Happy Holiday Camp Winter 2025 opens across Sharjah on Monday 15 December 2025, bringing an educational winter camp for children aged 6 to 12 into several key museums under the Sharjah Museums Authority umbrella. The programme is scheduled to run until Thursday 25 December 2025, with activities concentrated in daytime hours so that families can plan their school break around the camp (children/family-friendly). Organisers describe the camp as a way for children to explore heritage, arts and science through hands on workshops rather than classroom style lessons. The winter edition builds on a long running series of museum camps that have been held in Sharjah since the late 2000s, gradually expanding from one or two venues to a multi museum network. From the first day, the tone aims to combine serious learning with a relaxed, holiday atmosphere that still feels structured and safe for younger participants.
Heritage, arts and science under one winter programme
Happy Holiday Camp has always tried to bridge Sharjah’s museum collection with the daily curiosity of children, and the 2025 winter edition continues this approach through heritage, arts and science workshops. Heritage themed sessions typically take place in locations such as Sharjah Heritage Museum, Sharjah Fort (Al Hisn) or other historic houses in the Heart of Sharjah, where children learn about traditional Emirati life, architecture and crafts using simple tools and guided tours. Arts focused activities often connect with Sharjah Art Museum or similar spaces, encouraging children to experiment with drawing, collage, simple sculpture and colour mixing in age appropriate ways. Science modules usually draw on the hands on exhibits at Sharjah Science Museum and Sharjah Aquarium, where children explore topics like space, marine life, physics tricks or basic chemistry through demonstrations and small experiments. The key idea is that children see each museum as a living classroom that they can touch, question and move around in, rather than a silent place where they only look at displays.
Main locations and how activities are spread across museums
Although the official listing for Happy Holiday Camp Winter 2025 simply states “Sharjah Museums” as the venue, the pattern from previous years shows that activities are normally divided across several specific institutions. In many earlier winter camps, groups rotated between Sharjah Maritime Museum and Sharjah Aquarium on the Al Khan waterfront, Sharjah Science Museum and Sharjah Discovery Centre on the airport road corridor, and heritage focused museums closer to the old city and Corniche. For 2025, families can expect a similar distribution, with each child typically registered at one “home” museum where they attend all sessions, rather than moving daily between sites, which helps with drop off logistics. However, special outings or cross museum visits sometimes appear in the schedule as highlight days, especially toward the middle of the camp period. Because the exact list of participating museums can change, parents should confirm the specific venue for their child’s group when they register.
Daily timings, sample schedule and language of instruction
Museum winter camps in Sharjah traditionally follow a morning schedule, and Happy Holiday Camp Winter 2025 is expected to continue this format with sessions running roughly from 9:00 AM until around 12:30 PM each day, although the precise timetable may vary slightly from one museum to another. A typical morning might start with a quick welcome and warm up game, followed by a main workshop linked to the museum’s theme, then a short break and a second, lighter activity before pick up. Most activities are delivered primarily in Arabic with supportive English where needed, especially for basic instructions and safety explanations, though the exact language balance depends on the registered group. Because the camp lasts from Monday 15 December through Thursday 25 December, children can experience a proper sequence of workshops rather than one off sessions, which gives projects time to grow over several days. Parents should treat the camp as a full programme and try to avoid frequent absences, because many activities build from one day to the next.
Fees, registration and practical budget planning
The official winter 2025 listing has not yet published a detailed fee table; however, earlier Happy Holiday Camp brochures for museum winter camps show weekly charges starting from around 60 AED per child at standard museums and rising to around 120 AED per child at more specialised venues such as Sharjah Science Museum and Sharjah Discovery Centre. For that reason, it is reasonable to expect 2025 fees to sit in a broadly similar range, although families should treat all figures as approximately until Sharjah Museums Authority confirms them. Fees usually include workshop materials and basic supervision, but they rarely cover food, so parents generally send a small snack and water bottle with their children. Registration is typically handled directly at the hosting museum’s reception desk or via the Sharjah Museums Authority call centre on 800 80000, with payment in person at the museum. Because places at individual museums are limited, early in person registration is strongly recommended rather than waiting for the first day of camp.
