Unspecified/General

On the southern bank of Dubai Creek in the Umm Hurair neighbourhood of central Dubai immediately east of the historic Al Fahidi Historical District, Creek Park is the largest waterfront public park in central Dubai and one of the most heavily visited public open spaces in the broader Emirate. The 96-hectare park was established in 1994 along a substantial 2.5-kilometre stretch of the southern Creek shoreline, occupying a dramatic crescent-shaped site that wraps around the broad southern bend of the Creek between the Maktoum Bridge in the north-west and the Garhoud Bridge in the south-east. The park was conceived as part of the broader Dubai Municipality urban-greening programme launched in the late 1980s under the leadership of the then-Ruler Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum. The site selection on the southern bank of the Creek (then a relatively neglected stretch of marshy waterfront immediately south of the central downtown business district) was deliberate, with the dramatic location providing the broader Dubai region with a major waterfront recreational amenity that combines the natural beauty of the Creek shoreline with the urban proximity to central Dubai. The park's landscaping is organised around a network of curving pedestrian and bicycle paths that wind through more than 280 different species of trees, shrubs and flowering plants from the broader Arabian and tropical horticultural traditions. The mature tree canopy provides substantial natural shading throughout the park, with the celebrated central Date Palm Avenue running the full 2.5-kilometre length of the park providing the principal central pedestrian thoroughfare. The park's principal recreational features include the dramatic Dubai Dolphinarium (a substantial indoor marine-mammal entertainment facility), several small lakes with paddle boats and small electric tour boats, an extensive children's playground complex, several small picnic pavilions, a small amphitheatre hosting occasional outdoor concerts and theatrical performances, the popular Children's City interactive science museum and the historic Cable Car cable-car ride providing dramatic 30-metre elevated views over the broader park landscape. The park also includes several substantial barbecue areas (the most popular weekend gathering destination for the broader Dubai expatriate community during the cooler winter months), several small mosques, multiple drinking fountains and clean public restrooms throughout. The park operates daily from sunrise through 11 at night, with modest per-vehicle parking fees and small per-person park admission fees.

Type: Outdoors

Address: Riyadh Street, Umm Hurair, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Telephone: 800-900

Website: dm.gov.ae

Opening Date: 01/01/1994