Global Village is the leading family outdoor cultural and entertainment destination and the largest seasonal cultural extravaganza of the region, which offers an amazing series of festivals, shopping and entertainment in an open-air theme park.Global Village is associated with the Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF), although, the Global Village event opens before DSF, and runs longer than DSF. The firs
t season of the Global Village was in 1996, held on the Deira side of Dubai Creek in the car park opposite the Dubai Municipality building. This is held from November to April every year and involves more than 70 participating nations, presented in nearly 40 pavilions, plenty of fun rides and restaurants offering cuisines from across the globe. Launched in 1997, Global Village is now past 18 editions, offering cultural entertainment along with an international shopping experience to millions of visitors. It began its debut show on the Creek Side opposite Dubai Municipality, but, later moved to Oud Metha and then to Dubai Festival City, and its permanent home now is on the Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road, Exit 37. Global Village has seen huge expansions, with breath-taking live performances, mouth-watering cuisine, authentic handicrafts and merchandise and thrilling rides, firework displays and more. The 19th edition of Global Village will begin 0n 6th November 2014 and will culminate on 11th April 2015. This year, the management of Global Village has specially focused on details such as safety and security aspects, and have added new attractions to the theme park. This year is hoped to be ‘bigger’ and ‘better’ than any season. The Chief Operating Officer at Global Village said that it is part of objectives of the park to partner with government authorities to ensure success of operations in the part and ensure safety of its five million visitors. Among the participating nations in the Global Village this year are Egypt, Tunisia, KSA, Qatar, Spain, Africa, UAE, Pakistan, Syria, Lebanon, Turkey, Morocco, Italy (new), Afghanistan, Bahrain, Jordan, India, China, Germany/UK/France (new), Yemen, Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore, Kuwait, Oman, Vietnam, Palestine, Thailand, Iran, Khalifa Foundation and Forsaty. The parking space at Global Village has the capacity to accommodate about 17,000 cars during peak time. Free parking shuttles are operated round-the-clock during the operating hours to transport visitors to and from the crowded parking lots. Managed and operated by RTA, the traditional Abras take visitors on tours across Global Village’s central lake to see pavilions and enjoy the Emirati tradition. Several popular singers perform on stage during weekends or during special festivals and events that rock the audiences. Located between Gate 1 and Gate 2, is the funfair ground which hosts several skill games and thrill rides aimed at providing entertainment to families. There are also the children play area located near World Culture Stage, which includes slides, swings, and other such games. Express Train station is also located nearby so that children can go on a tour around the park. Apart from some noteworthy features that are being included this year such as more exciting entertainment acts for families, dancing fountain with sound, fire and light show, customized décor and lighting for special events, improved information booths, new food courts, improved parking lots, tourism packages, loyalty programs and public toilets, there are also other services that Global Village provides at the entry gate and around the park necessities like baby karts, trolleys, wheel chairs for people with special needs and elderly, car wash, and valet parking. Every season, Global Village launches VIP packs to offer better and more value-added services to its loyal visitors. VIP packs offer wider benefits at a more reasonable price. The campaign include more entry tickets, valet parking passes, VIP car stickers which give privileged access to VIP parking area and Fantasy Island Coupons. The packs may also include a loyalty card which grants unlimited access to Global Village events all through the season. The VIP packs are also available at all Virgin Megastores. Last year, there were more than 10,000 shows at Global Village, classified under various themes like pavilion cultural shows, street shows, Children entertainment, apart from special events celebrations. There were also shows like USA break-dancers, football jugglers, sky-wheel fire show, Chinese unicyclists, All Star Dunkers and Moshi monsters. There are more than 27 restaurants at Global Village that serves local cuisine, international dishes and specialties. There are open air restaurants and coffee shops that overlook the lake for host families and tourists to entertain them while they shop, The Global Village restaurants include international brands and chain restaurants and pavilions restaurants representing various nations. The 200 or more retail shops here specialize in selling authentic products that draw visitors ever season offering them a unique shopping experience. The shops are located along the main gates, overlooking the lake. Each shop is designed to reflect the concept behind it, be it, culture, custom or heritage. Global Village has added more fun to the event by organizing several competitions and raffle draws every week on its social media platforms to engage fans and offer them a chance to win valuable prizes this season. The tickets are priced at Dh.15, while entry is free for children under 3 years of age. Mondays are family days, provided, it is a public holiday. For more information on shows and events at the Global Village, log on to www.globalvillage.ae or call 04-3624114. Timings
4:00pm to 12:00am (Saturday to Wednesday)
4:00pm to 1:00am (Thursday, Friday and public holidays)
