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Friday 19 April 2024 (UAE)

Global Village Dubai

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Global Village in Dubai

Global Village (GV) in Dubai is an international marketplace and fun fair with a collection of pavilions representing different countries from around the world selling a variety of food, clothes, and baskets etc. Global Village location, map, timings, dates, and other information. Opening dates are usually from end October to beginning of April, GV is closed from April to October (it's too hot).

Not to be confused with Dubai Expo 2020, which is a similar idea but has a higher entry price for tickets, fewer baskets for sale, and took longer to build. Sort of a global city compared to Global Village. Although GV gets pretty busy too.

Global Village 2020-2021 dates and information

Dates expected to be announced at end of 2019-2020 season. 2020-2021 will be the 25th GV season so expect more fireworks.

Global Village 2019-2020 dates and information

2019-2020 season (24th) of Global Village will be from Tuesday 29 October 2019 until Saturday 04 April 2020, unless dates are changed, which has happened in previous years. Dubai Expo doesn't start until 20 October 2020 so will overlap with GV 2020-2021 season.
Ticket price is AED 15 for standard adult entry. Free entry for children under 3 years old, senior citizens over 65, People of Determination with valid ID (and one companion). No cheap tickets for students or children aged 3 and up. VIP Packs (launched 28 Sep 2019, all sold out in 5 days) AED 5,000 (Platinum), AED 1,900 (Gold), AED 1,300 (Silver). Buy tickets at the gate from 1530 (3:30pm) until 30 mins before closing.
New countries and attractions for 2019-2020 include: Korea (North or South?), Azerbaijan, "Ripley's Believe it or Not!" museum, "Stunt Show: Survivor" (similar to the previous Superloop stunt car and motorcycle show).
Altogether there are about 3,500 counters, stores, and shops selling stuff; and about 150 cafes, food stalls, restaurants, and other dining outlets. Theme park and other areas have about 60 different rides.
Fireworks displays every Thursday and Friday evening. International concert every Friday at 2100 (9pm).
Cityland Shopping Mall next door to GV is new. It's not part of GV but in a handy location if you want plastic boxes from Carrefour instead of traditional handwoven baskets from GV. However, as of October 2019, the only outlets and services open so far are Carrefour hypermarket, Organic Foods & Cafe, Medicina Pharmacy, Etisalat (?), an ice cream shop, and an ADCB ATM. The rest won't be open until Q1 2020.
27 Oct 2019: Dubai Taxi Corporation (DTC) and Global Village announced that the RTA would be the exclusive provider of taxi, limo and bus services to Global Village, and that there would be a special discounted taxi rate to GV, but didn't say what the discount was (might be just a 2 or 3 dhs reduction in the flagfall amount, similar to the RTA DWC airport discount). So continue to expect taxi fares of AED 50-100 each way depending on where in Dubai you taxi to or from. To save money, go in a group, drive your own car, bicycle (if the Meydan to Al Barari cycle path is done), or take metro then bus.

List of Global Village pavilions and countries (2019-2020)

Africa pavilions: Africa, Egypt, Morocco.
- Africa Pavilion countries (Sub-Sahara region): Angola, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritania, Nigeria, Namibia, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe.
Asia, Far East, South Asia pavilions: Afghanistan, China, India, Korea, Pakistan, Thailand, Vietnam and Philippines (shared pavilion).
Europe pavilions: Azerbaijan and Georgia, Bosnia and Balkans, Turkey.
MENA region pavilions: Bahrain and Kuwait, Iran, Lebanon, Palestine and Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, UAE, Yemen, Al Sana'a (UAE Ministry of Social Affairs, Emirati produced goods), Khalifa Foundation (Emirati products).

Other countries and pavilions, GV list possibly not up-to-date since there's nothing at all for North or South America.

Japan Pavilion: First time in 2015, not in GV official 2019 list?
Russia Pavilion: First time in 2015, also 2016, 2017, 2018, not in GV 2019 official list?
Bangladesh, Indonesia, Nepal, Sri Lanka? Not in GV 2019 official list for Asian Pavilions.
Europe, 2015 list: Germany, Spain, UK.
United States (USA), in 2015, not in GV official 2019 list?

