NOW SHOWING: Dubai’s Top 10 leisure projects that target the Expo 2020

With the prestigious Dubai Expo 2020 looming large, work is on at a hectic pace to showcase this glitzy emirate in a new light with a slew of new tourist and leisure attractions such as Bluewaters Island, Museum of the Future, Dubai Creek Harbor, Dubai Water Canal and Dubai theme parks currently under development while others like the AED 10bn Al Mamzar beachfront project and the mega Alladin City project likely to commence by early next year.

The projects which are collectively valued at billions of dirhams are all likely to be completed before 2020, the year when the Expo arrives here, marking the first time the World's Fair will be held in the region.

As one of the largest and oldest mega-events, the Expo will launch the country's Golden Jubilee celebration, serving as a springboard from which to inaugurate a progressive and sustainable vision for the coming decades. The Expo will run for six months from October 2020 to April 2021. The year 2021 will mark the UAE's 50th Anniversary Golden Jubilee celebrations.

Here's a brief preview of some of the amazing leisure and entertainment projects that Dubai has lined up as part of its preparations for the much-vaunted Dubai 2020 Expo:

Dubai Creek Harbour:
A joint effort by the Emaar Properties and Dubai Holdings, this mega project also includes what will eventually be the world's tallest twin towers. Located along Dubai Creek, nest to Ras Al Khor, this project is three times the size of Downtown Dubai and will house approx 39,000 residential units, 3,664 office units, about 8mn sq.ft of retail space and 22 hotels hosting about 4,400 rooms. This project is currently in its first phase with the launch of a cluster of six towers named Dubai Creek Residences.

Dubai Water Canal:
According to data provided by the Roads and transport Authority (RTA), approx 33 percent of this AED 2bn water canal is now complete. This project which was launched in mid-2013 is likely to extend the Dubai creek by about 3kms and the canal which connects the Business Bay with the Arabian Gulf. The planned waterway is expected to be about 3kms in length with a width ranging from 80-120 metres.

Work on all three phases of this project is on simultaneously. The excavation of the canal is currently underway inside Safa Park, while work on the bridges on Al Wasl Road is proceeding smoothly with the laying of the utility lines.

The project is expected to be completed by mid-2016 and will also include the 16-lane flyover on Sheikh Zayed Road in addition to flyovers on key roads like Al Wasl and Jumeirah roads.

Dubai Frame:
Expected to be ready by mid-2016, the Dubai Municipality is leaving no stone unturned to ensure that this project becomes the leading global tourist attraction. Located at Zabeel Park, this project entails a 150-metre-high, 93-metre-wide structure being built to resemble a huge picture frame, through which several Dubai landmarks including the Emirates Tower and the iconic Burj Khalifa can be viewed from one side while the other side will offer panoramic glimpses of old Dubai areas such as Deira, Umm Harare and Karama.

Museum of the Future:
Strategically situated in the Emirates Tower area, near the arterial Sheikh Zayed road, this museum will allow visitors to experience the future via state-of-the-art simulations and interactive demonstrations. The museum is also slated to host scientific conventions and will offer advanced courses including specialized workshops on the latest scientific developments and design innovations as well as their practical applications.
The project is scheduled for completion sometime in 2017.

Bluewaters Island:
Featuring the world's tallest Ferris wheel christened - The Dubai Eye - work on this AED 6bn project near the Jumeirah Beach Residence has already commenced with the first frames of the Dubai Eye now being installed. Other attractions which will form part of this project include: a boutique five-star hotel, residential options and exclusive retail, entertainment, hospitality and residential zones.

Being developed by Meraas Holdings, Bluewaters Island is set to be one of the largest tourist hotspots in the world and is expected to attract more than 3mn visitors per annum.

Dubai Theme Parks:
Scheduled to open in October 2016; the trio of theme parks includes Motiongate Dubai, Bollywood Parks and Legoland Dubai.
 
The construction of the parks is about 17 percent complete while another 40 percent of the ride engineering and manufacturing has also been achieved, according to the Dubai Parks and Resorts.

Individually, approx 30 percent of the Bollywood-themed park is ready with its star attraction - the Rajmahal theatre - which includes a 60,000 sq.ft stage that will host Bollywood-themed performances well under way. The Legoland park is also well on schedule with its foundation ready to support the estimated 15,000 models comprising of about 60mn individual blocks catering to an audience comprising mostly of children aged between 2-12 years.

Deira Island:
Construction has already commenced on this project with Nakheel floating and awarding infra development tenders. The developer has joined hands with Spain's RIU Hotels & Resorts to build a 750-room beach resort here. The project spans an area of approx 1600 hectares and will add over 40 kilometres, including 21 kilometres of beachfront, to Dubai's existing coastline.

The developer has earmarked about three hectares for hotels and resorts while another 424 hectares are slated to host mixed-use developments. A night market designed on the lines of an Arabic souk (market) will also be built featuring over 1,400 retail units and restaurants with a number of anchor stores.

The project also features an amphitheater with a seating capacity for approx 30,000 people, a creek marina big enough to host large yachts and a range of additional marinas offering mooring facilities directly outside residences.

Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum (MBR) City - District One:
Meydan Sobha, the developer of this US$10bn project is scheduled to handover possession of the first and second phase of villa development here sometime in mid-2016 and mid-2017 respectively.

Spread over massive 1,100-acres MBR City - District One also features the world's largest artificial beach - a seven-kilometre stretch - and a 14kms boardwalk. For now construction of the vertical structures and infrastructure which also includes an 8.8km-long jogging and cycling track are ongoing at a fast clip with over 4,000 workers onsite, a number which is likely to touch approx 7,000 in the next few months.

The developer has linked the delivery of the lagoons with the completion of the residential phases, with the entire development slated to be completed by 2020.

Aladdin City:
With all the finance in place and work on the project likely to begin by next year, the Dubai Municipality has begun the process of finalizing a design consultant for this project that draws its inspiration from the fables tales of Aladdin and Sinbad.

Announced in April 2014, the project comprises of three 450-metre towers on Dubai Creek offering commercial and hospitality space, comprising commercial and hotel space. The project will also feature air-conditioned bridges which will connect the towers and its many driveways and parking facilities.

Al Mamzar Beachfront:
Spread across approx 9mn sq.ft, the Al Mamzar beachfront project is being developed by Emaar Properties and Dubai Municipality at an initial cost of AED 10bn.The project will comprise of 4,000 residential units, 300 hotel rooms, 250,000 square meters of retail amenities and 3.5km of walking tracks covered with plantations.