Entertainment
LEGOLAND Dubai to Throw its Doors Open on 31 October 2016
LEGOLAND Dubai and LEGOLAND Water Park have announced that they will throw their doors open on 31 October 2016. As part of Dubai Parks and Resorts, the region’s largest theme park resort destination, the two parks have also unveiled new and exciting details about their combined 60 rides, shows, water slides, attractions and building experiences.
Designed for families with children aged 2-12, and including 6 themed areas, 60 million LEGO bricks and 15,000 LEGO model structures, LEGOLAND Dubai and LEGOLAND Water Park’s attractions encompass LEGO building experiences and playful learning in one place. To celebrate the countdown to opening, the LEGOLAND Parks have released more fun details of what everyone can look forward to experiencing in October this year:
LEGOLAND Dubai will feature six themed lands: FACTORY, LEGO CITY, IMAGINATION, KINGDOMS, ADVENTURE and MINILAND – each unique in their design, entertainment and playful learning experience. If you have kids aged 3 onwards, they can get their very own LEGOLAND Driver’s License at the LEGO City Driving School. Children aged 6-12 can learn about road safety and how to drive in LEGO CITY, which will feature 45 mini electric cars.
Families and children at LEGOLAND Water Park will get a splash-filled thrill from the Joker Soaker’s bucket, spilling a torrential 300 gallons of water every few minutes. The Dragon Coaster is LEGOLAND Dubai’s biggest ride at 16 metres high and reaches speeds of up to 60 kilometres per hour.
Over 20 million LEGO bricks will be used in MINILAND, where LEGOLAND Dubai has recreated scenes and famous landmarks from the UAE, GCC and Middle East region, including Burj Khalifa, Burj Al Arab and the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. The largest LEGO model in the Parks (outside of MINILAND) is the Icon Dragon and is made from 395,251 bricks, while the smallest LEGO model is the Minilander made from 20 LEGO bricks.
It took a total of 3,900 hours to build the biggest LEGO model in the Park, including 1250 hours for new development and 2,650 hours for gluing and assembly. The minimum age to get into the DUPLO Wave Pool is two years old, making it the perfect place for LEGOLAND Water Park’s tiniest tots to cool off.
LEGOLAND Dubai’s 4D movie theatre will be the only place in the whole of the Middle East where families can watch ‘The LEGO Movie 4D: A New Adventure’. LEGOLAND Dubai’s FACTORY area is home to The BIG SHOP, the biggest LEGO store in the Middle East where visitors can find 610 different LEGO Box Sets.
Submarine Adventure will be home to over 2230 inhabitants, made up of nearly 60 different species of fish, sharks and invertebrates. The largest species is the Zebra Shark at 1.5m and the smallest is Reticulated Damsel at 2cms. LEGOLAND Dubai, together with LEGOLAND Water Park, is part of Dubai Parks and Resorts which will also feature motiongate Dubai – a unique theme park showcasing some of Hollywood’s most beloved characters from DreamWorks Animation, Sony Pictures Studios and Lionsgate.
Dubai Parks and Resorts will also feature Bollywood Parks Dubai, the first ever theme park based on the sights and sounds of Bollywood. The entire destination will be connected by Riverland Dubai – a retail, dining and entertainment walkway and guests can stay at the Lapita Hotel, a Polynesian-themed resort catering to families.
LEGOLAND Dubai and LEGOLAND Water Park recently announced the launch of their Annual Pass, offering fun and exciting experiences for guests who want to be the “first to play” at the LEGOLAND parks’ 60 rides, waterslides attractions and building experiences before they officially open to the public in October this year.
The first Annual Pass holders will become privileged members that will be among the first families ever to try the rides and attractions, and will enjoy exclusive incentives including special access to private events helping to put the finishing touches on the park, as well as a commemorative LEGO brick and Annual Pass Card.
