The official religion of Dubai is Islam, as stated in Article 7 of the United Arab Emirates Provisional Constitution. The United Arab Emirate Government funds or subsidizes almost 95 percent of Sunni mosques and employs all Sunni imams; approximately 5 percent of Sunni mosques are completely private.

Due to the large foreign population, Dubai has significant presence of other religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Christianity. These non-Muslim people can own their own houses of worship, wherein they can practice their religion freely, by requesting a land grant and permission to build a religious compound.

Major holidays in Dubai include Eid al Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan, and National Day (2 December), which marks the formation of the United Arab Emirates. Eid ul-Fitr is a three day celebration and is sometimes also known as the "Smaller Eid" as compared to the Eid ul-Adha that lasts four days and is called the "Greater Eid." Muslims are commanded by the Qur'an to complete their fast on the last day of Ramadan and then recite the Takbir all throughout the period of Eid.

Dubai has a vibrant entertainment culture with great foreign influence, something that's not to be found in many parts of the Middle East. Hollywood and Bollywood films are very popular in Dubai. The city hosts the annual Dubai International Film Festival, which has been attracting celebrities from Arab and International cinema since 2004 with its theme of "Bridging Cultures. Meeting Minds." The Dubai International Film Festival is held in mid December under the Honorary Chairmanship of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum. The 2008 event featured 181 films from 66 total countries.

Dubai has an active music scene, with performances by international stars Amr Diab, Diana Haddad, Tarkan, Aerosmith, Santana, Elton John, Pink, Shakira, Celine Dion and Phil Collins . Additionally, Kylie Minogue was paid 4.4 million dollars to perform at the opening of the Atlantis resort on November 20, 2008. The annual Dubai Desert Rock Festival is a major festival featuring Heavy metal and rock artists that's held in early March. Since it's beginning in 2004, the Dubai Desert Rock Festival has attracted world famous artists and bands such as Incubus, Korn, Machine Head, Killswitch Engage, As I Lay Dying, Nervecell, Slapshock, Muse Velvet Revolver, and more. The lineup for the 2009 event includes Motorhead, Arch Enemy, Opeth, Chimaira, August Burns Red, Nervecell, Scarab, Hatred. The 2009 Desert Rock Festival was held in Dubai Festival City, a popular residential, business and entertainment complex.

Dubai is action packed with sports events. There are many facilities that attract some of the best professionals in the world, as well as for the enjoyment of locals and visitors.

The most popular sports in Dubai are Football (soccer) and Cricket. The UAE Football League is the country's professional football league with 12 total teams. Some of the most notable football teams in the UAE league are Al Wasl, Al-Shabab, Al-Ahli, Al Nasr and Hatta, all representing Dubai. These Dubai teams play at Zabeel Stadium, Al Maktoum Stadium, Rasheed Stadium.

Cricket is followed by Dubai's large South Asian population and in 2005, the International Cricket Council (ICC) relocated its headquarters from London to Dubai. The city of Dubai has hosted several India-Pakistan matches and two new grass grounds are being developed in Dubai Sports City, a large multi-use sports complex with plans to include 60,000 outdoor stadium, 25,000 seat cricket ground, 10,000 seat indoor arena, 5,000 seat field hockey stadium.

Dubai hosts the Barclay's Dubai Tennis Championships, an annual outdoor tennis tournament held in late February at the Aviation Club Tennis Centre, which includes an attractive 5,000 seat stadium. The Dubai Tennis Championships has held a men's tournament since 1993, and a women's tournament since 2001. The Dubai Tennis Championships attracts the world's best professionals, competing for a grand prize of over $350,000. Champions at this tennis event include Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Andy Roddick and Novak Djokovic on the men's side, and Justine Henin, Venus Williams, Elena Dementieva, Lindsay Davenport on the women's side. Additionally, the city hosts the The Legends Rock Dubai, Outback Champions Series for senior tennis players. That is held every year in November, also at the Aviation Club Tennis Centre. Past participants at this event include legends such as Bjorn Borg, Cedric Pioline, Guy Forget, Jim Courier, John Fitzgerald, John McEnroe, Mansour Bahrami, Michael Stich, Mikael Pernfors, Pat Cash, Paul Haarhuis, Sergi Bruguera, Stefan Edberg, Thomas Muster and Wayne Ferriera.

The Dubai Desert Classic is an annual professional golf tournament held in early February. It has been part of the European Tour schedule since its inauguration in 1989, and was the first European Tour event to be staged in the Middle East. Except for the 1999 and 2000 events, which were held at the Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club, the Dubai Desert Classic has been held on the "Majlis" course at the Emirates Golf Club. Tiger Woods has won this event twice, in 2006 and 2008.