New attractions for the 30th season of Global Village has been revealed ahead of its October 15 opening. The popular family attraction in Dubai, which closes every summer, is marking a milestone year this year, and will run until May 10.
Since opening in 1997, the theme park has become one of the most popular attractions in the country and welcomed a record-breaking 10.5 million visitors last season.
Among new attractions this year is Gardens of the World, an area filled with exotic arrangements of flowers and landmarks from around the world. Located in front of the Egypt pavilion and extending all the way to the Iran pavilion, the nature-focused space is designed for leisurely strolls and family relaxation.
The Dragon Kingdom, an interactive walk-through experience with 11 themed rooms, will also be launched. In this attraction, guests will be introduced to a mythical world called Blackstone Hollow, where they have to help the last dragon Ignis recover his lost power by solving puzzles and uncovering clues. Each room will offer a different challenge and atmosphere, blending fantasy, mystery and adventure.
Later in the season, younger visitors can also look forward to The Little Wonderers at Carnaval, an illuminated indoor adventure park featuring multi-level obstacle courses, climbing structures, slides, ball pits, tunnels and challenges.
The Main Stage, which has featured many performances and celebrity appearances, has also been transformed for the new season, and will be bigger and better with greater capacity than before. In the previous season, Egyptian artist Amr Diab, Iraqi singer and actress Rahma Riad, Egyptian star Tamer Hosny and Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan were among many to take the stage.
The dragon at the centre of the lake has also been upgraded with new fire effects.
Other expansions include the Fiesta Street for food, while The Railway Market has now been renamed Dessert District, and promises visitors the perfect backdrop for Instagram-worthy pictures.
How much do Global Village tickets cost?
Tickets cost Dh25 from Sunday to Thursday, and Dh30 on Friday and Saturday. Entry is free for under-threes and ages 65 and above, as well as people of determination. Tuesdays are reserved for ladies and families, except for public holidays.
VIP Packs are also on sale starting at Dh1,800 for the Silver Pack, which offers several entry tickets, parking benefits and attraction passes.
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Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
England's all-time record goalscorers:
Wayne Rooney 53
Bobby Charlton 49
Gary Lineker 48
Jimmy Greaves 44
Michael Owen 40
Tom Finney 30
Nat Lofthouse 30
Alan Shearer 30
Viv Woodward 29
Frank Lampard 29
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De Bruyne (70')
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Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
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Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
