Style Correspondent Salam Shaban
Destination Zabeel Park
A great playground, open space for the kids and an organic market on Fridays for your picnic fare? Zabeel Park is a lovely way to picnic in Dubai.
Besides a lake with geysers, water cascades and boat rides, there are covered barbecue areas and picnic tables as well as an adventure playground, ice rink and ice skating, mini golf, mini cricket pitch and skateboard park
Ripe Food & Craft Market runs every Friday and it is the perfect spot to stock up on your picnic fare before finding a patch for your picnic rug in this ever-popular park. For the kids, Tamimi Stables offers pony rides on Ripe Market days or kids can get hands on with the interactive displays at the Technology Zone and Barcode Garden, explore green energy at the Alternative Energy Zone, race through the Space Maze, or climb aboard the Park Tour Trains.
Why go: There are activities and areas here for everyone – a picnic will simply be the quiet break between activities.
Who is it best for: All ages – with so many different zones, you can keep every age entertained.
Top tip: Arrive early to nab a barbecue spot as this is an extremely popular park – especially on a Fridays and weekends when local families arrive to enjoy their picnics.
While you are in the area: Visiting in late 2015 or 2016? Then head to what will be the newly opened Dubai Frame, an impressive project that now dominates the Dubai skyline. Built 150 metres high and 93 metres wide, the structure tells the history of Dubai within a structure that resembles a huge picture frame. The story is all depicted within a glass walkway complete with a panoramic elevator that whisks you up to the top of the frame for spectacular views.