will receive the access link in your email later.

Lucky Voice is hosting free salsa and bachata lessons every Thursday, with Project Baila teaching the basics from 7pm to 9pm. No partner needed and no previous experience required. Where: Lucky Voice Dubai, Grand Millennium Hotel Barsha Heights When: Every Thursday from 7pm to 9pm

The UAE Artificial Intelligence Office, in partnership with Google, is giving registered university students in the UAE a free one year subscription to Google AI Plus. This gives you access to Google Gemini and several AI-powered study tools. You need to be 18 or above and registered at a university in the UAE. You have until December 31, 2026 to claim it. Link:

You can currently use Photoshop for FREE for 1 year through an offer in India, without needing a VPN.

One of my favourite events has just opened up their registration again. In short, a bunch of free fitness activities for us. We are blessed and very lucky to be here in the UAE Dubai Fitness Challenge is back for 2026! From October 31 to November 29, there are 30 days of free fitness activities across the city. Just pick your 30x30 challenge and get moving.

Anthropic has an interesting promotion for startups. If you are accepted into the Claude for Startups program, you will receive (which I got accepted into from the UAE): 1 year Claude Team free For up to 5 Premium users $1,000 Claude API credit Additional partner deals with a combined value of up to $45,000 Useful for startups that use Claude for, for example, programming, automation, AI features, research, or other business applications. Terms and Conditions Your startup was founded in the past 5 years , or has received funding in the past 2 years. You do not need external investors; startups built entirely with their own resources can also apply. You need a business website You use a business email address associated with your website's domain. You need a Claude Console account The application is being assessed by Anthropic; therefore, admission is not guaranteed. The free Claude Team offer applies only to organizations that are new to Claude Team. The $1,000 API credit is valid for 6 months after allocation. The mentioned $45,000 in partner deals is the maximum combined value of various offers and discounts. Which of these are relevant or available to your startup may vary. In short: if you meet the conditions and are approved, you get 1 year of Claude Team + $1,000 API credit for free .

For those looking to further develop their IT skills: Cisco offers a substantial range of free online training courses through the Cisco Networking Academy. This is not just a single course, but an entire catalog of training at various levels. You can get started with, among others: Cybersecurity AI & Data Science Networking Python and programming IT Support Cisco Packet Tracer Digital Literacy. Many training courses are fully self-paced, so you can simply follow them at your own pace from home. There are both short beginner courses of a few hours and more extensive programs of dozens of hours. A few examples: Introduction to Cybersecurity : A free beginner course in which you learn the basics of cybersecurity, online safety, attacks, vulnerabilities, and network security. By now, more than 10 million people have enrolled in this course. Introduction to Modern AI: A 6-hour beginner course on AI, machine learning, LLMs, prompting, computer vision, and the practical use of chatbots. Data Science Essentials with Python: A 40-hour course in which you use Python, Pandas, and Matplotlib, among other technologies, for data analysis. In addition, you will find various networking and Packet Tracer training courses and learning paths that align with certifications such as CCNA and CCST. For several courses, you will also receive a digital completion certificate upon successful completion.

Every Saturday from 5:45 to 7:00 PM, Al Qasba hosts a free community run in Sharjah. Its open to everyone and free to join, you just need to register via the link in their bio. A good way to stay active and meet people who are into running :)

Not so applicable for us residents but if you got friends or family visiting UAE, through Etihad, they are now eligible for complimentary medical travel insurance (up to 15 days). This is valid from July until December 2026. I guess this is part of the effort, to encourage visitors to visit the UAE. Very nice work by Etihad team!

Free outdoor movie nights are back at JLT Park (Cluster Q) every Saturday until the 30th of January. They are showing family-friendly films like Paddington in Peru, Tangled, Toy Story and Moana 2 under the stars. Full list on the link on their website. You can bring your own food, chair or picnic mat. Popcorn and drinks are also available to buy on-site (30 AED for a good beanbag seat and popcorn) Movies start from 7:30pm onwards.

Al Maya Island is a private island just a 10-12 minute boat ride from Abu Dhabi. Entry for ladies is free until 3PM, and kids under 12 are also free. For adults, entry is 250 AED but 100 AED of that is redeemable on food and beverages, so effectively 150 AED out of pocket. The island has one of Abu Dhabi's longest private beaches, a large pool, and apparently gazelles roaming around freely (pretty cool). Boats run every hour from Al Maya Boat Jetty.

During Breast Cancer Awareness Month (October), if you buy any drink at Let it Dough!, you get a free mini doughnut for free. Dine-in only though, so you can't get this on delivery or takeaway. Runs until end of October :)

Géant Motor City in collaboration with TULA is hosting a free mat pilates session every Saturday at 7AM. Just show up, get some movement in, and start your weekend on a good note. Registration link is linked

Free 3GB eSIM 45+ countries Download Opera for Android Click on the user icon on the bottom edge Find the eSIM tab Select the destination country It will configure the card Country List: Albania, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Montenegro, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Türkiye, the United Kingdom and the United States.

There is a K-Town pop-up happening at Dubai Outlet Mall with two spots worth checking out. First, TAON is bringing Korean food and snacks all the way from Abu Dhabi for their only Dubai pop-up. Second, Seoul Good is giving out free Korean fried chicken and ice cream every day at 5PM.

Adobe for Claude expanded last week to include more than 80 professional Adobe tools, bringing features from Acrobat, Photoshop, Lightroom, Illustrator, Premiere, Adobe Express, Firefly, InDesign, Adobe Stock and more, directly to Claude. This includes things like editing images, creating designs, working with PDFs, editing and resizing videos, etc. These tools are available to all Claude users, and you don't need a paid Adobe subscription to use them. A free Adobe account unlocks additional tools , higher usage limits, and the ability to save your work, although some advanced Adobe features do require a paid plan. For a start: OpenClaudeon the web or in the desktop app. Select Customize -> Plugins. Search for Adobe and install it. Go to the Connectors tab and select Connect . Sign in with your Adobe account, or continue as a guest. Type /Adobe in a new conversation with Claude to start using the tools.

Padel Pro is giving first-time players a free padel session at either their Al Quoz or One Central locations. You can choose from three time slots: 7–8am, 4–5pm, or 10–11pm. Contact them on WhatsApp to book: Al Quoz +97143277762 One Central +971504065598

Right now on Amazon Audible, you can hear the first book for free. From 1 September through 31 October, stream this edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.

Fly over! 100KM! Mountains! The game is changing its business model; currently Free To Play, it will become a paid game starting November 16th! If you haven't added it to your library yet, you can add it for free before November 16, 2026.

BinSina Pharmacy has teamed up with Lilly for a series of free health events across Dubai this October. You can get a free BMI check and a free nutritionist consultation at any of the locations below. They also have a QR code to book an online teleconsultation if you prefer that. Dates and locations: 10–11 October Dubai Mall Zabeel Extension Arabian Ranches 2 17–18 October Mall of the Emirates Dubai Mall Lower Ground 24–25 October Mirdif City Centre Dubai Mall First Floor

For Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Boxica is giving free classes every Thursday in October. the only rule is you have to show up wearing pink. Available at both their Palm and Studio City locations. To claim your spot: Download the Boxica app WhatsApp them to secure your spot (on +971554838361) Show up in pink Guys are welcome too, not just the ladies. Runs every Thursday throughout October so there are still a few Thursdays left!