As the sun dips below the horizon, it’s not just the skyscrapers that sparkle in Dubai: the Dubai Garden Glow stands out as one of the city’s most renowned evening attractions. It’s the perfect place to immerse yourself in a magical world, surrounded by illuminated sculptures and engaging exhibits designed primarily for family fun. If you’re traveling to Dubai with children, this is an experience you won’t want to miss!
Nestled within the tranquil and scenic setting of Zabeel Park, one of Dubai’s beloved urban parks, the Dubai Garden Glow leaves visitors in awe with its symphony of light and color. Hundreds of luminous sculptures and installations, crafted by artists from around the globe, adorn the sprawling garden, aptly named the “largest glow-in-the-dark garden”.
While the luminous sculptures take center stage, captivating both young and old with their Instagram-worthy appeal, there’s much more to explore. The Dubai Garden Glow also features a Magic Park that defies reality with mind-bending optical illusions. Here, walls play tricks on your eyes, and you can step into rooms where friends appear to hang upside down or find yourself inside a dinosaur’s gaping maw. And for the little ones, the Dinosaur Park invites you to step back in time and encounter over a hundred life-sized animatronic dinosaurs!
What you will find in this guide to Dubai Garden Glow:
Dubai Garden Glow: What It Is and Where It’s Located
The Dubai Garden Glow is a nighttime theme park that merges art, technology, and lighting to create a magical and immersive experience with hundreds of installations that light up in the dark, forming stunning sparkling sculptures. It is nestled in the heart of Zabeel Park, one of Dubai’s most beautiful parks, which is also home to the iconic Dubai Frame.
Renowned as one of Dubai’s premier attractions, the Dubai Garden Glow captivates visitors of all ages with its distinctive charm. What sets it apart is its originality: the installations are refreshed and redesigned by international artists every year. The garden meanders through the park’s pathways, welcoming guests from late afternoon into the evening.
This timing allows for a dual experience: witnessing the attractions under the natural light of day before they illuminate with the brilliance of thousands of colorful bulbs as night descends. In addition to the Garden Glow Park itself, you can also visit other captivating areas within Zabeel Park, including the Dinosaur Park, the Art Park, and the Magic Park, while various food stalls offer an array of delectable street food from across the globe, ranging from pizzas and hot dogs to ice creams.
For families vacationing in Dubai, a visit to the Dubai Garden Glow is a must-do activity, sure to delight children and adults alike. We recommend to start the afternoon with a trip to the Dubai Frame, followed by the enchanting finale at the Dubai Garden Glow.
Dubai Garden Glow Tickets & Offers
Tickets to the Dubai Garden Glow are priced at 70 AED (approximately $19) and grant access to the Glow Park, Dinosaur Park, and Art Park. To also visit the Magic Park, an additional ticket must be purchased at a cost of 45 AED, bringing the total to 115 AED (around $31.5).
However, it’s worth noting that tickets can be purchased at a discounted rate online. By booking your tickets in advance, you could save nearly $10 per ticket, depending on the season! Admission is free for children under the age of 3.
Dubai Garden Glow Attractions & Things to Do
Dubai Garden Glow unfolds across four thematic sections: Glow Park, Dinosaur Park, Art Park, and Magic Park. The ticket grants access to Glow Park, Art Park, and Dinosaur Park, while Magic Park requires an additional ticket purchase.
Dubai Glow Park
Dubai Glow Park is the centerpiece of Dubai Garden Glow and boasts hundreds of installations illuminated by over 10 million LED lights, crafting captivating sculptures and structures. Within, visitors encounter miniature replicas of renowned landmarks, skyscrapers, and animals, alongside enchanting love tunnels to stroll through. Each year, the Dubai Glow Park unveils a new theme, spanning from nature to wildlife, fairy tales to fantasy, all while emphasizing concepts like energy conservation, respect for the environment, and waste management.
Dinosaur Park
Embark on a journey back in time to the era of dinosaurs at Dinosaur Park. Both children and adults alike will be thrilled to explore this outdoor attraction entirely dedicated to the fascinating world of dinosaurs. Spread across the garden are 120 lifelike animatronic dinosaurs replicated at life size, ranging from the stegosaurus to the velociraptor. Here, children can delve into the history and intriguing facts about these prehistoric giants, gaining new insights across three epochs: Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous. Moreover, they can even hear their roars as they approach you and the enclosures.
Art Park
Art Park presents an eco-friendly exhibition area featuring installations and sculptures crafted from recycled objects such as CDs, bottles, ceramic plates, and more, depicting trees, flowers, animals, and beyond. This space seamlessly merges art with environmental stewardship, making it a special and enjoyable experience for visitors of all ages.
Magic Park
Magic Park is one of the newest attractions at Dubai Garden Glow and has swiftly become one of the most beloved. It’s a realm of optical illusions where 25 3D-artworks, crafted through geometric shapes, visual art and perspective tricks, will enable you to capture the most mind-boggling photos.
For instance, you might find yourself wandering through an upside-down house strolling on the ceiling, or stumbling into the jaws of a dinosaur or the jungle amidst fierce creatures. You could snap a photo as you scale the Burj Khalifa or find yourself on a giant chessboard where you’re a mere pawn. Not to be missed is the kaleidoscope room, with endless patterns and colorful designs that conjure up magical and mesmerizing atmospheres.
Ice Park (Now Closed)
A few years ago, Dubai Garden Glow boasted another attraction, known as the Ice Park, which achieved the remarkable feat of showcasing massive ice sculptures in a city situated amidst the desert. Housed within a pavilion where temperatures were maintained below freezing, the exhibition featured sculptures predominantly depicting animals and buildings sculpted from ice. For those wondering, Ice Park has since closed and been dismantled, thus no longer part of Dubai Garden Glow’s attractions.
Dubai Garden Glow Timings
The Dubai Garden Glow is open every day: from Sunday to Friday, it operates from 5:00 PM to 11:00 PM; on Saturdays and holidays, it extends its hours to midnight.
The attractions are refreshed annually, typically during the summer. The inauguration of the new season generally takes place between September and October. Tickets are purchased online, they usually go on sale a few months in advance and availability is limited.
Dubai Garden Glow: Where Art Meets Sustainability
Since its inauguration in 2015, Dubai Garden Glow has stood as a beacon of innovation, offering a unique attraction that sets itself apart while showcasing Dubai’s creative flair. Enlisting some of the world’s finest artists, the creators aimed to breathe life into their vision, resulting in a spectacular park inspired by nature. Characterized by imaginative and creative design, meticulous attention to detail, and exquisite craftsmanship, Dubai Garden Glow is a masterpiece in its own right.
Beyond entertainment and amusement, a primary objective of Dubai Garden Glow is to raise awareness about environmental conservation, addressing issues such as climate change and environmental pollution. To this end, the park leverages cutting-edge sustainable technologies. For instance, all lighting, comprising thousands of LED bulbs, is energy-efficient, while installations are crafted using exclusively recycled materials.
How to Get to Dubai Garden Glow
We recommend combining your visit to the Dubai Garden Glow with a trip to the Dubai Frame, as both attractions are located in Zabeel Park, which is slightly off the beaten path compared to the city’s other main attractions. Nearby, a short metro ride away, you can also visit the Museum of the Future and Dubai Creek. The easiest and quickest way to get to the Dubai Garden Glow is by taxi. Alternatively, you can take the red line of the Dubai Metro and get off at either the Max Metro Station or the World Trade Center Station, from both of which it’s about a 1.5 km walk.