Dubai Global Village general information

Global Village timings are usually 1600-2400 (4pm to midnight) on weekdays, and 1600-0100 (4pm to 1am) on Thu and Fri nights. GV is also sometimes open until 1am on public holidays but check first before going there at midnight on a holiday.
Best times to go are as soon as it opens at 4pm, and on Sun-Wed (not Tue if you're male). By 7pm on any day it starts to get busy, and very busy on Thu, Fri, Sat nights. How long for a visit to Global Village? You'll easily spend several hours there if you eat, drink, watch the stunt show, go on a few rides, and look at some of the country pavilions. Go at or as close as possible to 4pm, and expect to stay the whole evening, try and leave by 11pm to avoid the exiting crowd at 12am.
Dress code is a bit more conservative than what you see in Dubai shopping malls. GV says knees and shoulders should be covered. Men will probably be fine with long shorts even if knees are visible. Women might be asked to cover up a bit if shoulders are visible, or legs are more exposed than covered. We've experienced no comment and entry denied at different times with similar clothes. The policy seems to be applied more strictly at the entrance gate than once you're inside.
Mondays is family day only: men are not allowed to enter. Men with families (their own) might be allowed in? Check with GV first.
GV location is on the east side of Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road (E311), exit 37. Previously was the Emirates Rd (different because road name changed, not location changed). Access is easy from either side of highway, follow the GV signs, then follow car park signs. GV site is between Arabian Ranches and City of Arabia (IMG Worlds of Adventure).
Car parking is free in the general area, possibly a long walk from the main entrance and ticket booths, but there's a free shuttle train since 2015. Or pay for the VIP car park closer to the entrance.
Bus routes to Global Village
- 2018-2019 season: 102 (Etihad Metro Station), 103 (Al Ghubaiba Bus Station), 104 (Rashidiya MS), 106 (Mall of the Emirates MS) (check for 2019-2020).
- 2017-2018 season new bus routes: Route 102 (Rashidiya MS), Route 106 (Mall of the Emirates MS). Other routes are: Route 103 from Union MS, Route 104 from Al Ghubaiba bus station via Al Jafiliya MS to Global Village.
There are no metro stations close to Global Village. The best is probably Mall of the Emirates then bus or taxi (allow AED 50 each way for taxi fare), or perhaps Rasidiya or Etisalat MS if coming from Sharjah direction (allow AED 50-75 each way for taxi fare from MS).
Global Village is associated with the Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF), although the GV runs longer than the DSF.
First season of the Global Village was in 1996, held on the Deira side of Dubai Creek in the car park opposite the Dubai Municipality building. GV then moved to Oud Metha, then Dubai Festival City until 2004-2005. GV moved to the Dubailand location for the 2005-2006 season. Some sources say the first GV was in 1997 (seen in Aug 2013) but GV official count starts at 1996.
Bicycle access is possible in theory, there's a cycle path along the E311 which goes past Al Barari and is supposed to link back to Meydan, Business Bay, Jumeirah, and anywhere else you can cycle to from there. It was planned in 2015 but seems to have been left unfinished.
Transport within the park includes your feet, and electric abras on the canal.
Alcohol and pork products are not available at Global Village. Don't try to enter the park with alcohol or pork either.

Dubai Global Village Theme Park

The Global Village has a small selection of somewhat underwhelming theme park rides, games, and amusements.
The Ferris wheel goes high enough you can see more sand than you usually would from ground level. On a clear day you'll get a good view of the Burj Dubai. If anything else gets built in Dubailand then it will become a more interesting trip.
There are a couple of very short roller coaster rides, and a few other machines that spin you round and try and shake your lunch out.
Also the usual collection of prize-winning activities you'd find at most amusement parks and fairgrounds.
The number of countries column based on GV information which usually say countries or cultures "represented". This probably includes food outlets in addition to stalls selling products from that country, for example KFC for the USA. The number of countries represented in pavilions is usually 40-50 depending on how many African or European countries have a slot in their respective pavilions. Other pavilions are usually for one country, sometimes two.

