Is it possible to visit Dubai’s popular outdoor theme park complex Dubai Parks and Resorts over the hot summer months?
As much as we love Dubai Parks and Resorts, it’s fair to say that it has suffered for the fact that it’s largely built as an outdoor theme park. Not to mention it is built on the outskirts of Dubai, which puts many short-term travellers to Dubai off merely for the drive.
But is it worth trekking out to Dubai Parks and Resorts if you’re visiting in the hotter half of the year?
Let’s get straight to the point. Summer in the UAE is HOT*. It involves temperatures that can top 45°C and humidity over 80% (feels more like 50°C+/120°F!). All up, it’s not the most pleasant time to be in the country, or more specifically to be doing anything outside with kids.
But…… whether work and family commitments keep residents tied, or you are using Dubai as a stopover on your summer vacation – don’t completely rule out EVERYTHING that is outdoors.
*Note “Summer” really runs from May to October. The hottest/stickiest time of year is August/September.
What is at Dubai Parks & Resorts?
Sitting on the western side of Dubai (on the main freeway towards Abu Dhabi), the Dubai Parks and Resorts site comprises
- Riverland – the dining & entertainment space that connects all the theme parks
- Legoland Dubai
- Legoland Water Park
- Legoland Resort
- Motiongate Dubai
- Real Madrid World
- Neon Galaxy
- JumpX
- Lapita Resort
- Legoland Hotel
Despite the desert weather, Dubai’s theme parks remain open 365 days a year. Legoland Water Park is entirely outside, and the other theme parks have a mixture of indoor and outdoor areas. They are well-shaded, but daytime temperatures in Dubai are extreme and being outside when it’s over 45°C is just downright unpleasant.
But there are many pros to visiting Dubai theme parks at this time of year; we’ll go through these in more detail below, but most importantly:
- You will pretty much get the parks to yourself. That means as many rides as you want with almost no lines – no need for QFast tickets, etc (with just a few date exceptions).
- Prices are discounted – the only way they’ll get people to keep coming through the door, I guess!
- You can also join in with Splash Fest at Legoland Resort, which includes a kids stay free deal and after-party at the hotel, as well as special events at Legoland Water Park (28 June to 24 August 2025) making it a grat value staycation.
And the obvious cons:
- Walking in the heat, even with complimentary shuttle services, there’s still a lot of ground you will need to cover on foot.
- It lacks a lot of atmosphere and joy when there are no crowds there to enjoy it with.
Dubai Parks & Resorts has confirmed for us that during the hottest months this year, the following services will be offered to all guests:
- Free parking for all in the VIP Car Park
- Complimentary Buggies and Dotto trains will operate from the car park and between the parks during daytime peaks.
Want to compare all of Dubai’s theme parks? Check out this bumper guide that breaks it all down by activities, character and age/height
Legoland Dubai in the Summer
What to Expect at Legoland Dubai
A family fun theme park ideal for you 2 to 12 crowd – no need to be a Lego nut there are plenty of fun games, rides and shows to enjoy.
You can read a comprehensive review of Legoland Dubai on my personal blog here.
The park is based around an indoor Miniland housed inside a huge dome. You will find a replica Dubai cityscape as well as famous buildings from around the Middle East region and Asia. The park is then split into 4 ‘lands’ – City, Kingdoms, Imagination & Adventure.
Rides range from sedate to thrilling and there are several character meet & greets as well as a live stage show and Lego Studios 4D theatre. Throughout the park, there are plenty of opportunities to build, eateries and retail shops. The majority of rides are Legoland Dubai are shaded, but outside.
Tips for handling the heat at Legoland Dubai
You need to be strategic here, making your way around the park to maximise your inside times.
- Most of the City section and Kingdoms are outside; you may want to tackle these before the worst of the heat kicks in.
- Visit on weekend evenings when they are open late; arriving from 3 pm to 7 pm will still give you a decent amount of time to see everything without the peak sun and relatively few queues.
- Rides and features that are indoors and provide the most refreshing break:
- Submarine Adventure (Adventure)
- Lost Kingdom Adventure (Adventure)
- Lego Mindstorms (Imagination)
- Build & Test (Imagination – next to the mothers’ room)
- Lego Factory (in the entrance plaza), come and see how Lego bricks are made
- Miniland
I’d strongly recommend that if you visit in the summer, you combine your entry ticket with Legoland Water Park to make the day bearable. The two are immediately adjacent, and you can combine the shaded and indoor parts of Legoland with the refreshing chill of the Water Park afterwards.
You can purchase your discounted Legoland Dubai tickets here
Legoland Water Park Dubai
What to Expect at Legoland Water Park
Sounds like the perfect relief from the heat right? In some ways. But even with a refreshing bucket of water dumped on your head, still expect a pretty hot and sweaty experience with scorching surfaces.
