Global Village – Dubai’s multicultural festival park and the region’s first family destination for culture, shopping and entertainment – is all set to kickstart its 23rd season on October 30 and run until April 6. Under the theme “Explore, Experience, Enjoy. This Way!” Global Village has unveiled an expansive programme of entertainment, events and cultural activities.
In order to provide exclusive cultural and entertainment experiences to millions of guests, Global Village provides world-class shopping, unlimited entertainment – featuring over 100 professional performers – tantalizing international cuisine and a newly expanded Carnaval funfair area – featuring six new rides, 100 video games and an enlarged gaming area that includes many new interactive games.
“Global Village brings on its 23rd season with a wide range of exciting shows and special features to impress guests,” says CEO, Bader Anwahi. “This season we enhanced the entire park for greater thrills and a refreshed experience. We enter a world of exploration, filled with adventures and fun for the whole family as we host even more exciting events and huge international shows to entertain our guests.”
There are 27 new pavilions in Global Village, representing 78 countries. This year’s pavilions include the UAE, Saudi Arabia, India, Jordan, Pakistan, Europe, Americas, Bosnia & Balkans, Thailand, Bahrain, Lebanon, Palestine, Afghanistan, Syria, Russia, Japan, Far East, China, Africa, Egypt, Morocco, Turkey, Iran, Yemen, Kuwait and also an AlSanaa pavilion operated by the Ministry of Human Development along with Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation pavilion.
This season will see the largest Emirati Cultural zone in the history of the park that includes the UAE Pavilion, the Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation Pavilion and AlSanaa Pavilion operated by the Ministry of Community Development. The “Live our Heritage” festival will feature the best of Emirati culture and craftsmanship and will be hosted by Dubai Culture at Global Village in the heart of the Cultural Square.
There will be more than 150 food and beverage outlets. Flavours from all corners of the globe can be sampled with 23 restaurants and cafés. Guests can also sample the world’s best street food with kiosks that offer a wide range of authentic snacks, sweets and beverages, many of which are available only at Global Village. One of biggest surprises for visitors this season is the floating market on the lake, bringing popular cuisines from more than 38 outlets on boats, bank-side kiosks and Tuk-Tuks, which are decorated to reflect their country of origin.
Global Village has undertaken new infrastructure and service improvements. The multi-purpose walkway has been enhanced with new attractive green spaces and beautiful fountains with additional seating areas that allow families to enjoy the panoramic views. In addition, the corridors around the park have been widened and several service buildings, headed by prayer rooms, have been developed and equipped to accommodate millions of guests. New bridges have been built over the lakes that make it easier for people of determination to cross. The stunning lake has dancing fountains with shows that display fire and water together and has the largest underwater screen to be featured at Global Village.
Global Village has signed a strategic agreement with Dubai Taxi Corporation and Careem to provide excellent services to visitors. Improvements have also been made to the main entrances and parking areas which now include new traffic signs and routes to ease traffic congestion along with public transport vehicles that now have dedicated lanes to further ease congestion.
“Since the day we wrapped up Season 22, we have been working tirelessly to bring a higher level of fun and excitement to the park this year, applying the best international practices and aiming towards the highest levels of safety and comfort to our guests. We are looking forward to the start of the 23rd season and to welcome our guests. We take this opportunity to thank all our partners for their support, including government authorities, investors, media partners and employees. All have contributed to our readiness for this season and enabled us to provide the best experiences for our guests in a safe and comfortable atmosphere,” concludes Ali Alsuwaidi, COO, Global Village.