# Alserkal Avenue, Dubai > Alserkal Avenue is Dubai's contemporary art district, set in converted warehouses in industrial Al Quoz: galleries, an arthouse cinema, the OMA-designed Concrete venue and good coffee. Entry is free and the Avenue is open daily 10am–7pm, though most galleries close on Sundays. Allow about 90 minutes. No metro at the door: take bus 110 or a taxi from Garmin station. Web page: https://yesgo.io/united-arab-emirates/dubai/alserkal-avenue - City: [Dubai](https://yesgo.io/united-arab-emirates/dubai), United Arab Emirates - YesGo score: 33/100 (Yes, if nearby) - Time on site: 1 h 30 min - Opening hours: Avenue daily 10:00–19:00; most galleries Monday–Saturday, closed Sunday; Cinema Akil until midnight - With kids: Better without small kids - Entry: Free, no tickets - Events and screenings: Some are paid or need registration - Avenue hours: Daily 10:00–19:00 - Galleries: Usually Monday–Saturday, closed Sunday; each sets its own hours - Cinema Akil: Daily 10:00–24:00, box office in the evening - Nearest metro: Garmin (formerly Onpassive and Al Safa), Red Line - Bus: Route 110 from Al Safa Bus Terminus by the metro, about every 12 minutes - Parking: Paid RTA parking around the Avenue, zone code 364C; little space inside - Address: 17th Street, Al Quoz Industrial Area 1; entrances on 17th Street, 6A Street and First Al Khail Street - Coordinates: 25.14200, 55.22629 - Facts checked: 03.11.2026 ## Key facts - **Free** — to enter the Avenue and its commercial galleries (source: Alserkal official website; Gulf News, 2026; Emirates 24|7, 2026) - **10am–7pm** — the Avenue's general hours, every day (source: Alserkal official website (Opening Hours)) - **Sunday** — the day most galleries are closed (source: Alserkal gallery pages: Ayyam, Green Art, Carbon 12, Gallery Isabelle, Lawrie Shabibi) - **2007–2008** — founded in 2007; the first gallery, Ayyam, moved in during 2008 (source: Dezeen, 2016 and 2017; English Wikipedia) - **Abdelmonem Bin Eisa Alserkal** — Emirati businessman and patron who founded the Avenue (source: Alserkal official website; English Wikipedia) - **Al Quoz** — the industrial area whose warehouses became the district (source: Alserkal official website; English Wikipedia) - **Concrete** — the first completed building in Dubai by Rem Koolhaas's OMA, opened in 2017 (source: English Wikipedia; Dezeen, 2016 and 2017) - **1,250 m²** — floor area of Concrete, the exhibition and events hall (source: Dezeen, 2017; ArchDaily) - **WH 68** — the warehouse home of Cinema Akil, an arthouse cinema (source: Alserkal official website) - **3 entrances** — on 17th Street, 6A Street and First Al Khail Street (source: Alserkal official website (How to get here)) - **Garmin** — the Red Line station called Onpassive until 7 September 2026 (source: WAM; Khaleej Times; The National, 07.09.2026) > **Most galleries are shut on Sundays** The Avenue itself, the cafés and Cinema Akil open every day, but most galleries run Monday to Saturday only. If the art is the reason you're coming, go on a weekday or Saturday and arrive before 5pm — several galleries close at 6pm. ## Is Alserkal Avenue worth visiting? Yes, if you care about contemporary art or want a side of Dubai with no towers or malls. Alserkal Avenue is a block of old warehouses in the **Al Quoz** industrial area, now filled with galleries, studios, a cinema, cafés and design shops. It's free, compact and easy to wander without a plan. Emirati businessman **Abdelmonem Bin Eisa Alserkal** started it in 2007; Ayyam Gallery was the first to move in, in 2008. Today it holds some of the region's best-known galleries — Green Art Gallery, Gallery Isabelle van den Eynde, Lawrie Shabibi, Carbon 12, The Third Line and Leila Heller among them. If galleries leave you cold, skip it. The coffee is good, but Downtown has plenty, and getting out to an industrial zone just for a flat white isn't a great use of a Dubai day. ## Alserkal Avenue opening hours and entry The Avenue is open **every day from 10am to 7pm** and it's free to walk in. Each gallery and café keeps its