Dubai musical fountain. Singing fountains in Dubai (The Dubai Fountain)
Dubai Fountain(The Dubai Fountain)- this is not just a beautiful sight, but a truly unique work of modern architecture, located in the city. To the chords of musical hits of Arabic and foreign music, tons of water soar into the sky to a height of up to 150 meters. The Dubai Fountain is also called the “Singing Fountain” or “Dancing Fountain”. It is worth noting that both of these names suit him equally, because what he does to the tunes of “Thriller” by Michael Jackson or “I will always love you” performed by Whitney Houston makes one believe that the Dubai Fountain lives a human life, with own soul and mind.
Like everything else in Dubai, this fountain is also listed in the “best of” category, being the largest fountain in the world. The Dubai Fountain was designed by the American company WET, known for a similar project in Las Vegas. The construction cost amounted to 218 million USD. You can admire the vibrant water and musical show absolutely free. It takes place every 30 minutes every day, from 18:00 to 23:00.
Dubai Fountain: How to get there
The Dubai Fountain is conveniently located right next to the main attraction of Dubai - the tower and the world's largest shopping center - in the heart of the metropolis (Downtown Dubai). It is quite convenient to get here by metro (0.5 - 2 USD), reaching the Burj Khalifa / Dubai Mall station (Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall) red line of the Dubai metro. From this station you do not need to go outside, because from the metro you will immediately enter a tunnel through which you will enter the interior of the Dubai Mall, and when leaving the shopping center you will get to the Fountain.
A taxi ride will cost 5-10 USD for an average distance. There are often free shuttle buses from hotels directly to the Dubai Fountain, so it is recommended that you check with your hotel reception for shuttle availability.
Dubai Fountain: Lifehacks
Since the Dubai Fountain has a convenient location, it makes sense to combine its visit with a visit to the tower and the Dubai Mall, located on the same territory. This is especially true if you do not have a lot of free time in Dubai. You can watch the water show while standing on the bridge in front of an artificial lake with a fountain, or along the promenade near the entrance to the Dubai Mall. Better yet, grab a cup of tea in the cafe next to the fountain and admire the performance in more comfortable conditions, avoiding crowds of people.
Finding out about the upcoming start of the next performance is quite simple. About 5 minutes before the start of each show, the water of the artificial lake begins to flicker with lights and light drumming can be heard. All that remains is to be patient and hold your breath to watch another masterpiece performed by His Majesty - the Dubai Fountain.
Singing fountains are one of the most impressive attractions of Dubai with their beauty and unusualness, which is definitely worth admiring when you are in the Emirates. This is a true masterpiece of art, which only once again confirms the glory of Dubai as a city with the most exquisite collection of modern unique architectural structures, the likes of which are not found anywhere else in the world.
Every attraction in Dubai surprises with its scope, and the unique dancing fountains are no exception. This miracle of engineering is impressive in its scope in everything, and its creation cost approximately 220 million dollars. The fountain is located in an artificial lake, the area of which is 12 hectares, and the total length of the fountain is 275 m. The amazing fairy-tale image of the Dubai fountains is given by ultra-modern lighting, consisting of 6 thousand ordinary light sources and 25 color spotlights, which illuminates not only the fountain itself, but also the entire area for the next 20 miles. When demonstrating an amazing show, the jets of the fountain soar to a height of 150 m (approximately to the level of the 50th floor of a skyscraper), and about 85 thousand liters of water rise into the air at the same time. These are the largest fountains in the whole world.
Although the depth of the pool is insignificant (only 1.5 m), many tubes are specially placed along its bottom, which allows the gushing jets of water to scatter in a specific direction and create an amazing, graceful dance. At the same time, the height and pattern created by the jets constantly changes depending on the lighting and the music playing, and the figures created by moving water amaze with many different amazing colorful combinations.
The amazing show of Dubai's dancing fountains, formed by a harmonious combination of water movement and lighting, is perfectly complemented by the enchanting sounds of music. The musical accompaniment of this amazing water dance contains classical and modern musical compositions, including both traditionally oriental and world masterpieces of music. A variety of combinations of unique combinations of light, sound and water movement allows you to get a fresh portion of bright and unforgettable impressions every time you see the fountain.
