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Saturday 21 November 2009 (UAE)
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The Dubai Fountain
| Dubai Fountain performance time schedule (June 2009) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1800-2000 (6pm-8pm) | every 30 minutes | 1800, 1830, 1900, 1930, 2000 | daily |
| 2000-2200 (8pm-10pm) | every 20 minutes | 2000, 2020, 2040, 2100, 2120, 2140, 2200 | Sun-Wed |
| 2000-2300 (8pm-11pm) | every 20 minutes | 2000, 2020, 2040, 2100, 2120, 2140, 2200, 2220, 2240, 2300 | Thu-Sat |
If it's windy, call the Dubai Mall (tel +971-4-4373200 or 800-DUBAIMALL) to check on fountain timings, or if it is switched off.
The Dubai Fountain is a large display of water jets gushing out of a puddle at the foot of the Burj Dubai (a tall building in Dubai) next to the Dubai Mall. Emaar, the developer of the Burj Dubai and the Downtown Burj Dubai area, announced the fountain in June 2008, with the astonishing development cost of AED 800 million, about the same as what it costs to build a moderate sized apartment tower, the new Oasis Center, or half the Yas Island Circuit ... "The total development value of the Burj Dubai Lake, the fountain and its advanced filtrations systems is AED 800 million (US$218 million)" (Emaar press release 09 June 2008). Some of the numbers that might explain the hefty price tag are
- The Dubai Fountain length 275 meters (900 ft) - more than 2 football fields, and 25% larger than the Bellagio Fountain in Las Vegas, visible from over 20 miles away up (in space) or horizontally if you have a clear line of sight.
- Dubai Fountain height of 150 meters (500 ft) apparently. Emaar press releases in 2008 and 2009 were saying "Powerful water nozzles shoot water sprays to heights of over 500 ft". Which is the same as the height of a 50-storey building, or high enough to wash the windows a fifth of the way up the Burj Dubai. And in May 2009, that was stretched to "Height – 900 feet" according to the Khaleej Times "Fountain Facts". It looks more like 100-150 ft to us (30-50 meters).
- 22,000 gallons of water in the air at any given moment.
- More than 6,600 lights and 50 colour projectors with 1,000 different water combinations to drift into your dinner if you're on one of the Souk Al Bahar terrace restaurants when the wind is blowing your way. Music will be played to accompany your soggy steak.
- The Burj Dubai Lake fills the gap between the Dubai Mall, The Palace Hotel, Souk Al Bahar and The Address hotel. The Dubai Fountain plumbing doesn't run down as far as The Address though.
- WET (established 1983) are the Californian based designers of The Dubai Fountain. WET also designed The Fountains of Bellagio and the Mirage Volcano in Las Vegas, and other fountains around the world. WET use their own proprietary VirtualWET program for the Dubai Fountain. Once it's all set up, the fountain program control is mostly done by computers wearing anoraks.
Or ... you could go to ACE Hardware and buy a few kilometers of garden hose, a couple of pumps, some of those pretty lights you hang in the garden and assemble a DIY Dubai Fountain. Allow AED 1 million and that leaves AED 799 million to go shopping with at The Dubai Mall.
Dubai Fountain music and performances
The Dubai Fountain does put on quite a spectacular show with several different music themes. Definitely worth a visit (and soon, before Emaar figure out a way to charge an entry fee), although the advertised 500+ foot high spurts of water are somewhat underwhelming - they look more like 100 ft high at best, but we didn't get our tape measure out. You'll know when a performance is about to start because the lights along the lake-edge go out seconds before the beginning. Each display lasts about 5 minutes, and bizarrely, some people clap at the end. Performances are (don't forget to check the wind direction first if you don't want to get wet):
- Baba Yetu - a Swahili song for the computer game "Civilization IV", composed by Christopher Tin
- Bassbor Al Fargakom, Hussain Al Jassmi /Jasmi, Al Thokol Samz¹ (not confirmed)
- Con te Partiro (Time to Say Goodbye) - an Andrea Bocelli performance (he does not appear in person though)
- Dhoom Thana Shahrukh Khan, Arjun Rampal - a Hindi song from the film "Om Shanti Om"
- Sama Dubai, Mehad Hamed - an Emirati song, a tribute by Emaar Properties to Sheikh Mohammed's leadership
- Shik Shak Shok, Hassan Abou El Seoud - an Arabic dance song
- Waves, Bijan Mortazavi, Sarah Brightman¹
1. Not listed in original playlist press release 28 May 2009, but listed on Dubai Fountain sign June 2009.
Dubai Fountain viewing - best places
- The bridge between Souk Al Bahar and the Dubai Mall is a good vantage spot, and has a handy rail to put your camera on at night so you don't get blurry photos.
- There are several restaurants in Souk Al Bahar from which you can get a good view of the Dubai Fountain
- The Kinokuniya bookshop on the top floor of the Dubai Mall has windows from which you can see the fountain.
- Joe's Cafe on Level 1 of the Dubai Mall has a balcony with a good view.
- There are also cafes and restaurants along the Dubai Mall Waterfront Promenade, mostly out of range of the water sprays.
- The Burj Dubai itself of course, unless you bought a north-facing apartment.
- The Address Hotel although it's a bit further away so you miss the bits around the corner of Souk Al Bahar.
Dubai Fountain testing
During March and April 2009, The Dubai Fountain was in testing phase, with wetsuited workmen in rubber zodiacs trying to dodge the jet sprays that some geek behind a computer pointed at them. At random times, you could see small dribbles of water, or more spectacular combinations of twirling streams of water, sometimes lit up, and looking more and more impressive as the launch date approached. Dubai Fountain formal opening date Friday 08 May 2009, along with the official opening ceremony of the Dubai Mall.
Dubai Fountain competition
On 01 July 2008 Emaar announced there would be a naming competition to decide what to call the new fountain in Lake Burj Dubai / Burj Dubai Lake, with a first prize of AED 100,000. Only residents of Dubai were eligible to enter. The competition ended 15 September 2008 with over 4,000 entries, 15 of whom suggested "Dubai Fountain", which a panel of senior Emaar management, architects and brand consultants decided was the winning name. Leaving the winners happy and almost everyone else bewildered, not with a case of "Why didn't I think of that" but ... "I thought of that but it seemed too obvious". Now you know why Brand Consultants are so important and deserve every penny, or fil, they earn.
Burj Dubai Lake
The Burj Dubai Lake is expected to have an abra service and an amphitheatre (on the edge, not in it).
Last update Monday 14-Sep-2009
Related pages - Internal Links
- Dubai - FAQ home and index
- Burj Dubai - the tallest tower in the world ... for the time being
- The Dubai Mall - the largest shopping center in the world ... sort of
Related websites - External Links (open in new window)
- www.wetdesign.com - website for WET, the designers of the Dubai Fountain.
- Dubai directory - add your link free