own hours: most galleries open Monday to Saturday from around 10–11am until 6–7pm and close on Sunday. Cinema Akil stays open longest, until midnight. You don't need a ticket for the commercial galleries — just walk in. What costs money is cinema screenings, workshops and some events at Concrete. Several galleries take a summer break, with the new season usually starting in autumn, and hours can shift during Ramadan and public holidays, so check the gallery you want on the Alserkal website before you go. **Paying:** cards are accepted in the cafés and shops. The metro and buses need a **nol card**, sold at station ticket offices and machines; Careem and Uber take cards in the app. ## Things to do at Alserkal Avenue - **Gallery-hop** — Ayyam (WH 11), Gallery Isabelle van den Eynde (WH 17), Lawrie Shabibi (WH 21), Green Art Gallery (WH 28) and Carbon 12 (WH 37). Shows change regularly. - **Concrete** — a hall carved out of former warehouses by Rem Koolhaas's OMA, the practice's first completed building in Dubai. It's open when an exhibition or event is on. - **Catch a film at Cinema Akil** (WH 68) — arthouse and festival films from around the world, with evening screenings. - **Browse books and design** — Zerzura Rare Books, Jaipur Rugs and furniture by Nada Debs. - **Coffee stop** — Nightjar Coffee Roasters, Subko Coffee Roasters and a handful of others to sit out the heat. - **Wander the lanes** — warehouses, sail canopies, murals and courtyard sculptures make it an easy, crowd-free place for photos. ## How to get to Alserkal Avenue 1. From **Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall** station take the Red Line towards Expo 2020 / Life Pharmacy. 2. Ride 2 stops, via Business Bay, to **Garmin** station. It was called Onpassive until September 2026 and Al Safa before that; signs are being changed until the end of November, so apps may still show an old name. 3. Walk out to **Al Safa Bus Terminus** next to the station and take **bus 110** — Alserkal says it runs about every 12 minutes and takes around 10 minutes to the Avenue. 4. Or take a taxi, Careem or Uber from the station — about 5 minutes. Walking takes around 30 minutes through the industrial area; not advised in the heat. 5. A taxi straight from Downtown takes about 15 minutes outside rush hour. Ask for Alserkal Avenue, 17th Street, Al Quoz. ## Before you go - [ ] It isn't Sunday, so the galleries are open - [ ] Arriving before 5pm, while shows are open - [ ] nol card topped up for the metro and bus 110 - [ ] Checked which exhibitions are on now - [ ] Water and a hat — the lanes are in full sun - [ ] Allowed 90 minutes, or 2 hours with coffee ## Alserkal Avenue, Al Fahidi or Dubai Frame? | | Alserkal Avenue | Al Fahidi | Dubai Frame | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | What it is | Contemporary art in warehouses | Old quarter with wind towers | Observation deck and museum | | Entry | Free | Free | AED 50 | | Hours | 10:00–19:00, galleries Mon–Sat | Lanes always; museums daytime | 8:00–21:00 | | Metro | Garmin + bus 110 or taxi | Sharaf DG, ≈ 10 min walk | Max, ≈ 10–15 min walk | | Time needed | ≈ 1.5 h | ≈ 1.5 h | ≈ 1 h | Alserkal is for anyone curious about Middle Eastern contemporary art. For Old Dubai head to [Al Fahidi](https://yesgo.io/united-arab-emirates/dubai/al-fahidi); for the view, [Dubai Frame](https://yesgo.io/united-arab-emirates/dubai/dubai-frame). ## Art in the afternoon, Downtown at night Galleries after lunch, a bus and two metro stops, then the evening under Burj Khalifa with the fountains. Add it to your route — YesGo orders the stops and walking times. 