BlockDown Festival 2027, Dubai

BlockDown Festival 2027 in Dubai opens the year for the new internet economy, bringing Web3, AI, robotics, creators and culture together at The Plaza at Uptown Dubai on 26 and 27 January. Billed by its organisers as the first major global festival of 2027 in this space, it pairs a daytime conference programme with an evening of side events and a late-night music festival, all on one connected campus in Jumeirah Lakes Towers. It is also the first time the BlockDown series has come to Dubai.

What BlockDown Festival Dubai is about

The festival is built on a simple idea: conferences deliver content, festivals build relationships, and BlockDown sets out to do both. The timing is deliberate. Late January is when many companies are still setting budgets, partnerships and priorities for the year, so the organisers pitch it as the place to meet founders, investors, global brands and creators while those decisions are still open.

The 2027 agenda focuses on the subjects shaping the sector right now: AI agents, stablecoins, tokenised real-world assets, robotics, automation and prediction markets. Expect panels and fireside conversations alongside Web3 and AI showcases, brand activations and exhibitions, with the site split into zones aimed at different groups, from institutions and investors to builders, creators and people who are simply curious about where the industry is heading.

From an online conference to a Dubai debut

BlockDown began in April 2020 as an online-only blockchain and crypto conference during the pandemic, running a series of virtual editions before moving into the real world. Its first in-person festival took place in May 2022 in Šibenik on the Croatian coast, with a focus on the metaverse, NFTs, gaming and DAOs, and it was promoted as the world’s first NFT-enabled Web3 festival. A second in-person edition followed in Vilamoura, in Portugal’s Algarve, in the summer of 2023.

The series is run by EAK Digital, the company founded by Erhan Korhaliller, which is also the team behind Istanbul Blockchain Week. For Dubai, EAK Digital has partnered with DMCC, the authority behind Uptown Dubai, which announced BlockDown Dubai as a flagship global Web3 gathering for the city.

How a festival day runs

Both days follow the same rhythm. Doors open at 12pm, content starts at 1pm and the day programme wraps up at 7pm. Between 7pm and 10pm, official BlockDown side events take over connected venues around Uptown Dubai, with curated gatherings, live music and cultural programming. At 10pm the BlockDown Afterdark Music Festival begins, produced with TBE, and the festival’s final close is midnight at the end of 27 January.

That shape suits people who want both halves of the experience: focused sessions and dealmaking in the afternoon, then a social evening without leaving the neighbourhood. If the late-night side is what draws you, our wider nightlife in Dubai listings are worth a look too.

Passes, awards and speakers at BlockDown Dubai

Three levels of pass

BlockDown offers three levels of pass, each building on the last. The General Attendee pass covers both festival days, every public stage, the exhibitions and activations, the open networking areas and the official closing party on day two. The Business pass adds fast-track check-in, advance booking for up to two practical AI and Web3 masterclasses, six months of access to masterclass recordings, advance booking for selected speaker meet-and-greets and early access to the attendee networking app.

The VIP pass is aimed at senior leaders. On top of the Business benefits it adds a dedicated entrance, VIP lounge access, bookable meeting tables in 30-minute slots, a VIP attendee directory with suggested connections, a travel concierge and a seat at the BlockDown Awards gala dinner.

BlockDown Awards 2027

The BlockDown Awards 2027 recognise achievement across Web3, AI, robotics and industry leadership. The ceremony takes place the day before the festival and is open only to VIP pass holders. Nomination details had not been announced when this page was published, and you can register your interest through the official website.

Who speaks and who attends

The organisers quote more than 5,000 attendees and over 100 speakers. The 2027 speaker line-up has not been announced yet. The official website shows founders, builders and brands from previous BlockDown editions, but those are past speakers and should not be read as confirmed for Dubai 2027. Some third-party listings already name headline speakers, but these have not been confirmed by the organisers. Speaker announcements and programme releases are promised through the festival’s email updates.

If you would rather be on stage than in the audience, BlockDown takes applications to speak, media applications, community partnership requests and proposals to host an official side event.

The Plaza at Uptown Dubai

The festival is hosted at The Plaza at Uptown Dubai, at Uptown Tower on First Al Khail Street in Al Thanyah Fifth, Jumeirah Lakes Towers. DMCC opened The Plaza as a 21,000 square metre open-air events destination that can hold up to 4,000 guests at a time. The organisers describe it as Uptown Dubai’s only dedicated festival campus, with several interconnected venues in one destination, which is what allows the day programme, side events and Afterdark to run side by side.

For more professional events, browse our business and networking events, or see what else is on in our guides to things to do in January and things to do in Dubai. Tickets and the latest programme are on the official BlockDown Festival website.