It is aimed at your younger children so your tweens+ might not find it as exciting as some of Dubai’s other water parks, but there’s still plenty of family-friendly rides and more thrilling adventures, along with the more sedate Build-a-Raft lazy river and Duplo Splash Safari. All up there are 20+ rides and attractions to enjoy, so you can make a good day of it – but I wouldn’t recommend all day in the sun, peak summer.
Tips for handling the heat at Legoland Water Park
- Always wear some sort of flipflop/croc/slipper when walking around the park, and keep these in the shoe rack or a shaded spot whilst you are in the water.
- Even better, where proper pool shoes that can be worn in and out of the water.
- Sitting with proper shade is quite limited. On very hot days, consider hiring a cabana (done inside the park with guest services, first come, first served).
Legoland Water Park Summer Opening Hours
Unlike the cooler months when the park is closed a few days a week, mid-summer, you’ll find Legoland Water Park Dubai open daily
- Daily 10:00 am to 7:00 pm
NB A quick note on UAE dress code. We have a detailed article here on what to wear but water parks are an odd beast; the rules are not quite as relaxed as a resort. Ladies can wear one or two piece bathers whilst some ladies will be in full burkini’s (see the policy here),. I would err on the side of modesty for both men and women and wear something that sensibly protects you from the sun with minimal flesh on display.
Seeking more water parks? See the Ultimate Guide to UAE Water Parks & Splash Parks
Motiongate Dubai in the Summer
What to expect at Motiongate Dubai
Motiongate is a combination of rides and attractions based around Hollywood powerhouses DreamWorks Animation, Columbia Pictures, and Lionsgate. Their ride height restrictions, surprisingly, seem to be a little more generous than Legoland, and there’s just a bit more variety in rides and entertainment for everyone in the family to enjoy.
The giant Dreamworks factory is the major attraction, which includes rides based around Shrek, How to Train Your Dragon (our favourite), Madagascar, and Kung Fu Panda. You will also find rides such as Ghostbusters and Hotel Transylvania, which are entirely indoors, as well as several soft play-style rooms for the little ones and theatre shows.
There’s surprisingly a lot of Motiongate that’s indoors (more so than Legoland) – it’s the long hike to get there from the car park that’s the issue! Cooling vapour fans do little to help on the stickiest of days.
Top tips for visiting Motiongate Dubai in the summer
- We recommend a 2-park pass to hit Motiongate after Legoland Water Park. Your beach bags can be checked at the lockers, then enjoy a more pleasant walk after the sun has gone down.
- Do Dreamworks first before the sun goes down, it’ll be more pleasant to tackle Lionsgate & Columbia pictures when the sun’s going down.
- Watch out for big, big merchandise discounts!
Motiongate Dubai Summer Opening Hours
Over the summer, the following hours will apply:
- Sun to Thu 11:00 AM to 8:00 PM
- Fri & Sat 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM
You can buy discounted tickets to Motiongate Dubai here
Real Madrid World
This is a new park for DP&R in Summer 2024, replacing the location where Bollywood used to be.
Everything is football-related here, with 40 rides and attractions from replica locker rooms to roller coaster rides.
Top Tips for visiting in summer
- Even with the later start time, things really don’t start feeling lively until the evening; you can go fairly early afternoon to beat the crowds, but you’ll be under the relentless sun for part of the day.
- We’d ideally wait until you’ve had a day at the water park to then enjoy Real Madrid after dark, as a fair bit of walking around is outside.
- HSBC cardholders can save 50% when visiting on a Tuesday until the end of September (or enjoy a 30% discount on other days).
We haven’t conducted a review visit yet on Real Madrid World, so we’ll keep you posted about what to expect. We honestly find the concept of a park dedicated to just one football team in a different country a little bizarre, but let’s see how long it lasts; our football-mad kids still want to go, but can’t help but feel a broader FIFA park, for example, would have had much broader appeal
Real Madrid World Summer Opening Hours
The following hours will apply:
- Sun to Thu 12:00 PM to 9:00 PM
- Fri to Sat 12:00 PM to 10:00 PM
Neon Galaxy
One of the newer additions to the park, Neon Galaxy IS fully indoor and air-conditioned, so you’d just have the journey from the car park to Riverland to cope with!
This indoor playground features two sections: Little Astronauts for the youngest children, and Astro Arena for older kids. Think indoor ninja courses, giant slides, parkour, and soft play all in one venue.
