UAE: 9 things to do to beat the summer heat

From escape rooms and adrenaline activities to night swimming and golf, here’s how to have fun this summer in the UAE.

Neon playworld: Head to this new attraction at Dubai Parks and Resorts to help your kids burn off some energy while you recoup with a cup of coffee or catch up on work. With ninja courses, slides, rope climbing, a wipe-out challenge, ball pits and many space themed educational activities, children will enjoy endless fun in a safe and stimulating environment. The park is on the grounds of Riverland.

Escape rooms: Dubai is home to several escape rooms that make for the perfect group activity whether that be family, friends or co-workers. New escape rooms combine virtual reality with the puzzles and riddles, making the activity even more thrilling and life-like.

Night swimming: This is a much-loved summer activity for residents, and Dubai Municipality has opened three more beaches where you can night swimming. These beaches are in Jumeirah 2, Jumeirah 3 and Umm Suqeim 1.

Golfing in cool conditions: Head to TopGolf Dubai this summer. With plenty of shaded bays and air conditioning units, and an indoor adventure at the Bunker Arcade, this venue is gearing up to be a family destination of choice this summer. There are 20 games including Arcade Classics and virtual reality showstoppers.

Al Majaz Waterfront: Enjoy fountain shows in Sharjah every day from 6.30pm onwards. This makes for the perfect budget-friendly family day out in the emirate.

Pixoul: Al Qana in Abu Dhabi is home to the emirate’s largest gaming centre which focusses on VR tech and eSports. The venue is perfect for tech-geeks and gamers.

Floating book fair: Abu Dhabi just welcomed the world’s largest floating book fair, on board the Logos Hope. The ship is docked at the Mina Zayed Port and will remain in Abu Dhabi until June 4.

Velocity: World Trade Center Abu Dhabi (WTC) houses this first-of-its-kind attraction – Velocity – 68-meter and 54-meter-long slides that are the longest and tallest stainless-steel slides to be based in a mall. With an aim to challenge guests’ senses, the slides allow thrill-seekers to travel from the third floor of the shopping mall to the ground floor at a sliding speed of 2-3 meters per second.

Dubai Hills Mall is home to the fastest indoor roller coaster, in the region The Storm. Daredevils will be carried high above Dubai's skyline and then thrown into the midst of an epic mega-storm using real-world cinematic special effects. Riders must be at least 130cm tall to board.