The best Ramadan decorations in the UAE: from The Dubai Mall to Al Maryah Island

Some of the UAE's biggest landmarks have gone all-out for the holy month

Every year, decorations for Ramadan get bigger and better. From life-size crescent moons to glittering fairy lights and makeshift majlises, the UAE's landmarks make an effort to dress up.

Al Khawaneej Walk, the community mall in Dubai, for example, sparkles after iftar. This dining, retail and leisure destination is lit up with ambient lanterns and fairy lights, with golden crescent moons infusing the area with Ramadan spirit. In particular, the bridge, which features hundreds of padlocks, is the perfect backdrop for a family photo opportunity.

Elsewhere, at BurJuman, another mall in Dubai, the aesthetic is more modern Arabian, as a mini majlis with colourful, bold hues has been set up where people can relax together in a socially distanced manner.

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The mall has partnered with Emirates Red Crescent for Ramadan, so visitors will also find donation boxes throughout, where you can leave gently used toys, books and more (clothes will not be accepted because of Covid-19 regulations). Traditional activities are also going on, including henna art and Arabic calligraphy.

Global Village, whose silver jubilee season is running until Sunday, May 2, has also pulled out all the stops with a beautifully lit Majlis of the World, a reservations-only area where families can spend a relaxed evening enjoying live performances such as an Egyptian tanoura show and Musaharati drummers and qanoun players.

The park's Ramadan Nights programme takes place from 6pm to 2am and invites families to discover traditions from countries across the world. More than 200 restaurants are serving snacks and food for iftar and suhoor, while seating areas have also been set up for people to play traditional games such as backgammon and Jackaroo.

Over at Ibn Battuta Mall, there's also a fabulous Ramadan Reflections room where lights and mirrors hang all around, as visitors admire the view.

Take a look through the photo gallery above to see more of how some of the UAE's biggest landmarks are celebrating Ramadan in 2021.