Dubai trends to watch as the city welcomes 2026
By the end of 2025, we’d collectively lived through matcha in everything, a pistachio-chocolate phase, Pilates becoming a personality trait, and a few love-hate relationships with whatever trend came next. Heading into 2026, Dubai is doing what it always does best – staying one step ahead in lifestyle, wellness, food, and real estate. Here are the Dubai trends you’ll be spotting across the city this year.
Food
If 2025 tasted of matcha – finding its way into puddings, cakes, coffees, and causing both love and eye-rolls – 2026 is taking a slightly different direction. The city’s food scene is leaning into authenticity and comfort.
Comfort cuisines
Mexican, Italian, and Greek food are having a moment. Not the fusion-heavy versions you might expect in a big city, but the kind that feels more ‘homemade’ – tacos, mezze platters, pasta, and risottos that focus on tradition and flavour.
Spot to try: Sobremesa, Souk Al Bahar
Chef storytelling
This Dubai trend started in 2025 and is not going anywhere. Restaurants and pop-ups are leaning into collaborative menus, guest chefs, and dishes with context. Expect chef-led events where every plate has a story – from sourcing to technique.
Spot to try: Mamabella Dubai, Downtown
Clean, ingredient-focused cooking
After years of restaurants trying to do everything – multiple cuisines, maximal appeal – there’s a clear shift toward clarity and simplicity. Ingredients are celebrated and thoughtfully prepared. When the product is strong, it doesn’t need layers of technique to impress. Freshness, balance, and seasonality are now the real stars.
Spot to try: The Dose by Silvena
Technique takes centre stage
Fire-based cooking is back in focus: grilling, slow roasting, baking. In Greek and Mediterranean cuisine especially, expect less reliance on heavy sauces and more respect for the ingredient itself. Techniques are quieter, more intentional, letting flavour, texture, and seasonality take centre stage.
Wellness
They say health is wealth, and it’s ready for anyone looking to feel better, day by day. Easier said than done? Not anymore. This year, we have the insights and tools to understand our bodies and embrace practices that help us age with strength and ease. Here’s how to live (and age) well in 2026.
Longevity & biohacking
Looking after your long-term health starts with simple daily habits – sleep, movement, stress management, and nutrition. For anyone wanting extra insight, Dubai now has clinics offering full longevity assessments. These go beyond routine check-ups, analysing genetics, metabolism, and personalised strategies to help you optimise your health over the long term.
Spot to try: Longevity Hub by Clinique La Prairie
Gut health & nutrition
What we eat shapes how we feel, think, and function – but even “healthy” habits don’t always support digestion, energy, or immunity. The gut sits at the centre of overall health, influencing metabolism, inflammation, immunity, and even mood. Dubai clinics now offer gut microbiome testing and personalised nutrition support, helping you move past generic advice and discover what actually works for your body.
Spot to try: DNA Health & Wellness
Social wellness Clubs
The rise of social wellness clubs kicked off in 2025, and it’s not slowing down anytime soon. What started as a move away from old-school gyms has rolled straight into 2026, with even more spaces opening that put community first. These clubs are built around movement, recovery and connection, all under one roof. You train, you reset, you refuel – and it becomes something you look forward to as part of your routine.
Spot to try: Gray Wellness
Lifestyle
Quieter vibes
After years of loud music, heavy entertainment, and nonstop hype, many of us are leaning into something a bit calmer – catching up with a friend you haven’t seen in ages, enjoying a meal in a relaxed setting, and keeping things low-key. Privacy and chilled-out dining are starting to feel like the new luxury, where “not wanting to be seen” is the vibe.
Daytime is the new nightlife
There’s no shortage of night spots for Dubai’s nocturnal souls, but this year the city is going strong in the daytime too. Brunches are still a thing (obviously), but breakfast spots, lunch hangouts, beach days, chilled cafés, afternoon teas – and even the occasional coffee rave – are where the city is spending its time. Rooftops, infinity-pool lounges, and beach clubs suit anyone who’s in bed by 10pm but still wants a proper day out.
Niche staycations
Staycations have been around for a while, but in 2026 they’ve taken on a more niche vibe. It’s not just any weekend away – it’s about finding a spot that feels like a little world of its own, where you can disappear for a bit. Think desert retreats, beachside escapes, or a quiet city hotel that feels completely different from your usual scene. A little change of scenery, and you’re set for a proper reset.
Spot to try: Bab Al Shams, Al Marmoom Desert
Also read
Best staycations in Dubai for every mood
Real estate
Green is the new black
If you’ve been thinking about switching to a more sustainable lifestyle, Dubai has more to offer than just skyscrapers. The city is now home to a growing number of eco-conscious neighbourhoods designed with clean energy, smart water systems, and loads of greenery. From quiet, walkable communities to high-tech zones powered by solar, these are the best green communities in Dubai, where green is the new black.
Strategic buying
After a 2025 driven by hype and momentum, 2026 is about smart choices. Buyers are prioritising fundamentals: location, connectivity, developer credibility, and long-term usability. Tier-1 developers lead the way in off-plan demand, while prime villas, branded residences, and waterfront projects continue to hold value thanks to limited supply. Communities near the new Dubai Metro Blue Line stand out, proving that ease of access and thoughtful planning now influence both lifestyle and long-term investment potential.
Fitness
If 2025 was about getting back into routines, 2026 is about finding the way you love to move. Spin might light one person up, Pilates another – there’s no right or wrong. This year is all about personal preference. The options are out there, and you get to choose what feels good for you, because workouts aren’t something we ‘have to’ do, but something we ‘want to’ do. Here’s how you’ll be moving in Dubai this year.
Pilates
Pilates has quietly (and not so quietly) taken over Dubai – your group chats, Insta feed, and Saturday mornings included. Now it’s festival-level. Form Fest, Dubai’s first dedicated Pilates festival, takes place February 7–8, 2026 at Mama Shelter Dubai.
Created by local instructor Freyja Rampe, the two-day event brings together local and international educators for classes, workshops, and panels designed to challenge, inspire, and connect the city’s Pilates community. The line-up includes Hilal Leigh, mobility specialist Ava Rodriguez, Heba Abdelgawad, and international educator Agi Falenta, with more names to be announced via @formfest.me.
Expect reformer sessions, mat flows, technique-focused workshops, and panels – all geared towards enthusiasts, instructors, and studio owners looking to refine their practice.
Spot to try: Form Fest, Mama Shelter
Regenerative fitness
Regenerative fitness turns recovery into an active part of your training. Instead of just taking a day off, you use science-backed methods to reduce inflammation, speed up healing, and improve performance. At UCRYO in Dubai, you can access cryotherapy chambers, infrared saunas, compression therapy, and AI-guided breathing and mindfulness programs – all designed to help the body recover smarter and faster.
Spot to try: UCRYO, Al Wasl Rd
Lagree
Lagree first started making waves in Dubai in 2025, and it’s only growing stronger in 2026. Often mistaken for Pilates, it’s its own method – slow, focused movements on the Megaformer that work every major muscle group while being easy on the joints. The result? Strength, endurance, and core activation without high-impact strain. At Bodyrock, Dubai’s official home of the LA-based Lagree method, founder Tara leads every class in a high-energy studio, ensuring deep muscle engagement and a full-body shake that proves it’s working.
Spot to try: Bodyrock, Al Quoz
Image: Archive