The “singing” and dancing fountains of Dubai are located in the very center of the city, next to two other world-famous architectural landmarks - the mesmerizing Burj Khalifa skyscraper and the large-scale Dubai Mall. The colorful scenery created by the surrounding architectural structures only adds to the feeling of being in a real fairy tale, mesmerizing with its charm. At night, with state-of-the-art lighting, the dancing fountains of Dubai against the backdrop of a skyscraper are an incredibly impressive sight, and it is not for nothing that they are considered the most beautiful among such structures in the world.
The dancing fountain can be observed during certain operating hours. Evening shows are shown from 18:00 to 22:00 on weekdays and from 16:00 to 23:00 on weekends. During the daytime there are usually 2 shows - at 13.00 and 13.30.
The opportunity to admire the amazing extravaganza of light, music and the movement of water of the Dubai fountains is one of the most vivid impressions you can get when visiting Dubai. No video can demonstrate all the stunning beauty, the unforgettable impressions of which can be obtained in close proximity to this amazing creation live. The Dubai fountain show is absolutely free, so you should not refuse to admire it several times, because there are many variations of combinations and each time there will be fresh emotions and impressions, similar to the previous ones in only one way: it is always unforgettable!
Dubai has the highest density of man-made “miracles” per square meter in the world. The center of the fabulous Arab city can be called a triangle: the world famous shopping center Dubai Mall - the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa skyscraper - Souk al-Bahar market. Between them is the singing fountain in Dubai - one of the most striking attractions, both literally and figuratively.
At the moment this is one of the best shows in the world that I have seen! I highly, highly recommend coming here.
The Dubai Fountain Complex stretches 275 m in length and approximately 100 m in width. It is located in the central part of the man-made lake Burj Khalifa. According to experts, the maximum rise of water is 150 m, but the main part of the water body does not rise above 70 m. For comparison, the height of a typical 9-story building is approximately 30 m.
It is interesting that during the launch tests, when the capabilities of the water-pressure equipment were used at 100%, the maximum height of the jet reached 300 meters. The release of water from the most powerful sources is carried out using pneumatic devices resembling a cannon. The volume of water accumulates in a special tank of the dancing fountain, after which it is literally shot into the air. The sound accompanying the release of such a jet really resembles a cannon shot. During the show, the guns are activated only a few times.
In parallel with the fountains there is a light show on the Burj Khalifa The Dubai Fountain is capable of creating 1,000 different compositions. The company that worked on the famous Bellagio fountains in Las Vegas was involved in the creation of the complex. 6,600 spotlights and 50 projectors are used for illumination. The light emanating from the central part of the fountain complex is visible from a distance of more than 30 km, making the fountain the brightest point of light in the Middle East. Smoke and fire complete the picture.
The musical accompaniment of the singing fountain show is provided by an audio system, the speakers of which are located along the entire perimeter of the lake. The repertoire of audio recordings consists of the most famous Arabic compositions and world hits.
At the moment, 20 songs are played periodically, but their list is constantly growing. Playback occurs in random order.
The fountains of the Emirate of Dubai are the most expensive among similar projects. About 220 million US dollars were spent on the creation of the complex. The second most expensive on the list are the aforementioned Bellagio fountains, but they cost only $40 million. Do you notice the difference? The record is unlikely to be broken in the near or distant future. The complex deservedly takes its place in the TOP 10 best fountains in the world, and is one of the undisputed leaders of the list.
Opening hours of the Dubai Fountain
The show is performed every day without exception. Unfortunately, during the day it can only be viewed at 13:00 and 13:30. The exception is Friday, on this day the schedule shifts by 30 minutes (13:30 and 14:00 respectively). The evening show starts at 18:00 and runs with a half-hour break from Sunday to Wednesday until 22:00, from Thursday to Saturday until 23:00. Please note that Friday and Saturday are considered weekend days in the United Arab Emirates. Hence the unusual operating hours of attractions and cultural centers. If possible, we recommend watching the daytime and evening shows. In both cases, grandiose impressions are guaranteed, but the differences in the nuances of perception will be significant.
Where is the best place to watch?
