GLOBAL VILLAGE is Dubai is a cornucopia of light, sound, frolic, taste, and action. It is really indescribable and something that must be experienced. On its face, it did not sound that exciting to me – a place where there are different pavilions representing various countries and offering wares to purchase from that country (yawn). Sounded to me like yet another shopping mall, albeit a more interesting concept than most.
But Global Village is much more – and it is visually incredible. My favorite part is that each pavilion seems to house people from that actual country, selling wares from that actual country. I am not sure why this surprised me, since Dubai is a land of diversity and therefore authenticity in culture (for example, the Jamaican restaurant near us has a chef, waiters, and maitre d’ all FROM Jamaica. Ditto the Syrian restaurant, the Mexican restaurant…. all featuring staff native to the country represented and serving authentic ethnic food).
And I was also impressed by the PERFORMANCES. LOTS of them, throughout the Global Village. That alone is worth the cost of admission, which is decidedly inexpensive (only 15 Dhs, which is $4 U.S.). The performances are also cultural for the most part, except for the MONSTER TRUCK show, but I bet kids LOVE that show (and perhaps it’s American culture? I think I will leave it at that).
Parking is free if you do not mind being farther away. The “close up” parking, though, is expensive relative to the entry price. I paid 200 Dhs ($54) to park close to the entry gates (we had walked a lot that day and had visitors from the U.S. with us).
So go ahead – it is easy to visit 30 countries in one evening, without even bothering with a visa. Plus monster trucks – !
You Say Dubai, I Say Hello! 