Dubai Global Village numbers and statistics
Year	Location	Ticket price	Start date	End date	Countries	Pavilions	Visitors
2020
2019, 24th	Dubailand	Dh 15	Tue 29 Oct 2019	Sat 04 Apr 2020	78+?	25-26
2018, 23rd	Dubailand	Dh 15	Tue 30 Oct 2018	Sat 06 Apr 2019 > 13 Apr 2019	78	27	7 million
2017, 22nd	Dubailand	Dh 15	01 Nov 2017	Sat 07 Apr 2018	75?	30?	6 million?
2016, 21st	Dubailand	Dh 15					5.6 million
2015, 20th	Dubailand	Dh 15	03 Nov 2015		75	32
2014	Dubailand
2013	Dubailand		05 Oct 2013	01 Mar 2014 > 12 Apr 2014
2012	Dubailand		21 Oct 2012	30 Mar 2013	65	36-37?
2011, 16th	Dubailand			31 Mar 2012	45	28-29	5 million
2010, 15th	Dubailand		11 Nov 2010
2009	Dubailand		22 Nov 2009	27 Feb 2010
2008	Dubailand		12 Nov 2008	21 Feb 2009
2007	Dubailand		13 Dec 2007?	01 Mar 2008
2006	Dubailand		13 Dec 2006	09 Feb 2007	40		4.2 million
2005	Dubailand
2004	Dubai Festival City
2003
2002
2001
2000
1999
1998
1997	Oud Metha?
1996	Creekside Deira	Free?			18		500,000

Global Village history, timeline

Previous Global Village events

Global Village 2018-2019 dates and information

Superloop Stunt Show daily except Tuesdays, entry included with GV ticket, no separate purchase needed.
List of country pavilions (from season 23 map in order 01-27): Turkey, Jordan, Pakistan, AlSanaa, UAE, Khalifa Foundation, Europe, Americas, Bosnia and Balkans, Thailand, Bahrain, Lebanon, Palestine, Afghanistan, Syria, Russia, Japan, Far East, China, Africa, Egypt, India, KSA, Morocco, Iran, Yemen, Kuwait.

Global Village 2013-2014 dates and information

Global Village dates for 2013-2014 season: Sat 05 Oct 2013 to Sat 12 Apr 2014 (extended dates announced 25 Feb 2014). Original closing date was 01 Mar 2014 (announced 11 Aug 2013).
Opening times extended to 0200 from 10-19 Oct 2013, and to 0300 on 14-15 Oct 2013.
Funfair theme park rides, entertainment, and services for 2013-2014 will be provided by Mellors Group Events (UK). Announced 28 Aug 2013 (WAM).
New "Fantasy Island" theme park with 36 rides and games, with a "Coney Island" fairground atmosphere and wooden decking.
New food court area with more restaurants from different countries.
Children’s entertainment includes Moshi Monster, Fairy Tales on Ice (featuring Aladdin, Pinocchio, Snow White, and others), various shows with special effects.
New country pavilions include Germany, France, Italy.
Weekly competition prize draw for an Audi A4, except during the Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF).
DSF prize draws will be held at Global Village during the DSF event.

Global Village 2012-2013 dates and information

Opening date 21 October 2012. Open for 161 days, ends in March 2013. Free entry on opening day. Opening times extended to 2am on Eid holidays, with fun fair rides operating until 3am (how does that work - maybe 2am is last entry time?).
Free entry for everyone on opening day. Free entry rest of season for children under 3 years old, senior citizens over 60, special needs visitors including one accompanying visitor.
Family day (no single men) on Mondays, except during Eid Al Adha holiday weekend when it is open to all.
New for 2012-2013:
- A 3D mapping show showcasing the heritage, culture and growth of Dubai, lasting 4 minutes.
- New country pavilions for Austria, Brazil, Greece, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa.
- Displays showcasing some countries from Eastern Europe.
- Mini-train tour of Global Village.
- Weekly draw for a Chevrolet Camaro held on weekends, enter draw with park entry ticket.
Total of 36 country pavilions, including Asia, Arab, Europe. European Pavilion includes European Street and European Gate.
Extended weekend hours from 1600-0200 or 0300 from 21 October to 02 November 2012 as part of the Eid Al Adha Eid in Dubai celebrations. Monday family day open to men also during those periods.

Global Village Dubai dates 2011-2012 (16th GV in Dubai)

Closing date extended from 03 March 2012 to 31 March 2012 (WAM announcement 23 February 2012).
Global Village closed on Sunday 26 February 2012 due to bad weather (high winds and sandstorms).
Numbers and statistics for 2011-2012 Global Village (Khaleej Times 01 April 2012) - about 5 million visitors, duration 151 days, value of trade volume about AED 1.5 billion, area of Gloabl Village about 17 million square meters with 29 pavilions, 45 countries, 2,600 shops, about 10,000 staff. New countries for 2011-2012 included Kyrgyzstan, Spain, Tunisia. European Pavilion returned.

