Free Kids Cooking Workshops in Dubai: Junior Chefs at Mercato Mall

Mercato Mall on Jumeirah Beach Road is running free cooking workshops for children aged 2 to 14 until Sunday 18 October. Each session is 30 minutes, there is a different menu every day, and nobody pays. If you read this on 14 October, five days are left, and tomorrow is fresh pasta.

The menu, day by day

• Fri 9 Oct: Crêpe creations, with Petits Chefs Dubai
• Sat 10 Oct: Mini pizza making, with Society Hub
• Sun 11 Oct: Mini manakish making, with Society Hub
• Mon 12 Oct: Cupcake piping and decorating, with Tavola
• Tue 13 Oct: Mini pizza making, with Petits Chefs Dubai
• Wed 14 Oct: Sushi making (6 to 14) or cupcake decorating (2 to 5), with Sumo Sushi & Bento
• Thu 15 Oct: Fresh pasta making (6 to 14) or chocolate balls (2 to 5), with Le Creuset
• Fri 16 Oct: Chocolate creations, with Society Hub
• Sat 17 Oct: Pizza faces, with Petits Chefs Dubai
• Sun 18 Oct: Cookie decorating and fruit tartlets, with Petits Chefs Dubai

What Junior Chefs is

Season 2 of Mercato's Junior Chefs runs from 9 to 18 October 2026, ten days that overlap the October half-term. Children roll up their sleeves and make one thing per day: crêpes, pizza, manakish, cupcakes, sushi, pasta, chocolate, cookies. The mall lists it as free.

The first-come limit

Places are first come, first served, with 15 children per session. The mall's page does not describe a booking form, so plan on arriving early rather than counting on a reserved spot. If your child is turning up for the 4:00 pm slot, being there well before it is the safer bet.

Session times by age

Every day has the same rhythm:

• Ages 6 to 14: 4:00, 5:30 and 7:30 pm (30 minutes each)
• Ages 2 to 5: 4:45 and 6:30 pm (30 minutes each)

A sibling pair can fit one slot each, or the younger one goes at 4:45 while the older one waits for 5:30. The 7:30 pm session is the one for after-school days and later dinners.

Wednesday and Thursday split by age

Only 14 and 15 October run two menus. The older group makes sushi on Wednesday and fresh pasta on Thursday, while the 2 to 5 group does cupcake decorating and chocolate balls. Everything else is one menu for every age, so a family with a three-year-old and a ten-year-old can share a day.

Worth checking with Mercato first

The page gives the menu and the times, but not the small print. Whether a parent should stay with a 2 or 3-year-old, what to do about allergies and what the children take home are all questions for the team, so call Mercato on +971 4 344 4161 before you queue, especially if your child has a food allergy. A two-minute call saves a wasted trip.

Getting there

Mercato Mall is on Jumeirah Beach Road. Directions opens the map. The sessions are in the mall, so it works as a cool-weather indoor outing too, with the shops and cafés next door for the wait.

Make a day of it

Half-term needs more than one plan. Our guide to October half-term things to do in Dubai has the rest of the week, and the October half-term camps piece covers days when you need childcare. For a morning outdoors before an afternoon slot, try family outdoor activities in the UAE.

This week

Pick the day your child would choose: pasta on Thursday, pizza faces on Saturday. Get to Mercato well before the first slot for your child's age, and tell the community how it went.

Sources

• Mercato Shopping Mall, Junior Chefs is Back for Season 2 (read 6 October 2026): https://www.mercatoshoppingmall.com/mall-events/2026/junior-chefs-is-back-for-season-2/