You can freely watch the dancing and singing fountains from the embankment opposite the Dubai Mall. A large number of tourists gather here. There are usually a lot of people and this is far from the best choice in terms of viewing.
Locals who also come with pleasure to watch the performance gather on the bridge between Burj Khalifa and Souq al-Bahar. There are fewer people here, and the view is much better. Also, experienced travelers recommend a position somewhere in the middle of the road from the Dubai Mall to the Burj Khalifa. From here you have a panoramic view of most of the complex.
Not many people know, but in the Dubai Mall itself there is a free observation platform on the second floor. It belongs to the Apple store and is allowed there for free. The number of people watching the show from the balcony is regulated to avoid crowding, so there will be a need to queue, possibly for at least 40 minutes (one cycle of the show).
We watch the show from the observation deck of the Apple store, spent 30 minutes in line Which restaurants and cafes?
In principle, the best places for observation are considered to be restaurants and cafes located on the Souk al-Bahar embankment. They are conditionally free, because they won’t take money from you to watch the show, but you will have to spend money on lunch or dinner. Pay attention to:
- Bice Mare. The cuisine is Italian. The menu is mostly seafood. The average price tag for a 4-course dinner for two people is 700-900 dirhams without wine. With alcohol, the amount will increase at least 2 times.
- The cuisine is Italian, the main dish is pizza in all its variety. The place is democratic. A dinner of 2-3 main courses will cost 120 AED per person. Alcohol is not served.
- Baker & Spice Diverse English cuisine. There are burgers, soups, shrimp, and many vegetarian dishes. Dinner for two – 250 AED. No alcohol served
- Dean & Deluca Cafe. English cuisine. Reminiscent of a fast food establishment, but the menu is more varied. A couple of hamburgers or a large pizza with salads will cost 120 dirhams. The price tag for dishes ranges from 50 to 160 dirhams.
There is one important nuance. Do not forget that fountains are characterized by splashes that are blown away by the wind. Now imagine the number of droplets carried by the air flow with a jet height of up to 70 m and a total mass of emitted water of up to 100 tons. The wind is mainly Southeast, that is, directed straight towards Souk al-Bahar. Pay attention to the weather forecast. If the wind speed promises to be more than 3 m/s, then it is better to postpone dinner in a cafe on the embankment overlooking the Dubai Fountain.
More pleasant conditions are offered by cafes and restaurants in the Dubai Mall. Choose between the following establishments:
- Armani Lounge, a restaurant in the Armani Hotel, which is located in Barj Khalifa, offers a panoramic view of the fountain. Many say that it offers the best view, but only if you are lucky enough to get seats on the balcony. They also serve alcohol, which is prohibited in other restaurants in the Dubai Mall.
- Burj Al Hamam. The cuisine is Lebanese. The service is unobtrusive. Dinner for one person without wine will cost 140 AED.
- The cuisine is French. No alcohol is served. The average bill per person is 160-220 dirhams.
- Joe's Cafe. The cuisine is French. No alcohol is served. You can have a good dinner for 160 AED per person.
- Carluccio's. The cuisine is Italian. Noisy but nice place. They offer set lunches and dinners, the average cost is from 100 to 120 dirhams.
- Wafi Gourmet Lebanese cuisine. The food is delicious, the service is relatively fast, the average bill for dinner is 110 AED.
The Dubai Mall is not located in the best way in relation to the frontal projection of the fountain complex, but you can have dinner and enjoy the show in any weather conditions.
Floating platform and boat on the lake
To look at the dancing fountains from an unusual or most impressive angle, you will have to pay. There are several possibilities:
It is cheaper to purchase tickets on the website, where prices are in $ without double conversion to dirhams, and there are always discounts that are given on the official website for advance booking.
Video of singing fountains
My wife filmed it, so I'm posting one of the three shows we attended. In the video you can see how close the carts are swimming. At that moment I was very jealous of them.
How to get to the Dubai Fountain on the map
Getting to the Dubai Fountain is as easy as getting to the Dubai Mall or Burj Khalifa. On the red line metro, you need to get to the Dubai Mall station, go through the passage into the shopping complex, and then exit it to the fountain. You can get there by buses No. F13, 81, 29, 28, 27. In general, all roads in Dubai lead exactly here.
