Theme park takes the brain on a ride

The real magic of the space-themed Stargate at Zabeel Park lies in its promise to educate while it entertains.

Go-karts will be one of the main attractions in the space-themed Stargate, a futuristic entertainment and education centre at the Zabeel Park in Dubai when they open to the public this coming Eid.

DUBAI // It should come as no surprise if children fall in love with a new family attraction opening in Dubai this weekend, but the real magic of the space-themed Stargate lies in its promise to educate while it entertains.

The developers say the project is the first of its kind in the UAE and insist that visitors to the venue at Zabeel Park, near the Dubai International Convention Centre in Bur Dubai, will be learning every step of the way. "We are using a subliminal approach," said Abdullah al Ghobian, chief executive of Osus, the company behind the Dh450 million (US$122.5m) Stargate, which is opening on Eid weekend. "Kids do not expect to leave one school at the end of the day to go to another, so we are giving them the opportunity to come somewhere fun and to learn at the same time."

The teaching-through-entertainment takes place in a three-storey building designed as a spaceship with five themed domes: Earth, Mars, Saturn, UFO and Lunar. Imagine building snowmen in simulated winter conditions, learning ice-skating on a real ice rink, driving bumper cars and go-karts, or settling back in a 3D cinema to watch films about space exploration; all will be offered at Stargate, Osus says.

"Each area is educational," said Simon Newman, the attractions manager, during a preview tour given yesterday. "Every little bit points towards education, from the activities themselves, to the information on the walls." Take the Earth Dome, for instance. It features a roller-coaster that takes passengers on a trip from inside the dome, around the outside and in again; and it has a section where children can learn the physics behind the workings of a roller-coaster, with a focus on movement and kinetic energy.

Each dome will offer information corresponding with the general school curriculum of an age group, touching on subjects such as art, maths, science, storytelling and history. Despite the strong teaching component in Stargate's visitor activities, "education" was not being emphasised, Mr al Ghobian said. "This word scares the children," he said, explaining that rather than using words such as "gym" and "classroom", Stargate will educate children in unconventional ways and engage them in physical exercise without the participants' feeling that any of it is a chore.

"This is where clowns carry out science experiments," he added, "so [the children] are still learning, but it's fun." And what can parents do while their children are engrossed in activities? As with just about anything created in Dubai, this theme park has made room for a little retail therapy. The spaceship includes stores selling items such as clothing, accessories and park merchandise. Despite the considerable cost of the project, especially against the backdrop of the global financial crisis, Mr al Ghobian said the money was well spent.

"I actually think that now is the best time to build one of these," he said, "because the other competition have had to postpone their projects, leaving us to be the first players in the region." "We are creating a wave with this edutainment theme park, and we came at the right time." [e-mail]