Welcome to the New Members of the Gang!
I ended up going to the Gaming Expo last weekend - it was crazy packed. We waited in line for 30 or so minutes to play, I think, around 10 minutes of Tekken. The boys also got in some Mortal Kombat. There were lines for everything, so we hung around for a bit to watch the shenanigans, soaked in the vibe, and then said yalla bye.
I don’t care what anyone says, Summer is here. And full on. Apart from the heat, the World Cup kicks off tomorrow, and Dubai just launched two of the best free family programs it's ever run. A big week.
THE BIG NEWS
➤ Dubai's city-wide Kids Go Free summer campaign is live. The campaign brings together hotels, theme parks, and attractions under one umbrella — if adults pay, kids don't have to. Museum of the Future is running a one-child-free-per-adult offer until mid-September. Burj Khalifa's At the Top and The View at The Palm have the same deal. La Perle by Dragone, Dubai Crocodile Park, Madame Tussauds, and Expo City are also part of the line-up. Age limits and blackout dates vary by venue, so check each one directly.
➤ The Dubai Mallathon returns June 15 — and it's been expanded to three months. Starting Monday, June 15 and running until September 15, nine of Dubai's biggest malls open their doors every morning from 7am to 10am as designated indoor walking and running tracks. You choose your distance — 2.5km, 5km, or 10km — or just walk at your own pace. Participating malls include Dubai Mall, Mall of the Emirates, City Centre Deira, City Centre Mirdif, Dubai Hills Mall, Dubai Marina Mall, Dubai Festival City, Festival Plaza, and The Springs Souk. Free for everyone, no sign-up needed. Bring the kids and make it a morning habit before the city wakes up.
SPORTS & FITNESS
➤ Dubai Sports World opens June 19 at Dubai World Trade Centre, running through August 25. Football, basketball, cricket, badminton, padel, tennis, pickleball, volleyball, table tennis — all indoors, all air-conditioned. The fully equipped gym and indoor jogging track are free of charge and open daily from 8am to midnight. Court bookings are paid; the gym and track are not. The 16th edition of Dubai's longest-running indoor summer sports venue.
➤ Kite Beach Run by Fade Fit — every Saturday, 6am. Free. Meet at the Zero Point running track at Kite Beach. Community run, all paces welcome, no registration required. A good habit to build before the heat takes over completely.
➤ Yas Marina Circuit — free cycling and walking on the actual F1 track. Free bikes are available at the venue; four-wheel bikes for younger children can be rented. Strollers are also allowed on the walking track. Access via Yas Central. Sounds surreal, but one of those things you can do in Abu Dhabi with a family, and it costs nothing.
THEATRE & ARTS
➤ The Hive Summer Theatre Festival runs every weekend until June 28 at Live at Hive, Al Quoz. Free entry. The 2026 festival features more than 500 young performers presenting over 50 live plays, with stories ranging from rebellious student councils to whimsical Shakespearean forests — all performed by children, for children. The performances are free, the energy is genuine, and there's something interesting happening that isn't a screen. Reserve here.
➤ Koala Kids: Space Cadet — Red Theater, Arts Center NYU Abu Dhabi. June 14. An immersive children's theatre experience at one of Abu Dhabi's most beautiful cultural venues.
➤ Louvre Abu Dhabi — free art-making workshops every Saturday and Sunday in June, 11am–3pm. Seems legit, but please call first before heading out. Also, they have other cool stuff you could do, like kayaking around the museum. What?!
INDOORS BECAUSE IT’S STEAMY
➤ Adventure Island, Neon Art Attack, The Six Board Game Café, and Paint a Pot at Secret Garden Ivy cover the full range of indoor options this week. That's high-adrenaline (Adventure Island), art-meets-Instagram (Neon Art Attack), slow and strategic (The Six, where a board game café is anything but calm once kids are involved), and genuinely calming (pot painting at Secret Garden Ivy). Check each venue's links for current pricing and booking — all air-conditioned, of course 😀
➤ Splash n Party Water Park — Ladies Day every Thursday in July and August, 9pm–11pm. AED 50 per person. Ladies and boys up to age 8. Call or WhatsApp 04 388 3008 to book. A Thursday evening at a water park in July sounds pretty cool.
OUTDOOR GEMS
➤ Free movie nights at Fluid Beach Club — Palm Jumeirah. From 7pm. Free entry. More of a parent evening than a kids' outing, but worth knowing.
➤ Al Samha Greenhouse — westbound off E11, Al Samha, Abu Dhabi. Not quite outdoor, but… hydroponic farms, community gardens, edible plants, and a quiet green space tucked off the highway. Not an event — just a place most people have never found. Something completely different.
FOR THE LITTLE ONES
➤ Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Centre for Cultural Understanding offers a free 4-hour cultural program for children under 7. Old Dubai, Emirati heritage, food, storytelling. One of the more underused cultural resources in the city for families. (More)
THE WORLD CUP
➤ Palm Arena 2.0 is opening June 11 at Marriott Resort Palm Jumeirah. Free entry. Open daily 5pm–3am. The venue combines the atmosphere of a modern gastropub with live sports screenings, multiple large screens, lounge and communal seating, live DJs, PlayStation gaming stations, darts, and a gastropub-style menu, alongside daily Happy Hour and game-night deals. All 104 matches on screen through July 19.
READER SPOTLIGHT
Jane — a GGG reader and 12-year Dubai resident — wrote to me in response to last week’s edition, saying that The Cave of Wonders at Quranic Park was one of her quick go-to spots. Obviously, I asked her for a bit more.
Here's what she said:
It's very cool inside (and dark) and tells stories from the Quran through animated projections on screens. It's only AED 5 to get in, so worth a visit at least once, especially if you need to escape the heat. However, it's one for ages 8 and up, IMHO. Younger ones would probably get bored, as the full experience takes about 30/40 minutes. For a mooch around and some pretty photos, the Quran Park as a whole is beautiful. There's a lovely indoor Glass House too, with a cafe.
What other spots, Jane?
The swimming pools at Mushrif Park are a little gem. AED 10 entry. Bring your own towel, and swimming caps must be worn. There's one pool for women and one for men, plus smaller pools for kids. They're both shaded but outdoors.
As park walks go, Creek Park is my favourite. It's AED 5 to get in and has a barbecue area, a small beach, and lots of playgrounds and free water stations. However, best enjoyed from November onwards.
But from now on, we're mostly walking around malls to keep cool. WAFI Mall is my preference, as it's extremely Egyptian for no reason at all, and it's never busy. We usually do a short stroll, then hit the unlimited breakfast at the Coffee Club.
Thank you, Jane! This is exactly the energy we're here for!
Write to me. I respond to everyone. And if I’ve missed you by any chance, gasp, sorry, definitely not intentional.
Hope you got some good stuff in today’s newsletter. See you next week.
Parves
