Museum to Close September 1 for Its Biggest Overhaul Since 2022
Dubai's Museum of the Future will temporarily close to visitors from September 1, according to a post on the attraction's official Instagram account on August 25 urging residents and tourists to "see it before the 1st." The closure marks the start of the most significant transformation of the landmark since it opened on February 22, 2022, with every major exhibition inside the building set to be replaced; the museum had earlier said its current exhibits would remain open until mid-September before bringing the date forward. The revamped museum is scheduled to reopen in the first quarter of 2027, timed to coincide with its fifth anniversary.
A museum representative told The National that changes of this scale were always intended to be part of the museum's operating model, allowing its exhibitions to keep pace with scientific, technological and societal developments rather than remaining fixed indefinitely. Further details on the new exhibitions and programming, including exact reopening dates, are expected to be announced in the coming months.
New Exhibitions Shaped by More Than 1,000 Public Ideas
The current lineup being retired includes the OSS Hope space station simulation, the Heal Institute's recreation of the Amazon rainforest and DNA library, the technology-free wellness space Al Waha, the Tomorrow Today exhibition of prototypes, and the Future Heroes edutainment area for children. In their place, the museum says it will introduce deeper, more interactive experiences exploring the scientific and technological shifts expected to reshape economies and everyday life over the coming decades, developed with input gathered through a global call for ideas that drew more than 1,000 suggestions from contributors across different countries and disciplines.
Museum of the Future chairman Mohammad Al Gergawi said the institution's mission is forward-looking by design: "Unlike traditional museums that document the past, the Museum of the Future explores what tomorrow could become, and the opportunities science, technology and innovation create for building a better future." Since opening, the 77-metre-tall, pillarless torus, its stainless steel facade wrapped in more than 14,000 square metres of Arabic calligraphy taken from a poem by Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, has become one of Dubai's most recognisable landmarks.