The Singing Fountain in Dubai is located in the very center of the largest city in the UAE, surrounded by skyscrapers, restaurants and shopping centers belonging to the modern multifunctional Downtown Dubai complex. The fountain is rightfully considered one of the tallest and most unusual in the world. Its shooters and moving nozzles throw out and gracefully bend water jets so effectively that all viewers of the show, without exception, are delighted.
Several times during the evening, the Dancing Fountains of Dubai, originally illuminated by special spotlights, turn into a light and music complex, creating stunning compositions. The complex structure, controlled by automation, is located within the boundaries of an artificial lake located at the foot of the Burj Khalifa (or Khalifa Tower). During grandiose performances, you can often see amazing laser projections on its façade.
History of creation
The project was developed by the American company WET Design, which specializes in creating unusual fountains. Her aquatic masterpieces, gracefully moving to music, can be found in Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, Tokyo and Walt Disney World. The singing fountains in Dubai were able to eclipse all previous projects of the company both in scale and in brilliance, grace, and splendor.
The customer and at the same time the developer was the investment company Emaar Properties PJSC, known in Dubai since 1997. Construction of the Singing and Dancing Fountain began in 2008, and less than a year later, in May 2009, the musical water show was presented to the general public. In a short period of time, an artificial lake appeared in Downtown, occupying an area of more than 120 square meters. m, to which communications were connected, complex control and filtering systems were created, music and lighting accompaniment was selected and synchronized.
Construction work is estimated at US$218 million. There is an opinion that the officially announced figure does not correspond to reality. In fact, the financial investment turned out to be slightly higher.
The test activation of the Singing Fountains in Dubai took place in February 2009. The official opening ceremony took place on May 8, 2009. On the same day, the Dubai Mall shopping and entertainment complex opened its doors.
Proposals for the name of the Dubai Fountain were considered by a special commission. Preference was given to the simplest option - “The Dubai Fountain”. The results of the competition, organized by Emaar, were announced on October 26, 2009.
Mechanism of operation
Many water cannons are located along a loop-shaped curved line, consisting of two smooth elements that unite five circles of different diameters into a single complex. To the accompaniment of famous musical works performed by famous performers, water jets are thrown out to different heights, depicting running paths, smoothly changing levels, creating a dance effect, tilting in different directions.
Every second, up to 83 tons of water rise into the air, illuminated by 6,600 WET Superlights, 25 of which provide color radiation. 50 projectors expand the visual experience to the full color spectrum. Unique shooter, super-shooter and extra-shooter nozzles, which push water under high pressure in one or different directions, allow you to create unique water compositions that quickly replace each other. There are more than 1000 of them.
The glass branch suddenly crumbles from a sudden explosion of powerful jets, the spasmodic flows turn into thick fog, and the enchanting water dance is harmoniously synchronized with the musical accompaniment. The rotating nozzles are adjusted in such a way that water splashes do not fall on the spectators who come to watch the show. For a few minutes, those present find themselves in a real fairy tale - bright, bewitching and delightful.
The length of the structure of the Singing Fountain in Dubai is 275 meters. Jets of water shoot up to a height of 150 meters, which is equivalent to a 50-story building. Technically, their rise can be increased by at least a hundred meters, which was announced back in 2010 - a year after the opening of the facility.
The fountain acquired new effects at the end of 2010 after the installation of smoke generators and gas nozzles. Today, viewers can not only enjoy the amazing dances of colored jets accompanied by music, but also admire the sudden appearance of “smoke” and “fire”. The show organizers claim that the luminous rays can be seen far beyond the lake - more than 30 km in diameter.
Singing fountain show in Dubai
Dancing fountains move gracefully to the music and lighting. The show always features a song sung in honor of the current Emir of Dubai, as well as the Grammy Award-winning composition "The Lord's Prayer" (original title in Swahili is "Baba Yetu").
The list contains works in Arabic, Italian and English, music from films and TV series. The fountain in Dubai always “sings” the UAE anthem and a song specially written for the opening day of the Khalifa Tower (Burj Khalifa). Performers include opera singers, pop stars and even a South Korean-Chinese boy band. In the pauses between musical tracks, the Dancing Fountains silently demonstrate to the guests and residents of Dubai all their power and beauty.
