Malls, parks and beaches the places of choice in Dubai this Eid

Some planned afternoon barbeques and picnics, while others packed out cinemas in the city's various malls, but all were enjoying the Eid Al Fitr holiday atmosphere.

Passengers at Al Ghubaiba bus station in Dubai queue for a bus that will take them to Abu Dhabi. Jeffrey E Biteng / The National

DUBAI // From entertainment and shopping in the malls to braving the heat in parks and beaches, people were out on Wednesday enjoying the first day of Eid Al Fitr.

A fun atmosphere greeted visitors to Mall of the Emirates as families took advantage of the public holidays to enjoy meals in restaurants, sip coffees at cafes and pack out the cinema.

“It’s been an enjoyable day so far,” said Ahmed Zaman, 33, from Pakistan, who was at the mall with his wife and two young children.

“I went for morning prayers in Zabeel Mosque first thing and then we thought we’d come to the mall for a bit.”

The family planned a barbecue at Zabeel Park later in the afternoon.

“It’s too hot to be outside at the moment, especially for the kids who like to play outside,” said Mr Zaman.

“We’ll meet up with some friends and enjoy the evening. After fasting all month you celebrate and appreciate the smaller things so much more.”

For Mark Stevens, 29, from the UK, it was a chance to meet up with friends before he flies out for his summer holiday next week.

“I don’t fast but you can see the difference from how it’s like during the day in Ramadan and today,” he said.

“It’s like the city has come alive again during the day and it’s fantastic.”

He was sitting with friends enjoying a coffee and watching people scurry around the shops.

“With the way the holidays have worked out this year, a lot of people have taken advantage and gone back to their home countries or are enjoying Eid in Europe or the US,” said Fahid Al Shareef, 35, from Lebanon, who was part of the group.

“I think you’ll really see the city come alive this evening as tomorrow is a day off and people will be out and about.

“I’ll be heading down to JBR in the late afternoon and spend a bit of time on the beach.

“We’ll be meeting up with some family and having a picnic.”

At the cinema excited gaggles of people sat in groups waiting for their movies to start.

“I was hoping to avoid the rush if I came here early but it’s been packed since the morning,” said Imran Hussein, 19, from the UK.

“There’s a group of us and the plan was to watch Independence Day.”

However, with screenings booking up so quickly it was difficult to get the seating they wanted.

“There’s five of us and we all want to sit together to watch it but the good seats are difficult to find,” he added.