In addition to 12 months admission to LEGOLAND Dubai and LEGOLAND Water Park, all annual pass holders will enjoy benefits such as discounts on the park’s retail and food and beverage and special offers throughout the year. The annual two-park combo pass for LEGOLAND Dubai and LEGOLAND Water Park is priced at AED 995, with the annual pass for LEGOLAND Dubai priced at AED 765.
Review Central Middle East will be at LEGOLAND Dubai when it open next week. We will bring you live coverage from the opening ceremony. So stay tuned!

Bikes
Bollywood Stars to Blaze the Track at Dubai Autodrome for ‘DSBK Middle East Championship’

Dubai is gearing up for an electrifying fusion of speed and stardom as the ‘DSBK Middle East Championship’ takes centre stage at the iconic Dubai Autodrome Racing Circuit on February 2, 2025. For the first time, some of Bollywood’s biggest celebrities will swap the red carpet for racing helmets, promising an adrenaline-pumping showdown like never before. Some of the Bollywood favourite stars, including Arbaaz Khan, Sohail Khan, Emraan Hashmi, Vivek Oberoi, Gauahar Khan, and Salman Yusuff Khan, among others, will be participating and riding in this high-octane motorsport extravaganza.
The event is equally igniting interest and quickly gaining traction in the country as well, for its never-seen-before blend of Bollywood glamour with the thrill of superbike racing. As the UAE’s premier superbike championship, DSBK Racing has carved a niche for itself in the region’s motorsport scene. The event provides an opportunity to immerse in edge-of-the-seat racing action, engaging family-friendly activities, and a seamless experience with free entry and parking, ensuring inclusivity for all visitors.
Beyond the high-speed action, the event boasts an array of entertainment options, including live DJ performances, a dedicated children’s play zone, a diverse range of food trucks, an interactive fan zone, and exclusive meet-and-greet opportunities with racers, influencers and celebrities. DSBK Racing’s Founder and celebrated racer Nasir Syed, along with Co-Founder Abdul Samee shared their vision for the championship and said, “The DSBK Middle East Championship is more than just a race; it’s a movement to promote responsible riding and nurture motorsport culture in the region. We aim to establish DSBK Racing as a marquee event on the Middle East’s motorsport calendar.”
In a major announcement, DSBK Racing has also unveiled two groundbreaking initiatives. The DSBK Racing Academy, UAE’s first-ever Superbike training academy, is aimed at cultivating the next generation of racing talent through structured training programs for aspiring riders. Additionally, DSBK Racing is committed to fostering a passionate community of riders, families, and motorsport enthusiasts, offering an experience that extends beyond races to include education and entertainment.
Entertainment
Universal Music Group and Amazon Music Expand Global Partnership

Universal Music Group and Amazon Music today announced an expanded global relationship that will enable further innovation, exclusive content with UMG artists, and advancement of artist-centric principles including increased fraud protection. This reflects the two companies’ shared commitment to advancing and safeguarding human artistry while ensuring UMG’s artists achieve their commercial potential through the service’s continued product enhancements and exclusive content that elevate authentic engagement between artists and fans.
UMG and Amazon Music will work closely to explore new and enhanced product opportunities designed to benefit artists and enrich the experience of their fans. UMG will also collaborate with Amazon Music as it continues to expand in audio, including further innovation in audiobooks, audio and visual programming, and its investment in live-streamed content that has connected millions of fans with their favourite artists across all genres and corners of the world. UMG and Amazon will also work collaboratively to address, among other things, unlawful AI-generated content, as well as protect against fraud and misattribution.
Sir Lucian Grainge, Chairman & CEO, Universal Music Group said, “We are very excited to advance our long-standing, excellent partnership with Amazon Music that marks a new era in streaming—Streaming 2.0. We appreciate Amazon Music’s deep commitment to the interests of our artists, and look forward to progressing our shared artist-centric objectives through product innovation and accelerating the growth of their service.”
