Irish Village Christmas Day Lunch 2026 in Dubai

The Irish Village Christmas Day Lunch brings a traditional festive buffet to Al Garhoud in Dubai on Friday 25 December 2026. Set at The Irish Village beside the Dubai Tennis Stadium, the lunch combines a buffet of Christmas classics with live music, a gift from Santa, a bouncy castle and a petting zoo for children, with tables seated between 12pm and 2pm and lunch running until 4pm.

The venue describes Christmas Day here as a place filled with family ambience, and the whole afternoon is built around that idea: a long, relaxed lunch where parents can sit down to turkey and trimmings while the children are kept busy.

The Irish Village Christmas Day Lunch buffet in Dubai

The menu leans firmly into tradition. The buffet is laid out across starters and salads, mains, carving stations, sides, sauces and desserts, with roast turkey breast and honey and mustard glazed ham taking pride of place on the carving station. The listing promises “all the usual Christmas goodies”, with turkey and traditional trimmings at the centre, and sample dishes named on the ticket page include cream of vegetable soup, pigs in blankets and Christmas pudding.

Vegetarians and vegans are properly catered for rather than left with side dishes. The listing names a vegan Wellington, a vegetable chop suey and a vegetable Thai green curry among the plant-based options. Some dishes contain pork, including the pigs in blankets and the glazed ham, which is worth knowing if anyone in your group avoids it.

Drinks for adults

A drinks package with selected beers, wines and spirits is available for guests aged 21 and over, so adults can add drinks to the buffet while the children stick to soft options.

Santa, a bouncy castle and a petting zoo

What sets this lunch apart from a hotel buffet is how much is laid on for children. According to the listing, little ones can look forward to a gift from Santa, a bouncy castle and a petting zoo, all on site during the lunch. Live music runs through the afternoon to keep the festive atmosphere going.

That combination makes it a natural choice for families who want a sit-down Christmas meal without spending the whole afternoon keeping children at the table. It also gives the lunch the feel of a community gathering rather than a formal dining room, which suits the venue’s outdoor, village-style layout.

About The Irish Village, Al Garhoud

The Irish Village has been part of Dubai’s social scene since 1996 and is widely described as the city’s original Irish pub. It sits right next to the Dubai Tennis Stadium in Al Garhoud, a short distance from Dubai International Airport. The Irish Pub Company, which designed and built it, says materials and décor were shipped from Ireland to create the space.

The venue celebrated its 20th birthday in 2016, the same year it was named a global Pub of the Year. Today it is one of three Irish Village locations in Dubai, alongside Riverland and Studio City, and the Studio City branch runs its own separate Christmas Day lunch. This listing is for the original Garhoud venue.

To get there by car, the ticketing page directs guests to take Exit 52 towards Al Garhoud and follow the signs to the Tennis Stadium; taxis can drop off at the venue. If you plan to take the drinks package, a taxi is the obvious choice.

Who the Christmas lunch suits

This is a lunch for families, groups of friends and anyone far from home who wants a proper Christmas Day atmosphere in Dubai. The children’s activities make it particularly easy for parents of younger children, while the drinks package, live music and long afternoon window suit groups of adults who want to linger.

Because the menu covers meat eaters, vegetarians and vegans, it also works well for mixed groups where not everyone eats the traditional turkey and ham.

Booking and dress code

Advance reservations are required to attend Christmas lunch, and tickets are sold through the Platinumlist page linked from this listing. When booking, you pick a table time between 12pm and 2pm; an earlier slot leaves more of the afternoon for the buffet, the music and the children’s activities before lunch winds down at 4pm. Current ticket rates, including those for children, are shown in the booking box on this page.

The dress code is Christmas Casual, so festive jumpers and a little sparkle fit right in.

For more festive plans, see the Christmas Day brunch at McGettigan’s Souk Madinat Jumeirah, browse our dinner and brunch listings and family-friendly kids’ events in Dubai, or check what else is on in things to do in December and across things to do in Dubai.

Turkey and trimmings, live music, Santa and a petting zoo in one of Dubai’s longest-running pubs: the Irish Village Christmas Day Lunch is a relaxed, family-first way to spend 25 December.