What The Food Alserkal Avenue 2026 runs on Saturday 31 October and Sunday 1 November at Alserkal Avenue in Al Quoz, with free entry. The fifth edition centres on Khubz wa Milh — Arabic for “bread and salt” — as a starting point for a programme about food, regional culture and hospitality. What’s On confirms the dates and free entry.
What The Food Alserkal Avenue 2026: dates and free entry
This year’s edition is the festival’s fifth. The theme, Khubz wa Milh, refers to bread and salt, a traditional gesture of welcome in the region. The programme is expected to include talks, workshops, masterclasses, tastings, art installations and film screenings. EventFAQs’ announcement outlines the theme and programme.
What The Food Alserkal Avenue 2026 will also feature an opening keynote by Mayrig founder Aline Kamakian. Malleh Gourmet’s Nazek Al Sabbagh is set to speak about maleh, Emirati salted fish, according to Time Out Dubai. The dishes to be served have not been announced.
Off The Menu runs before the main weekend
A new run-up series, Off The Menu, will hold weekend sessions at Alserkal Avenue before the festival. The sessions are intended to bring restaurants, chefs and entrepreneurs into the district’s wider creative community; details of the individual events are still to come. CurlyTales reports on the series and the 2026 theme.
What to know before visiting
The festival takes place at Alserkal Avenue, Al Quoz Industrial Area 1, Dubai. The main event is free to enter, but full daily timings and booking rules for individual workshops or masterclasses have not been published in the sources checked. Alserkal Avenue’s official channels are the place to check when the full schedule is released.
If you’re planning a meal around the visit, tbreak has a look at Window restaurant at Alserkal Avenue and a broader guide to the best restaurants in Dubai.
Do the What The Food masterclasses need advance booking?
The main festival is listed as free, but booking or capacity rules for individual masterclasses and workshops have not been published. Check Alserkal Avenue’s official channels when the timetable appears.
Is there enough information to plan a visit around a specific dish?
Not yet. No dish list has been announced, so plan around the wider programme rather than a particular menu item; talks, workshops, tastings, art and film are also part of the festival.
