The largest theme park destination in the Middle East, Dubai Parks and Resorts, has been inaugurated on Sunday, December 18. The grand opening was led by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
The park is a massive one. It is set across 30.6 million square feet and the Dh13 billion Dubai Parks and Resorts features three main theme parks - Hollywood themed Motiongate, Legoland Dubai and Bollywood Parks, Gulf Business reported.
Oscar and Tony-award winning composer, Alan Menken, who is behind the scores of popular Disney classics Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, Pocahontas, Beauty and the Beast and Sister Act, wrote the attraction's theme song titled "All the Wonders of the Universe." The grand opening show lasted about 30 minutes, ended with a massive fireworks display.
"It was irresistible. I just imagined how a magical theme park might spring to life in the middle of the desert," Menken said in an interview with Gulf News. Menken performed the composition with his daughter Anna Rose.
Visitors of the theme park were impressed and say that the visit is worth the cost. Raeed Kajoor Al Nuami, chief executive of DXB Entertainment, which manages the parks, said the attractions had been three years in the making.
"Our aim is to create a legacy for entertainment in the region for the communities and charities we will support and for the residents and tourists who will make great memories," he told The National.
Dubai Park and Resorts has a total of 100 rides and attractions, but some are not open yet. Some of the attractions include Legoland Water Park, a retail dining district called Riverland, and a four-star hotel which is part of the Marriott Autograph Collection called Lapita. Raeed Kajoor Al Nuami said that everything should be open by the end of this year or early 2017.
