The Dubai Fountain is one of the main attractions not only of the emirate but also of the entire country. Built in 2009 for the opening of The Dubai Mall, it surpassed its competitors in Las Vegas and Tokyo in size, technical capabilities, and beauty.
History of Creation
The singing and dancing fountain in the largest emirate of the UAE was designed by the architectural company WET, which also created the world-famous Bellagio and Salt Lake City Fountain. The construction itself in 2008 was undertaken by the local Emaar Properties PJSC, which successfully completed the project in less than a year.
The cost of the Dubai Fountains is approximately $250 million. This price included the creation of a huge water reservoir with an area of 120 m², communication lines for synchronizing light with music, and a system for simultaneously controlling all water jets.
Interesting Fact! For choosing the name of the emirate’s new attraction, a special commission was created, and a state competition was held. However, the result was not very surprising, as the dancing masterpiece was given a simple and obvious name – The Dubai Fountain.
What Makes the Fountain Special
Let’s start with some numbers:
- The dancing fountain can lift more than 80 tons of water in one second.
- The music and movements of the attraction are accompanied by more than 6,600 lights of 25 colors, which allows for 1.5 million shades.
- The average duration of the fountain show is 6 minutes.
- The maximum height of the fountain’s water jets is 275 meters, but it is never used at full power; usually, the water reaches the height of a 50-story building – 150 meters.
- The fountain creates more than 1,000 water compositions.
- It can play more than 30 melodies.
- In 2010, the fountain was upgraded to include not only light but also smoke in its performances.
To bring the fountain into action, workers had to install several powerful pumps operating under high pressure and a system of water pressure devices. The structure itself consists of 5 circles of different diameters, connected by a curved line with water jets. During the performance, water jets rise to different heights under musical accompaniment, smoothly or sharply changing each other, moving in different directions, turning the curved lines into various shapes.
Technical Features: To create jets of different heights, each water jet is equipped with nozzles of three strengths.
Melodies of Water
The musical fountain in Dubai almost never stops during its “dance.” The show uses the same list of 31 pieces, but since the performance lasts only a few minutes, you can hear only some of them at a time.
Among the songs performed by the singing fountain are masterpieces of world cinema (e.g., “I Will Always Love You” and “Mission Impossible”), hits by the world’s best singers (Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”), a song in honor of the current ruler of Dubai “Baba Yetu,” and the national anthem of the UAE, which are mandatory parts of every show.
Practical Information
The dancing fountain is located near the world’s largest shopping center, The Dubai Mall, and the Burj Khalifa tower at Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Boulevard 1. The fountain operates from 6 PM to 11 PM, with shows every half hour.
Note! During Ramadan, the schedule of the Dubai dancing fountains changes: shows start every half hour from 7:30 PM to 11 PM from Sunday to Monday and until 11:30 PM from Tuesday to Saturday.
Seeing the Dubai dancing fountain on video or watching the show live are completely different experiences, so don’t hesitate to find a spot with a beautiful view of the performance. You can enjoy this free spectacle from many locations:
- Rivington Grill: The simplest and most convenient way is to dine at a café with a view of the singing fountain. Suitable venues include TGI Fridays, the French cuisine restaurant Madeleine, the Italian pizzeria Carluccio’s, the British-themed Rivington Grill, or the dessert spot Baker & Spice.
- Souk Al Bahar Bridge: You can see and film the show well from this bridge connecting the Souk Al Bahar mall with The Dubai Mall.
- Burj Khalifa Viewing Platforms: Special viewing platforms for the dancing fountain have been created on the 124th, 125th, and 148th floors of the Burj Khalifa tower.
- The Broadwalk Floating Platform: Very close to the attraction, but you need to take a spot at least half an hour before the show. The cost is 20 AED.
- Traditional Arab Boat (Abra): The most romantic option is to watch the show from a traditional Arab boat. Book your spot in advance here. The cost of a water trip for one traveler over three years old is 68.25 AED.
Tip! The most economical way to watch the show is from the lawn behind the Dubai Opera building.
The Dubai Fountain does not have its own website, but dedicated pages can be found on the official Dubai Mall site (thedubaimall.com) or the developer’s site (www.emaar.com/en/).
The singing fountain in Dubai is not just beautiful music and unusual water movements; it is a true dance of the elements that you will remember for a lifetime. Have a great trip!
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