Butterfly Carnival Returns This Year For Its Biggest Celebration Yet
After an electrifying debut that set the city alight in 2024, Butterfly Carnival is back on Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th November 2025, promising to transform Dubai Media City Amphitheatre into a kaleidoscope of music, dance, food and cultural celebration. Now firmly recognised as the Middle East’s most vibrant carnival experience, this year’s edition will expand even further, uniting the world’s most iconic carnival traditions into one unforgettable weekend.
From the ground-shaking sound systems of London’s Notting Hill Carnival and the irresistible rhythms of Trinidad & Tobago, to the unbridled spirit of Rio’s samba parades, Butterfly Carnival 2025 brings together the globe’s most colourful celebrations into one spectacular festival village. Across two mega stages and three unique sound systems, more than thirty international artists will deliver a non-stop soundtrack of Afrobeats, Dancehall, Soca, Calypso, Reggae, Reggaeton, Brazilian Funk, Amapiano, Afrohouse, Hip Hop and RnB.
This year’s edition also welcomes some exciting new cultural partners: Jamaica’s legendary Dream Weekend, legendary sound systems from London’s Notting Hill Carnival and Afro Loud, the region’s premier Afro festival. Together, they’ll help elevate Butterfly Carnival into a true global gathering.
But the celebration doesn’t stop at the stages. Visitors can lose themselves in a pulsating carnival village packed with dazzling costumes, glittering make-up stations, exclusive merch, and art installations that are ready for the camera. Food lovers will embark on a culinary journey around the world, with handpicked vendors serving everything from smoky Caribbean jerk chicken and Trinidadian doubles, to golden Spanish churros and sizzling Brazilian picanha.
The festival reaches its peak each evening with Dubai’s biggest carnival parade, where dancers, drummers, stilt walkers and carnival-goers join forces in an explosion of colour and rhythm, before the skies above Media City ignite with a breathtaking fireworks display.
TICKETS
Pre-sale and early bird tickets go live Monday 25 August 2025 at www.butterflycarnival.com.
● General Admission (AED 149–349): Access to all stages and sound systems.
- Brunch Tickets (AED 549–649): GA entry, three hours of unlimited beverages and one brunch meal.
- VIP Standing (AED 499–699): Fast-track VIP entry, exclusive areas, chill-out spaces, dedicated bars and food outlets, with table service available (book via WhatsApp +971 50 580 5179).
- VVIP Backstage Standing (AED 699–999): All VIP perks plus backstage access.
- Weekend Passes (AED 499–699): Two-day access across GA, Brunch and VIP categories.
- VIP Tables:From AED 5,000, 10,000 and 20,000 upwards (book via WhatsApp +971 50 580 5179)