Types of workshops and how themes are balanced
Within the heritage strand, children might design their own miniature wind tower model, learn about traditional coffee and hospitality rituals, or explore how palm trees supported older generations through hands on craft activities. Arts workshops tend to focus on accessible techniques that do not require advanced skills, such as mixed media collages, simple printmaking, clay modelling or group murals inspired by pieces in the museum galleries. Science sessions often play with simple experiments about motion, forces, light or bubbles, as well as marine life themed explorations inside the aquarium spaces, where animals can be observed safely. Organisers usually balance structured projects with freer creative time so that children do not feel they are in school, even while they follow clear instructions. Overall, the camp tries to give each child at least a taste of all three pillars – heritage, arts and science – over the course of the ten day period.
Getting there from Sharjah, Dubai and other emirates
Because Happy Holiday Camp Winter 2025 uses multiple museums, travel patterns differ slightly depending on the venue, yet some general guidance still helps families plan. For museums in the Heart of Sharjah near Corniche Street and the historic area, drivers coming from Sharjah City should allow for slow traffic through inner city junctions during the morning peak between roughly 7:30 AM and 9:00 AM, especially on weekdays. Families driving from Dubai will usually use E11 or E311, exit toward Sharjah city centre and then follow signs to Corniche or Al Khan, bearing in mind that even small delays at the emirate border can affect arrival times. Visitors from Ajman and Umm Al Quwain often face shorter distances but may still encounter congestion at key entry points into the city, so it helps to build in a buffer of at least 20 to 30 minutes. Whatever your starting emirate, plan to reach the museum slightly before the scheduled start time so children can settle in calmly rather than rush into the first activity.
Weather outlook for mid December and weekend conditions
Mid December in Sharjah typically feels mild by Gulf standards, and current forecasts for Monday 15 December to Sunday 21 December 2025 point to daytime highs around 26 to 28 degrees Celsius with overnight lows near 15 to 18 degrees. Skies should stay mostly sunny or lightly hazy at the start of the week, but models indicate increasing cloud and a chance of scattered showers around Thursday 18 December. Light rain may continue into Friday 19 December, Saturday 20 December and Sunday 21 December, though heavy storms are not currently predicted, so any showers are likely to come as brief spells rather than all day events. Because many museums have outdoor courtyards or parking areas with paving that can become slick, closed shoes are safer than sandals on wet days, especially for younger children. Parents should watch the forecast before each weekend and be ready for slightly cooler mornings and damp patches near car parks and entrances.
Traffic, parking and public transport around key museums
For museums in the old town and Corniche area, parking can feel tight on busy weekdays, particularly after 8:30 AM when office workers have already arrived, so parents who want stress free drop offs should aim for earlier arrival. Museums along Al Khan and the aquarium waterfront usually offer dedicated parking lots, yet these can still fill quickly during school holidays if other programmes are running at the same time, so a short walk from overflow spaces may be required. Public transport works reasonably well for certain locations, with intercity buses arriving from Dubai and Ajman into central terminals and taxis covering the last segment to the museum, which can be a good option for families who prefer not to drive every day. However, for venues outside the most central districts, such as some heritage sites or the Classic Cars Museum on the outskirts, private cars remain the most practical choice for morning sessions. Parking capacity at individual museums is not unlimited, so building in extra time for finding a space is wise when planning daily drop off and collection.
Clothing, equipment and closing safety advice
For clothing, light layers remain ideal during Happy Holiday Camp Winter 2025, with a breathable T shirt under a thin hoodie or cardigan, plus long trousers for museum air conditioning and cooler mornings. Comfortable closed shoes are important because children will move between galleries, courtyards and activity rooms, and on forecast rainy days around Friday 19 December to Sunday 21 December, a compact umbrella or light waterproof jacket can make arrival and departure more comfortable. Parents should anticipate heavier traffic on main Sharjah roads during weekday morning peaks and plan around it, while also remembering that taxi demand may increase on rainy days, slightly extending waiting times. Any camp fees, snack budgets and optional extras for activities should always be treated as approximately, because individual museums may adjust prices or run short term offers as the winter season progresses. Make your registration and basic planning early, because winter museum camps like Happy Holiday Camp tend to fill quickly once school holidays begin and last minute slots can be difficult to secure. According to recent planning notes and comparisons assembled by editors who follow Sharjah events for platforms such as www.few.ae, families who confirm their bookings early, check the museum venue carefully and watch the weekend weather usually manage to give their children a calmer, more enjoyable camp experience with fewer logistical surprises.
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