Dubai: Dubai Parks and Resorts, part of Meraas Holding, on Tuesday released a video giving viewers a sneak peek of its upcoming theme park, which is scheduled to open in Jebel Ali in October 2016.
The video starts with an overview of Dubai Parks and Resorts’ three theme parks: Motiongate, Legoland Dubai and Bollywood Parks. The parks are connected by Riverland Dubai, which is a retail, dining and entertainment walkway. The development will also feature the Lapita Hotel.
“We will be opening three gates at the same time in 2016,” said Raed Al Nuaimi, chief executive of Dubai Parks and Resorts, in the video.
Motiongate, which will cover 1.9 million square feet, features 27 attractions, including thrilling rides, roller coasters, interactive play labs, water rides and multimedia theatre experiences — all with a theme inspired by Hollywood films. Motiongate has partnered with three of the world’s biggest film studios — Lionsgate, Sony Pictures Studios and DreamWorks Animation for the project.
The DreamWorks zone, within Motiongate, covers 45,000 square metres and will feature 12 attractions and rides, as well as retail and dining outlets based on popular films such as Shrek, Madagascar and Kung Fu Panda.
Meanwhile, Bollywood Parks will feature five themed zones spread over 3 million square feet.
Earlier this year, the company signed an agreement with Wizcraft International Entertainment to create a Bollywood show for its theme park’s Rajmahal Theatre. The theatre will be located at Bollywood Parks, featuring VIP boxes and exclusive lounges for private events and galas.
Legoland Dubai, which will be the first Legoland in the Middle East, will cover three million square feet. It will include over 40 interactive rides, shows and attractions set in six themed lands — Lego City, Adventure, Lego Kingdom, Lego Create, Lego Factory, and Miniland.
Dubai Parks and Resorts tied up with Merlin Entertainments earlier this year to build Legoland Water Park, which will be part of Legoland Dubai.
The water park will feature a half-million gallon wave pool; the Build-A-Raft River where visitors can design and build their own customised raft; the interactive Imagination Station, which lets children build bridges, dams and cities and test their designs against the flow of water.
Last month, Dubai Parks and Resorts installed its first ride, the Dragon roller coaster. Reaching speeds of up to 60km per hour, the ride will form centrepiece of Legoland Dubai.
The development is expected to attract over 6.7 million ticketed visits in 2017, its first full year of operation.