Steve Boom, VP of Audio, Twitch and Games for Amazon said, “UMG has always been a collaborative partner to Amazon Music, and as we continue to invent and introduce more artist-to-fan connections through our product and exclusive content, we’re redefining what it means to be a streaming service. We’re thrilled to expand our relationship with UMG which will enable us to partner on meaningful new ways for artists to deepen their engagement with fans around the world while working together to protect the work of artists, songwriters and publishers.”
Cool Stuff
Dubai International Baja is Now Underway

After months of preparation, the final event in the international off-road rallying season is underway. Crews have completed the spectacular Qualifying Stage in the Hatta Suhaila Area and the Ceremonial Start at Dubai Festival Bay and are now focusing on the 359km of driving in Dubai’s daunting Al Qudra Desert that will make up Saturday’s Al-Futtaim Toyota Stage 2 of the event.
Lucas Moraes took victory on the first stage in Hatta by the narrowest of margins over his Toyota Gazoo Racing teammate Seth Quintero. Just 0.2s separated the Brazilian and his Spanish codriver Armand Monelon from the US star Quintero and his German co-driver Dennis Zenz in their Toyota Hilux machines.
12-time event winner and reigning champion Nasser Al Attiyah got to within 1.4s of the leading pairing on his one-off outing with his team in his Taurus T3 Max while his team-mate Khalifa Al Attiyah was fourth, less than 10 seconds from the leading crew. Father/daughter combination Lionel and Lucie Baud were a fine fifth at the end of their first stage of rallying in Dubai with their Mini JCW Rally.
It was a tough start to the weekend for a couple of pre-event favourites Khalid Aljalfa and Eduard Pons who were 2m28s and 2m40s down after the stage after delays. However, they retain every chance of vying for honours in their battle for T3 class honours in the FIA World Cup Baja series. Poland’s Konrad Dabrowski took the early bragging rights among the two-wheel entry, the 23-year-old steering his Duust Rally Team KTM 450 to the fastest time in the 3.4km timed run at Hatta.
That was 25 seconds faster than Rafic Eid of Lebanon on his Gasgas and 28.2 seconds quicker than Pedro Bianchi Prata on his Honda CRF. Leading Quad rider on the Yamaha Raptors in the opening test was local man Abdulaziz Ahli, who had just under ten seconds in hand over Abdulaziz Al Atawi with the Saudi’s fellow countryman third Hani Al Noumesi third.
Following the stage in Hatta, the crews made their way back to the Service Park in Dubai Festival City for the tactically important Start Selection Ceremony. The competitors were then flagged away at Ceremonial Start in front of the fans in Dubai Festival City by His Highness Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Sports Council in the company of His Excellency Mohammed Ahmed ben Sulayem, President of the FIA, Omar Abdullah Al Futtaim, Vice Chairman and CEO of the Al Futtaim Group and His Excellency Dr Amer Al Zarooni Chief Executive Officer of the Al Jalila Foundation.
The crews then turned their attention to the challenges of Al-Futtaim Toyota Stage 2. In total there are 395km of timed ‘selective’ sections across the weekend and, with the untimed sections, the crews are facing a total of 867km of driving and riding until the champions of Dubai International Baja 2024 are crowned.
This year’s innovative use of the rugged landscape around Hatta means that gravel/dirt tracks make up 20% of the total route terrain on the selective sections. The rest is made up of open desert (35%) and 45% on the daunting dunes of Dubai which have made this rally so famous and popular with crews the world over.
Al-Futtaim Toyota Stage 2 begins at 8 am (Saturday 30th November) with the first crews expected to complete the selective sections from 11.30 am onwards, after which the teams will return to the Service Park in Dubai Festival Mall where they will be on view to spectators throughout the day. Now in its eighth edition under the Baja format, the event draws top competitors from around the globe to tackle the challenging dunes of Dubai.
Held under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and organised by the Emirates Motorsport Organization (EMSO) in collaboration with the Dubai Sports Council, the Baja is supported by Official Automotive Partner Al-Futtaim Toyota, Energy Partner ENOC, and the strategic collaboration of the Dubai Government and its entities, including the Dubai Police, RTA and Dubai Municipality.
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