22nd Edition of Global Village Opens on November 1

Global Village, the region’s first and largest multi-cultural festival park, announced during a special media launch event its readiness for the launch of Season 22 with the theme “Come Experience the World”, with a bouquet of mega festivals and celebrations. A family destination for culture, shopping and entertainment, the park will welcome guests to its vast array of super-sized cultural and entertainment events from Wednesday, 1^st November, 2017 to 7^th April, 2018, a period of 158 days.

A host of major festive events for the new season will combine world-class shopping from around the world, unlimited entertainment, international cuisine and Carnaval – Unique new concept and the biggest fun-fair experience ever hosted in Global Village. Additionally, infrastructural & servies improvements for this season, as per a new master-plan, aim to heighten the experience for millions of expected guests.

Bader Anwahi, Chief Operating Officer of Global Village, said: "We are excited to launch Season 22 with a bouquet of enthralling festivals and celebrations for our guests. We have worked on a number of enhancements and developments based on our Guest Journey Mapping studies and will be offering some of the best cultural and entertainment experiences in the region throughout the season. Guests will experience the world every time they visit as they witness more exciting and huge international shows that will surely leave a positive impact."

He pointed out that Global Village is one of the most important family entertainment destinations and recreational parks in the region, and a must-visit destination on the itinerary of any tourist to Dubai. It spreads the message of embracing cultural diversity and happiness to residents and tourists alike, and reflects the cultural diversity aspect of Dubai and the UAE.

‘Come Experience the World’

Season 22 of Global Village presents cultures of more than 75 countries through 27 new pavilions. Each pavilion showcases the country or region’s most beautiful monuments and landmarks with new and distinctive facades this season. It is home to popular bazaars with authentic products and crafts, heritage corners and cultural performances for guests. ‘Bosnia and the Balkans’ and ‘South Asia’ representing Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal are two new pavilions this season. Other pavilions include the UAE, Saudi Arabia, India, Bahrain and Oman, Kuwait, Africa, China, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Turkey, Syria, Thailand, Iraq, Yemen, Pakistan, the Far East, Europe, Iran, Russia, the Americas and Lebanon.

Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation for Humanitarian Works is helping a range of UAE businesses and families be part of Khalifa foundation pavilion this year. AlSanaa Pavilion is also part of Global Village this season operated by the Ministry of Human Development to support Emirati businesses.

‘Carnaval’ – A Unique new concept and Global Village’s biggest ever fun-fair experience

A key new attraction this season is Carnaval, presented in an innovative design with colorful backgrounds, cheerful lighting and fast-moving tunes to heighten guests’ experience.

Carnaval will attract guests of all ages with 28 exhilarating rides, 34 skill games with a wide range of popular gifts and more than 100 arcade games in a new large Arcade building designed as a carnival tent. The all new games are named after the world's most famous cities to reflect the theme of Global Village, ‘Come Experience the World’. Rides in Carnaval are divided into three categories based on their experiences - children's rides, family rides and thrill riders for the speed and adventure seekers.

Blockbuster Concerts every Friday at 9 pm

Global Village improves on tradition with its concerts this season. More than 20 concerts of the biggest Arab and international stars will take place at its Main Cultural Stage every Friday at 9 pm. The UAE’s own Shamma Hamdan will perform on 3^rd November and Abdulla Bil Khair. Other confirmed stars include Tamer Hosny, Mohammed Al Salem, Shreya Ghoshal, and Mika Singh.

More than 12,000 entertainment and cultural performances

Global Village will host more than 12,000 cultural and entertainment shows throughout the 158 days of Season 22. More than 80 artistes were selected from the UAE, London, India and China after auditions of more than 1,500 performers.

The Mega Monster Stunt Show is one of the most anticipated performances and builds upon the great success of "Speed ​​... Chase ... Action!" from last season. With new and bigger range of technologies, special effects, cars, bicycles and audio and video effects that are globally best-in-class, it features more than 30 stunt professionals, technicians and safety officials and will perform 6 days a week throughout the new season.

“Tall Tales” show, which bridges the reality between huge theater screens and its exhibits, “High Voltage” show with number of the world's most high energy acrobatic stunts, alongside “Viva Bollywood 2” show with a new look and bigger feel after its great success in Season 20 will be entertaining guests of Global Village throughout the season, produced by Global Village’s entertainment team. 

