Tourism & Hospitality | Sunday 11 December, 2016 12:52 pm |

Families looking for the most authentic festive experience this month should head to Al Majaz Waterfront in Sharjah. The UAE’s popular leisure and tourist destination is opening its Winter Festival on December 15, with specially installed features including an ice rink, frosty decorations, snow tubing activity, a cool inflatable maze and real falling snow. 

 

“It is often said that while the UAE is perfect in winter time for enjoying cooler outdoor weather, the one thing that people miss is the festive feeling they get from snow. Now residents and visitors can enjoy the best of both worlds at Al Majaz Waterfront’s Winter Festival. We have laid on an array of activities in a winter-themed landscape designed to create a special ambience for everyone attending the park at this time of year,” said Mohammed Fadhil Al Mazrouei, Manager of Al Majaz Waterfront.

 

Visitors to the Al Majaz Waterfront Winter Festival, which runs until January 7, will enter a snowy landscape designed to impart a true Scandinavian wintry feel. Its walkway and event area, including trees and foliage, will be covered with incredibly realistic, artificial moving snow, for everyone to enjoy the visual impact of a genuine snow-covered panorama without its attendant chilly temperatures. Adding to the sense of wonder are special illuminations that enhance the magical winter’s evening ambience.

 

For those wishing to take part in traditional outdoor activities that befit the season, Al Majaz Waterfront will host a number of special features for the duration of its three-week long Winter Festival. For the first time ever in Sharjah, visitors will be able to enjoy outdoor ice skating at its East Event Circle area. The 10m x 20m rink will enable all ages to experience the thrill of ice skating for the first time or to perfect their existing skating skills.  

 

Also at the East Event Circle area is an artificial ice slide for visitors to experience the rush of tobogganing. Fixed 5m from the ground, the tube slide takes its thrill-seeking riders along 20m lanes, over a roller and finally out onto a floating dock where they land for an exciting finish. If a less adrenaline-fuelled experience is what is desired, visitors can challenge themselves to find their way out of an inflatable maze designed to test their puzzle-solving abilities. And when all the activity has worked up a healthy appetite, pangs of hunger can be assuaged at 10 winter kiosks and 10 food carts serving up a variety of hot and cold food and beverages.

 

Perhaps the most authentic of Al Majaz Waterfront’s Winter Festival features is its real falling snow. For one minute every half an hour, four times a day, real snow will fall at its main walkway. Visitors will be able to enjoy the flakes gently drifting down and experience the cool feeling of them melting on their skin. 

 

“Al Majaz Waterfront is committed to creating memorable moments for families and our Winter Festival has been designed to impart a truly unforgettable experience. Whether it’s the fun of ice skating, the thrill of a toboggan-style ride or just a desire to soak up a wonderful winter ambience, we can guarantee that visitors will remember our Winter Festival for a very long time,” added Al Mazroui.

 

Al Majaz Waterfront hosts a variety of artistic and entertainment activities throughout the year, including film screenings, stage shows, roaming performers and firework displays to commemorate national days and festivities. The park has recently completed an AED 35 million extension project that has added 53,000 square feet to its total area and includes 12 restaurants and cafés. As part of the project, Sharjah Fountain has been enlarged to overlook the series of dining outlets and extra 165 parking spaces have been added to accommodate the needs of the park’s increasing number of visitors.