1. [Alserkal Avenue](https://yesgo.io/united-arab-emirates/dubai/alserkal-avenue) — YesGo score 33/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · Free 2. [The Dubai Mall](https://yesgo.io/united-arab-emirates/dubai/dubai-mall) — YesGo score 56/100 (Yes, go) · 2 h · Free entry 3. [Burj Khalifa](https://yesgo.io/united-arab-emirates/dubai/burj-khalifa) — YesGo score 79/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h 30 min · from AED 189 4. [The Dubai Fountain](https://yesgo.io/united-arab-emirates/dubai/dubai-fountain) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Free; Boardwalk and abra ride paid > **Best time to visit** A weekday afternoon works best: the shows are open, it's quiet and the heat eases towards evening. Stay for an evening screening at Cinema Akil, which runs later than anything else here. It's liveliest at exhibition openings and through the autumn-to-spring art season. ## Don't confuse Alserkal Avenue is the district; the Alserkal Arts Foundation is its non-profit arm that runs grants and artist programmes. Listings for Al Quoz warehouses to rent have nothing to do with it. Garmin metro station is the same stop marked Onpassive or Al Safa on older maps. ## Tips - Go Monday to Saturday — most galleries close on Sunday. - Don't walk from the metro in summer: bus 110 or a short taxi saves half an hour in the sun. - Start at Concrete and the main square, where you'll see which shows are open that day. - Pair it with an evening in Downtown — [Burj Khalifa](https://yesgo.io/united-arab-emirates/dubai/burj-khalifa) is two metro stops from Garmin. - Photos of the lanes and courtyards are fine; inside galleries, ask first. ## Questions ### Is Alserkal Avenue free? Yes. Walking into the Avenue and its commercial galleries is free; you pay only for films, workshops and some events. ### What are Alserkal Avenue's opening hours? The Avenue is open daily 10am–7pm. Most galleries open Monday to Saturday and close on Sunday, each with its own hours. ### What is the nearest metro station to Alserkal Avenue? Garmin on the Red Line — formerly Onpassive and, before that, Al Safa. From there take bus 110 or a five-minute taxi. ### Can you walk from the metro? It's about 30 minutes on foot through an industrial area with little shade. Bus 110 or a taxi is the better choice for most of the year. ### How long do you need at Alserkal Avenue? About 90 minutes for a few galleries and Concrete; 2–3 hours if you add coffee or a film. ### What is there to do at Alserkal Avenue? See contemporary art in galleries, catch a film at Cinema Akil, look into Concrete, browse design and book shops, and stop for coffee. ### Is there parking at Alserkal Avenue? Yes — more than 500 paid RTA spaces around the Avenue, zone code 364C. Parking inside is restricted. ### Is Alserkal Avenue open on Sundays? The Avenue, cafés and Cinema Akil are, but most galleries are closed, so Sunday is the weakest day to go. ### Is Alserkal Avenue good for kids? It's free and relaxed, with cafés and courtyards, but these are galleries rather than a children's museum — small kids may get bored quickly. ## How we checked The Avenue's hours, gallery and Cinema Akil hours, entrances, bus 110 and parking come from the official Alserkal website on 03.11.2026. The renaming of Onpassive station to Garmin is confirmed by WAM, Khaleej Times and The National. Sources differ on the founding year — Dezeen says 2007, Wikipedia gives 2008, when the first gallery opened — so we show both. They also differ on the district's size (500,000 sq ft officially, 92,000 m² on Wikipedia), so we leave it out. Older guides say galleries close on Fridays or Mondays; that's out of date — the galleries' own pages list Sunday as the day off. The official site lists the Avenue as open every day on 03.11.2026, after the closures across Dubai in spring 2026. The summer break and paid events are marked as being checked. ## Sources - Alserkal official website: Opening Hours, How to get here, About, Community (gallery and Cinema Akil pages), 03.11.2026 - English Wikipedia: Alserkal Avenue; Onpassive (Dubai Metro); Wikidata Q4735796 - WAM, Khaleej Times, The National, 07.09.2026 — renaming of Onpassive station to Garmin - Dezeen, 15.03.2016 and 16.03.2017 — on Concrete and the district; ArchDaily — Concrete at Alserkal Avenue - Gulf News and Emirates 24|7, 2026 — on Alserkal Art Month and free entry - Alserkal press release, 2019 — on the summer break and season opening --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.