Among the award-winning international cultural performances of Season 22 are ‘Beyond Bollywood’, which has had more than 60 acclaimed performances in the UK, Europe, Algeria and India; ‘Shaolin Monks’ from the famous temple in China’s Henan province and in the Middle East for the first time; and ‘Silk Road’ produced by the world-famous Ornina Shows will also be part of this season’s entertainment calendar.

A National Day special show - Watan Al Ahlam (Land of Dreams) - highlights UAE’s heritage and takes guests on a wonderful journey of music and celebration that combines past and present.

Guest feedback has prompted Global Village to create the Community Stage for the first time, a platform for the nation's talents to present their performances to millions of guests.

Three new Globo Shows for kids are produced this season to spread happiness amongst young guests in addition to the exclusive live shows of the international characters of Angry Birds and Chhota Bheem.

The multi-cultural festival park will be hosting an array of more than 12,000 cultural and entertainment shows throughout Season 22 and all are included in the price of its entry tickets for AED 15 only.

An abundance of international cuisine at one place

Global Village has always been a showcase for international cuisines and hosts hundreds of outlets. This season, it is home to 23 restaurants and cafes with unique meals and flavors that include nine new cuisines from Mexico, China, the Gulf and Cuba. Guests can also sample the world's best street food experience at more than 120 kiosks that offer a wide range of authentic snacks, sweets and beverages, many of which are only available in Global Village in the entire region.

Innovative community outreach programs

After visiting more than 60 schools during the previous season and interacting with more than 40,000 students, Global Village has created a new series of interactive programs to introduce more cultures to UAE school students. They include a range of cultural performances, educational competitions, entertainment shows and gifting opportunities, aimed to increase awareness of global cultures and inspire them to discover the world.

This season, the innovative "Victory Project" competition will attract 15,000 students from more than 50 UAE schools. They will design and decorate more than 3,000 ceramic tiles in the shape of the UAE’s unique Victory Sign of three fingers salute. These designs will be displayed at Global Village to celebrate the 46^th National Day and three schools will win prizes of up to AED 100,000 for the development of their arts and crafts departments.

Infrastructural & services improvements in line with guest journey mapping

Pleased with its 9/10 happiness score last season, Global Village has taken further note of guest suggestions and implemented a range of infrastructural & services improvements. Parking for 300 additional vehicles for a total of 18,300 parking lots and dedicated parking spaces for motorcycles have been created. Two new RTA Bus routes will start from Al Rashidiya Metro Station and Mall of the Emirates Metro Station in collaboration with RTA, bringing the total number of dedicated bus routes to four. New dedicated bus and public transport street lanes have been added to reduce congestion and increase guest comfort.

Global Village has planted more than 10,000 plants and trees at the entrances from Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road and around the parking and park areas. Its total green area this season has been increased to now more than 50,000 square meters. 50 new traffic signs has been installed to cover the parking area and make it easier for guests’ movement and smoothen their entry and exit. More than 18,000 LED festoon lights spread across the common areas in Global Village to help enhance aesthetics and magnificence of the panoramic images painted on the different wings and facades.

Ahmad AlMarri, Director of Operations in Global Village, said: "We look forward to welcome our guests and have been working day and night to reach the highest levels of readiness and to ensure superior standards and unprecedented experiences in the new season. We thank all our partners in success - government authorities, investors, media professionals and employees - for their efforts in ensuring a safe and comfortable environment for the millions of expected guests throughout the season.”

An integrated digital presence

Global Village has upgraded its website to enhance communication with guests and other audiences from around the world. It has added live broadcast and weather forecasts to its user-friendly, smartphone app, along with games and gifting. The list of shops and restaurants makes it easier to search and its new business platform offers real-time ticketing solutions for tour operators online.

Global Village welcomes guests to Season 22 that spans 158 days, from 1^st November 2017 to 7^th April 2018. The park is open from 4:00pm – 12:00am, Saturday to Wednesday and from 4:00pm – 1:00am on Fridays, Thursdays and public holidays. Mondays are dedicated to families and women only.