The Dubai Fountain is the world’s largest musical fountain and the city’s most popular free tourist attraction.
It is set on the Burj Khalifa Lake in Downtown Dubai, between the Dubai Mall, Souk Al Bahar, and the Burj Khalifa.
The fountain consists of a 275 metre long central arc of jets, joined to a smaller arc and 5 circles of jets. When the performance begins these powerful jets shoot water sprays to heights of up to 150 metres, dancing in harmony with the music and illuminated by over 6,000 powerful lights, lasers, and 50 colour projectors.
Performances are held daily and last up to 5 minutes. In 2021, evening shows begin at 6 pm and are every half hour until 11 pm.
Songs and music synchronised to the displays include contemporary pop, classical, and Arabic. The repertoire includes Kiss Goodbye by Han Yimiao, I Will Always Love You by Whitney Houston, Time to Say Goodbye by Sarah Brightman and Andrea Bocelli, Bassbor Al Fourgakom by Hussain Al Jassmi, The Prayer by Andrea Bocelli and Celine Dion, Symphony No. 9 in E minor by Antonin Dvorak, Ensan Aktar by Abdul Majeed Abdullah, I’ll Never Love Again by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper, Power by Exo, and Baba Yetu by Chirstopher Tin. The song list changes regularly.
There are special shows on days such as New Year’s Eve and UAE National Day.
Performances are completely free and can be seen from various locations around Downtown Dubai. The most popular spot is the Waterfront Promenade outside the Dubai Mall. Just before the performance begins, thousands of people pour out from the mall and the area gets extremely busy. Visitors wishing to view it from here should arrive early to ensure a spot at the front.
The walkway around Souk Al Bahar is far less crowded and offers a more pleasant viewing experience. Spectators coming from the Dubai Mall will need to set off around 15 minutes before the performance begins to avoid the crowds at the Dubai Mall exit and the Souk Al Bahar Bridge.
A couple of paid viewing options for evening shows are also available. The Dubai Fountain Lake Ride offers visitors the chance to see the fountains up close by taking a traditional Arabic boat (abra) trip on the Burj Khalifa Lake.
A cheaper paid option is the Dubai Fountain Boardwalk. This floating viewing platform allows visitors to walk within 10 meters of the fountain.
At the time of writing (May 2021), tickets for the Lake Ride cost 68.25 AED. Tickets for the Boardwalk cost 20 AED.
Another option for a fantastic view of the fountains is to dine at one of the restaurants with outdoor seating areas overlooking the lake and fountain. Advance booking or early arrival is recommended.
Restaurants with good views at the Dubai Mall include TGI Fridays, Wafi Gourmet (Lebanese), Carluccio’s (Italian), and Joe’s Café. Visitors should note that none of the restaurants at the Dubai Mall serve alcohol.
Several restaurants at Souk Al Bahar also offer fantastic views. These include Baker & Spice and Bice Mare (Italian). Many restaurants here serve alcohol.
The Apple Store at the Dubai Mall boasts a huge balcony. It’s also a good place to watch the Dubai Fountain.
Can somebody tell me which song was played on 7th January 2020 at 8:00 pm?
We were a little disappointed with the show having read all the positive comments. The show only lasted 5 minutes, a shame it didn’t go longer. We have seen several more impressive displays around the world.
SUPERB!! Definitely worth watching!! An amazing show of light and water. Along with light show at Burj Khalifa and massive aquarium it make it worth coming to Dubai Mall
I was in Dubai this summer. I managed to see these fountains. These are the best emotions. A beautiful and engaging event. This is one of the biggest and highest fountains in the world! The height of jets emitted by water cannons, up to 150 meters, the backlight of the water is always white. Along the perimeter of the “lake”, there are powerful audio speakers, of which about 20 melodies sound: both Arabic music and world hits. The show is held every half hour from 18-00 to 22-00. We were lucky that when visiting the singing fountains at 20-00, was a bright and spectacular laser show was held on the tower of Burj Khalifa. But do not look at them from the window of the apple store. There is always a large number of people because about of this write a lot on the Internet. So it’s worth to go and enjoy this 7-minute show! You need to come a little early to take good places, although this is not necessary.
The Dubai Fountain was so amazing, I loved it there.
They should play “The Sound of Silence” by Disturbed. That would make a great addition to the fountain’s playlist.
Agreed!
Hi, can I request a song to be performed in the fountain?
Hello, can you please let me know if there is any schedule for the playlist? I’ll propose my girlfriend there and I’d like to do it when it will be a proper song. Thank you in advance.
Hello, could you tell me, which music is playing at the fountain area during the day and between fountain shows? It is just amazing!
which is the timing for “Time to say goodbye” song now? Thank you
Heello!
Are everyday the same songs?
Apart from watching from a restaurant around the water, where are the better places to watch the display ?
I loved the dancing fountain ____ superb!!!!!!!
How many songs are played at the fountain each show?
There’s one song per show.
Could you let me know Dubai Fountain musical cue sheets or music list?
There’s a list of the music used in the shows on the Dubai Fountain Wikipedia page. I’ve no idea how accurate it is now.
The dancing fountain played to Arabic music is fantastic and well worth a visit.
Can we ask who was the designer/contractor of the dancing fountain?
The Dubai Fountain was designed by WET Design, a California-based design and engineering firm. They also designed the Fountains of Bellagio in Las Vegas.
They were built by Turner Construction.
What time are the fountain shows in the daytime?
Thanks for asking the question. We had the daytime fountain show times incorrect and have now updated them.
The daytime fountain shows at the Dubai Mall are at 1 pm and 1.30 pm. If you go on a Friday the shows are at 1.30 and 2 pm. Each show lasts about 5 minutes.
Personally I would wait for one of the evening shows. They look much better.
Spectacular – probably the best in the world!!