Best places to watch the show
The Singing Fountain in Dubai is perfectly visible from any shore of the lake. But there are places that offer the best views of the attraction. This:
- the Sauk Al Bahar Bridge, connecting the Souk Al Bahar and Dubai Mall shopping centers - comfortable railings allow you to place a camera on them to get high-quality night shots;
- restaurants and cafes with terraces facing the lake - in Souk Al Bahar and Dubai Mall;
- Kinokuniya bookstore - open balcony located on the top floor of the Dubai Mall;
- several cafes on the embankment, located along shopping complexes - it is recommended to reserve a seat in advance;
- observation decks on the 124th, 125th and 148th floors of the Burj Khalifa skyscraper; floating platform “The Boardwalk” - allows you to get closer to the fountain at a distance of up to 9 meters;
- traditional arab boat abra.
Opening hours of the Singing Fountains in Dubai
The main show can be seen daily in the evening every 20-30 minutes from 18:00 to 23:00. During Ramadan, the start of the action is moved to 19:30. Throughout the month, the fountains turn on every 30 minutes until 23:30 (Tuesday-Sat) and until 23:00 on other days. Opening hours may vary depending on the season and religious holidays.
You can get to the Singing Fountain by taking the red metro line to Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall station.
City buses No. 27, 28, 29, 81 and F13 (express) reach the stop. Dubai Mall. The underground parking lot of the Dubai Mall can be accessed by car from Financial Center Road.
Taxi services in Dubai are provided by the city service Emirates Taxi and UBER.
Singing fountains in Dubai - video
The Burj Khalifa is, not without exaggeration, one of the most famous buildings on the planet. This skyscraper, located in the heart of Dubai, can easily be called a man-made wonder of the world, and I would probably be lying if I said that I would not like to visit inside this giant tower.
In appearance, the Burj Khalifa resembles a stalagmite, but some locals, as well as most visiting tourists, call this skyscraper a hairpin, and in some cases even a needle. The height of the Burj Khalifa skyscraper is 829.8 meters and since July 2007 it has been recognized as the tallest structure in the world. Just imagine - a building almost one kilometer high.
On 163 floors inside the legendary skyscraper there are residential apartments and offices, a five-star Armani hotel, the highest located restaurant “Atmosphere” and the highest observation deck “AT THE TOP”, tickets for which we had purchased long before arriving in Dubai .
Among other things, the Burj Khalifa skyscraper set a dozen more world records, which you can read about on Wikipedia, including, for example, the following:
- building with the most floors
- building with the highest top floor
- highest elevator
- the fastest elevator, etc.
Immediately after we bought silver cards, entered the metro and set off, our train left behind one station after another at breakneck speed, and within a few minutes we reached our destination - the station Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall.
Dubai Mall is one of the largest shopping and entertainment centers in the world, with a total area of more than 1.2 million square meters. The Dubai Mall shopping center is located in the Downtown area, right at the foot of the Burj Khalifa skyscraper, next to which the famous singing fountains of Dubai are also located.
To get to the Dubai Mall directly from the metro station, a special corridor was built, following which we found ourselves in what can be said to be the busiest point of the shopping center.
Here you will find cosmetics, clothing, equipment for every taste, cafes, restaurants, chocolate rivers, Swarovski diamonds, gold, platinum, silver and anything else you want - even sports nutrition stores, a zoo, a large aquarium and an ice skating rink. The eyes are simply dizzying, and the scale of this structure defies any common sense or description.
Since the primary purpose of our visit was Burj Khalifa observation deck the entrance to which was located somewhere inside the Dubai Mall, naturally we first went in search of it.
In principle, like everywhere else, there were signs and landmarks everywhere, following which we easily found the registration desk with the name , where I subsequently received our tickets for the Burj Khalifa, which I remember I bought on the official website via the Internet.
When the tickets were already in our hands, and there was still time before going up to the 124th floor to take a walk around the Dubai Mall, we dropped into a cafe, ate ice cream and decided to walk around the shopping center a little more.
Burj Khalifa observation deck
When the time came to visit the observation deck, we managed to return in time and were immediately allowed into the next room, in the center of which stood a brightly glowing model of the Burj Khalifa skyscraper.
