Dubai: More than 400,000 people visited Dubai’s Global Village during the five days of the 44th National Day break last week.
The figure, which represents the visitor count from December 1-5, is a new record for the outdoor fair.
The highest turnout — of 100,000 people — was witnessed on December 2 (National Day) as well as on December 3.
Global Village kept extended opening hours and held National Day celebrations for the crowds.
The UAE flag flew over the new main entrance, called Gate of the World, and Global Village staff presented visitors with UAE scarves. There were also concerts by Emirati stars Adel Ebrahim on Wednesday and Harbi Al Amri on Thursday.
The concerts were followed by a National Day parade through the park on Friday night that featured representatives from more than 75 countries, which are participating in the 20th season of Global Village.
Global Village CEO Ahmad Hussain Bin Eisa said: “This was by far the busiest period we have enjoyed during our already hugely successful 20th season. It reflects the continuing and growing popularity of what we have to offer to our local, regional and international guests.”
The National Day events also saw the opening of a special exhibition space to showcase the results of Global Village’s ‘Project Dirham’ art initiative that has engaged with 15,000 students from 70 UAE schools. The students took part in colouring more than 1,500 metal plates that carried Emirati symbols inspired by the dirham coin — which are the falcon, dhow, dallah (coffee pot) and oryx. All of the artworks were compiled into a 4.5mx10m art installation.
Global Village, in association with Hamdan Bin Mohammad Heritage Centre, also hosted a number of Emirati bands who performed folk dances at locations across the park and on its main cultural stage.
The UAE Pavilion also featured an Emirati band that performed the Al Harbiya dance at the Roman Amphitheatre.
Free henna was also available for guests along with traditional Arabic coffee and dates to ensure a traditional Emirati welcome for the visitors who flocked to Global Village.
For the younger guests, Global Village provided face painting in the colours of the UAE flag and distributed balloons in different locations around the park. There were also National Day firework displays held from December 2-5, including fountain fireworks that painted the sky with the colours of the UAE flag.
