What is in season in Abu Dhabi. and what to order when the market changes.

Spring

  • Safi and sheri off the fish counters: From 1 March to 30 April a federal rule, Ministerial Decision 501 of 2015, bans catching and trading safi (rabbitfish) and sheri (emperor) during their spawning season, fresh, frozen or imported, so both disappear from the Mina Zayed fish market until May.
  • Late-Ramadan nights on the Corniche: In 2026 Ramadan ran from mid February to mid March, and Experience Abu Dhabi opened a Ramadan Festival on the Corniche from 27 February to 8 March with food trucks, suhoor dishes and a souq from 20:00 to 02:00.

Summer

  • Rutab, the fresh date harvest: Rutab are semi-ripe dates, eaten before they dry, and the Liwa Dates Festival in Al Dhafra is held each year during their harvest: the 2026 edition ran 14 to 23 July with more than 465 Emirati farmers competing.

Autumn

  • Dates at auction in Madinat Zayed: In mid October the Al Dhafra Dates Festival and Auction sells the season's dates in Madinat Zayed alongside honey and cooking contests; the 2025 edition ran 17 to 26 October.
  • The festival weekends begin: The cooler months bring the city's food festivals: Global Food Week at ADNEC in early October, Taste of Abu Dhabi on Yas Island on 13 to 15 November 2026, and the MICHELIN Guide Food Festival at Emirates Palace, held 21 to 23 November in 2025.

Winter

  • Sheikh Zayed Festival in Al Wathba: From late October to March the Sheikh Zayed Festival runs nightly in Al Wathba, with a Heritage Village, national pavilions, an Emirati traditional cuisine contest and the restaurants of Al Wathba Boulevard; entry was AED 10 in the 2025 to 2026 season.
  • Ramadan moves into winter: Ramadan follows the lunar calendar and moves 10 to 11 days earlier each year; in 2027 it is expected to begin around 8 February. Harees, wheat beaten with meat and finished with ghee, is the dish Emirati homes cook for it.

Seasonal: tours, tastings and classes in Abu Dhabi

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