2011-2012 list of country pavilions and other areas (reference: GV map)

Afghanistan, Africa, Bahrain, China, Egypt, Europe, India, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, Morocco, Pakistan, Palestine, Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Syria, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, UAE, Yemen.
Amphitheatre, Dancing Fountain, Food Court, Fun Fair, Khalifa Bin Zayed Foundation, Reptile Village, World Culture Stage, Yola (Yowla) traditional dance area (Gate 5).

Global Village Dubai dates 2010-2011 (15th edition)

Opening date of the 15th season of Dubai Global Village is 11 November 2010. Duration 111 days.
Registration for retail shops, services providers, restaurants and cafes from 21-31 August 2010, and for kiosks from 21 Aug-19 Sep 2010 (21 August 2010 press release).
No more European Pavilion.

Dubai Global Village 2009-2010

2009 Global Village dates from 22 November 2009 to 27 February 2010. The 2009 season of the Global Village lasted 99 days.
Admission fee AED 10 for adults.
Events and activities included Art of Fire, Chinese Poles, Electrifying Bounce!, Skywheel Stunt Show, The Trampoline Show.
On Saturday 27 February 2010 there were reports that the Indian Pavilion collapsed because of strong wind and rain in a sudden storm in Dubai, resulting in the death of one person, and injury to 13 others.
The CEO of Global Village, Saeed Ali Bin Redha, issued a statement the next day which said "Regrettably, we also confirm that an incident occurred on Saturday evening due to the extreme and unexpected weather conditions, when an element of the Indian pavilion entrance fell. As a result of this accident, 14 people were taken to hospital by ambulance where one of the injured later died."

Dubai Global Village 2008-2009

Dubai Global Village 2007-2008

Global Village 2007-2008 dates from 13 December 2007 to 1 March 2008.
Opening hours 4 pm to midnight Sunday to Wednesday, 4 pm to 1 am on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
Global Village signed an agreement (MOU) with the Mohammed Bin Rashid Establishment for Young Business Leaders which allows members to get a 50% discount on rental cost for kiosks at the Global Village. Apply before 15 November 2007 (press release 29 September 2007).

Dubai Global Village contact details and location

Dubai Global Village location is in Dubailand on Emirates Road, it is signposted from the Dubai-Al Ain and the Dubai-Hatta roads.
Contact Customer Service tel +971-4-3624114, fax +971-4-3624200, email info@globalvillage.ae. Checked: Oct 2019 < Sep 2013 (fax not confirmed).
For leasing information, contact Sales Department, tel +971-4-3624000, fax +971-4-3624200, email sales@globalvillage.ae.
Postal address: Global Village Dubai, PO Box 117777, Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Other headings

Global Village definition: Dictionary definition of "global village" refers to the world "getting smaller" as a result of improved communication.
Global Village list of events.
Global Village pictures and videos: see GV official Instagram and Youtube channels.
Global Village UAE National Day.

Not related to GV Dubai

Global Village Academy, Academies, Schools (GVA): charter schools in USA. Different from the homeschooling Global Village School (GVS).
Global Village band: A musical group performing World Music style songs, not related to Dubai or GV. Then again, if they performed at GV they would become related.
Global Village housing at RIT but not RIT Dubai: Rochester Institute of Technology student flats with coffee shop and post office in New York state.
Global Village Organic Coffee: sounds like something to buy at GV Dubai, or across the road at Cityland Mall Organic Foods supermarket, but there are cafes with that or similar names like Global Village Cafe, Global Village Coffee. There are also a good few cafes and coffee outlets in the Dubai GV.
Global Village Project (GVP): several different projects around the world including Australia for medical aid to third world countries, and Georgia (GA) (state not country) girls schools for refugee children. Any Dubai GVP reference is related to the project of building or expanding the GV site.

References

www.globalvillage.ae/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/GV_2018-01-1.jpg, Global Village map for Season 23 (2018-2019).

Last update Monday 28-Oct-2019. Page development 4L 5C.

Dubai shopping event - annual shopping festival during January and February.
Global Village Abu Dhabi - similar event but smaller, Six Continents at Khalida Park in Abu Dhabi city.
Global Village Dubai - discussion topic in forum, add your comments.
Theme parks in Dubai - more fun and dizziness.
Tourist guide to Dubai - list of things to do and suggested itineraries for visitors.

Related websites (new window)

www.globalvillage.ae - Dubai Global Village website, Arabic and English, with links to GV app (Android and Apple), Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Youtube.
[Do not click] www.globalvillage.com is unrelated to GV Dubai.
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