And this skyscraper Burj Khalifa in full height.
Literally another minute passed and the service staff escorted us in the right direction. We were photographed, “searched” and sent through a long tunnel towards a 65-meter escalator, which was supposed to take us to the elevator going to the observation deck of the Burj Khalifa.
Security in the skyscraper building, as well as in Dubai in general, is given special attention - there are cameras, scanners everywhere and vigilant security who did not want to let me through until I got rid of the bottle of Fanta. For some reason, they are prohibited from entering the observation deck with carbonated drinks, although they were allowed to bring regular water - but oh well, you can’t do that, you can’t do that.
The queue to the elevator was quite long, considering that our visit time was one of the most popular (19:00), however, it also moved quite quickly and therefore after 10 minutes we were inside. According to some data, the speed of the elevator going to the observation deck reaches up to 18 meters per second and, apparently, the ears in it are blocked precisely because of this. What can we talk about if The climb to the 124th floor took a little less than one minute- believe it or not. Well, of course, the most interesting thing was yet to come.
As soon as the elevator door opened, my mouth also opened, because after seeing it from such a height, my jaw dropped to the floor. Evening Dubai from an open 452-meter-high observation deck is cool!
The views that open from here are simply impossible to compare with anything - the evening city of Dubai in all its glory, which, thanks to the design of the observation deck, is visible at 360 degrees.
Having stayed on the 124th floor for a total of about an hour, having sighed and ahhed a lot before going in search of a way out, we even managed to look from above at the singing fountains, which from that moment became our next goal.
Perhaps I spoke superficially about the observation deck at Burj Khalifa, but to be honest, I’m unlikely to be able to find the right words to convey all the delight and emotions that we received during this excursion - THIS IS A MUST SEE with my own eyes!
Luxury, grandeur and wealth. What can we talk about if there are even living orchids growing here in the toilets? My wife told me exactly that - the toilets here are much better than in some apartments in our city, and you can’t argue with that.
But just some food for thought - general The cost of the skyscraper is estimated at more than $1.5 billion. Just imagine this amount. Moreover, a little later on one of the excursions we learned that in order to completely glaze this building, another special glass factory was built in Dubai.
In general, the Arabs do everything on a grand scale.
Having descended “from heaven” to earth, we were no longer in a hurry, except perhaps to the singing fountains, so we allowed ourselves to relax a little and decided to take a walk around the shopping center again.
While exploring the expanses of the Dubai Mall universe and before going out into the street, we had a chance to see many more interesting things, for example, a large, four-story waterfall with pearl hunters.
Singing fountains in Dubai
It was difficult to imagine what else awaited us ahead, and it seemed impossible to tear yourself away from all these alluring shop windows, but walking along one of the sections with signs, we saw the inscription “ The Dubai Fountain", which meant that we were somewhere very close to the singing fountain, or as it is also called the musical fountain.It turns out that in order to look at the singing fountains, it was not even necessary to leave the walls of the shopping center, because on one of its floors we found a cafe with tables located in an open area, from which, alas, only part of the fountain was visible.
Estimating that we still had about 15 minutes before the fountain started, we decided to get closer to it, and then we again began to look for a way out into the street. By the way, if you don’t know, the fountains don’t sing all the time - they are activated once every half hour, and the performance itself lasts about 4 minutes, but believe me, it’s worth it.
During the breaks between shows, people were constantly leaving somewhere, and at that moment we always managed to take the most spectacular places.
Video: Singing fountains
This video captures our first singing fountain, not counting the one we saw from the Burj Khalifa observation deck and you know, fountains look much more interesting from up close.
I won’t hide it, while watching this show my whole body was covered with goosebumps with pleasure, and when it ended and I turned to my wife, she told me with tears in her eyes, “ Thank you for bringing me here" I think this is enough to understand how cool it was.
This evening we looked at the singing fountains several more times. Each time new music sounded, each time the fountains moved differently and each time we experienced these amazing feelings again and again.
After another such show, somewhere around 11 o’clock in the evening, when there was practically no energy left and the camera battery was completely dead, we took a taxi and went to the hotel.