Neon Galaxy Summer Opening Hours
- Sun to Thu 11:00 AM to 8:00 PM
- Fri to Sat 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM
You can buy tickets to Neon Galaxy here
They don’t seem to have any combo or discount offers to combine with the theme parks, which seems really odd; I wouldn’t be driving that far out of the city for what is essentially a fun centre; there are literally dozens of similar offerings in Dubai or Abu Dhabi.
What about JumpX?
The giant world-record-holding 1200 sqm inflatable park is entirely outdoors and will not operate over the summer months (in fact, the Dubai Parks & Resorts website has completely removed any reference to JumpX, so we suspect it may be permanently removed or replaced with a new activation in the cooler winter months).
Where to Stay at Dubai Parks & Resorts in the Summer
There are now three hotels within easy reach of Dubai Parks and Resorts. If you’re spending a day or two at the parks, we highly recommend staying nearby so you don’t have a long journey back to your hotel in town at the end of your visit.
Lapita
This is the first 4-star resort to open at Dubai Parks and Resorts. It is a fabulous resort hotel on par with those you’d find at Jumeirah Beach – albeit quite isolated – most visitors are only coming here to enjoy the theme parks.
The resort has several on-site dining options, a lazy river and a great pool – even a private villa if you’re looking for something really exclusive! There’s also the Luna and Nova Kids and Teen Clubs, so parents might be able to enjoy a break at the Ola Spa.
Polynesian-themed Lapita also offers summer specials that come in conjunction with parks passes. You can easily access the theme parks from Lapita on foot or by buggy.
Check current prices here on Booking.Com | Read TripAdvisor reviews
Legoland Dubai Resort
The first Lego-themed hotel to open in the Middle East, the Legoland hotel is a welcome addition to Dubai Parks and Resorts, allowing families to have a complete Lego-themed vacation experience.
The hotel sits very close to the entrance of the water park and Legoland Dubai. You get a swimming pool on site, as well as many themed restaurants and choices of themed rooms to elevate your experience.
Look out this summer for the eat, play and stay ‘Summer Splash Fest’ packages available 26 June to 24 August 2025. ‘Kids go Free’ making these super value summer tickets!!
Check current prices here on Booking.com | Read TripAdvisor reviews
Rove at The Park
Rove at the Park hotel was added in late summer 2020. It sits a little further away from the theme parks adjacent to the Dubai Outlet Village, but does offer a regular shuttle service for park visitors (and a chance to do some discount shopping!)
It is a clean and fun budget hotel that we’d highly recommend if the other two on-site options are not within your budget. The hotel features an outdoor swimming pool, an extensive games room, and a range of activities to enjoy.
Check current prices here on Booking.com | Read TripAdvisor reviews
Explore all the best areas to stay in Dubai with family here!
So, should you visit Dubai Parks & Resorts in the Summer?
If you love your theme parks crowd-free, no ride queues, and don’t mind sweating it out a little, yes, the Dubai Parks and Resorts Theme Parks CAN be tackled in the summer. This can make an excellent value proposition, taking advantage of discounted tickets, and the opportunity to experiment and try new rides and experiences without the queues is great.
But let’s be honest. If you visit Dubai in summer and your little ones don’t want to miss the Legoland experience, would I still say do it? Yes! It’s manageable.
You won’t get to experience everything on offer, though, so consider this before purchasing a full-priced ticket from June to September.
If I had one big request, I would wish that they provide free water fountains around the parks. There are vending machines for water and soft drinks throughout the parks, but we find needing to pay for these and going through countless water bottles a huge waste of money and resources. It seems pretty unfair, given how essential water is when out in the heat. Theme parks in most other countries we have visited provide, at the very least, free tap water.
If you had to choose only 1 park in the summer, I would make it Motiongate. On the whole, more of it is indoors than Legoland, but our favourite combo is a few hours at Legoland Water Park followed by an evening at Motiongate.
The best deal we know is to purchase your 2 park – 1 day ticket via Klook
More Dubai family attractions
Don’t miss these other handy guides for family visitors to the UAE:
- Everything you need to know visiting the Yas Island Theme Parks, Abu Dhabi from Dubai
- A Toddlers’ Guide to Dubai
- Visting Dubai with a Baby
- Keeping your cool with Dubai’s best indoor attractions
- Abu Dhabi’s exciting indoor family attractions
- The Best of Dubai & the UAE in winter with kids
Save this for Later
Have you visited Dubai Parks & Resorts in the summer? Any more tips to share with other parents? Please leave them in the comments below!
This post is not sponsored. We have previously visited as members of the media but we have also regularly visited the parks as a family with annual passes to Dubai Parks & Resorts. This page contains affiliate links which may earn us a small commission should you make a purchase. You can read our terms of use here.
The Family Travel in the Middle East team of travel writers are all parents based in the Middle East, sharing first hand experiences and reviews from across the region to help you plan your next family adventure.
