Dubai Parks and Resorts partners with Merlin Entertainments plc to build LEGOLAND® Water Park

Already making waves across the globe with the recent announcements of its upcoming attractions, Dubai Parks and Resorts (DPR), in conjunction with UK based Merlin Entertainments plc (‘Merlin’), the world’s second-largest visitor attraction operator and a FTSE 100 company, has unveiled the latest addition to its lineup.

Sure to make a splash when it opens next year, LEGOLAND Water Park will be an exciting new addition to the wider LEGOLAND Dubai theme park, which is already in development. Aimed at children ages two to twelve, the new LEGOLAND Water Park will feature some of LEGOLAND’s most popular water attractions including a half-million gallon wave pool; the very popular Build-A-Raft River where guests can design and build their own customised raft; along with the interactive Imagination Station, which lets children construct bridges, dams and cities and test their designs against the flow of water.

Commenting on the plans for the LEGOLAND Water Park, Raed Al Nuaimi, CEO of Dubai Parks and Resorts said, “We are committed to offering unforgettable experiences for guests of all ages at Dubai Parks and Resorts. We are therefore very pleased to partner with Merlin Entertainments to bring this unique water park concept to the UAE as an exciting new element to the LEGOLAND Dubai theme park. We look forward to welcoming families to this immersive and interactive attraction, where children can create, build, and learn while having fun. With the addition of the LEGOLAND Water Park to our existing offering, we will now have a destination that boasts six components and over 100 rides and attractions.”

LEGOLAND Dubai, the first LEGOLAND Park in the Middle East, will cover a total of three million square feet made from more than 60 million LEGO bricks. This includes over 40 interactive rides, shows and attractions set in six themed lands – LEGO City, Adventure, LEGO Kingdom, LEGO Create, LEGO Factory, and Miniland which is always unique to every individual location and showcases some of the most iconic buildings and landmarks from Dubai and the Middle East – replicated to scale in LEGO bricks.

Commenting Nick Varney, CEO of Merlin Entertainments, said: “We already have a strong working partnership with Dubai Parks and Resorts and this LEGOLAND Water Park is an exciting and natural extension to our existing Park development here in Dubai. In line with LEGOLAND Dubai, the LEGOLAND Water Park is aimed primarily at families with young children, offering a unique place for them to play and have fun together. The addition of the LEGOLAND Water Park will not only allow families to enjoy the LEGOLAND Dubai experience over a number of days but also help create many more truly memorable experiences of their visit. ”

Dubai Parks and Resorts is set to be the region’s largest multi-themed leisure and entertainment destination when it opens in October 2016. In addition to LEGOLAND Dubai, Dubai Parks and Resorts will also comprise motiongate™ Dubai, and Bollywood Parks™ Dubai – all connected by Riverland™ Dubai, a unique retail, dining and entertainment walkway. The development will also feature the Lapita^TM Hotel, a Polynesian-themed resort for families. With a projected target of over 6.7 million ticketed visits in 2017, its first full year of operation, Dubai Parks and Resorts is a major step toward positioning the UAE as a major global tourist destination and fulfilling Dubai’s vision of attracting 20 million visitors by 2020.

Dubai Parks and Resorts PJSC (DFM: DUBAIPARKS), will become the Middle East’s largest multi-themed leisure and entertainment destination comprising three separate theme parks: motiongate™ Dubai, a Hollywood movie inspired theme park concept; LEGOLAND^® Dubai, the first LEGOLAND theme park in the Middle East; and Bollywood Parks™ Dubai, a first-of-its-kind entertainment destination that will showcase the authentic Bollywood movie experience.

The development will also host the Lapita^TM Hotel, a four star themed hotel which will be managed by the Marriott Group, and Riverland™ Dubai, a 220,000 square feet complementary and centrally located retail, dining and entertainment district connecting the three theme parks and hotel.

Set to open in October 2016, the large-scale AED 10.5 billion project is spread across 25 million square feet of land strategically located on Sheikh Zayed Road close to the Palm Jebel Ali between Dubai and Abu Dhabi. 6.7 million ticketed visits are expected in 2017, the first full year of operation.

MERLIN ENTERTAINMENTS plc is the leading name in location-based, family entertainment. Europe’s Number 1 and the world’s second-largest visitor attraction operator, Merlin now operates 106 attractions, 11 hotels/4 holiday villages in 23 countries and across 4 continents. The company aims to deliver memorable and rewarding experiences to its almost 63 million visitors worldwide, through its iconic global and local brands, and the commitment and passion of its managers and c26,000 employees (peak season).

LEGOLAND Parks are unique theme park resorts specifically designed for families with children between the ages of 2 to 12 years.   Based on the world’s most popular toy – the LEGO® brick – LEGOLAND Parks offer families the opportunity to play together and to let their imaginations run free through an exciting range of unique LEGO experiences from kid-powered rides, building challenges, spectacular LEGO Models, interactive attractions, family-friendly coasters and shows, that pull the audience into the action.

There are currently six LEGOLAND Resorts in five countries – Denmark, United Kingdom, Germany, USA – Florida and California, and Malaysia. All these Resorts also include fantastic LEGO themed hotels and a mix of other attractions like water parks and SEA LIFE aquariums making them the perfect destinations for a family short break.   As well as Dubai, Merlin also has new LEGOLAND Park developments underway in Japan and S. Korea.