The Dubai Fountain

Last updated

The Fountain Lake in front of Dubai Mall Dubai Fountain.jpg
The Fountain Lake in front of Dubai Mall

The Dubai Fountains are a choreographed fountain system located on the 12 hectare (30 acre) artificial Burj Khalifa Lake, at the center of the Downtown Dubai development in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It was designed by WET Design, a California-based company also responsible for the fountains at the Bellagio Hotel Lake in Las Vegas. Illuminated by 6,600 lights and 50 [1] colored projectors, it is 275 m (902 ft) long and shoots water up to 500 ft (152.4 m) into the air accompanied by a range of classical to contemporary Arabic and world music. [2] It was built at a cost of AED 800 million (USD $218 million).

Contents

Opening

The name of the fountain was chosen after a contest organized by the developer Emaar Properties, the result of which was announced on 26 October 2008. [3] Testing of the fountain began in February 2009, [4] and the fountain was officially inaugurated on 8 May 2009 along with the official opening ceremony of The Dubai Mall.

Mechanism

The Dubai Fountain can spray 22,000 gallons (83,000 litres) of water in the air at any moment. More than 6,600 lights and 25 colour projectors have been installed. The fountain contains five circles of different sizes and two arcs. During the end of 2010, a new element was added to the fountain, fire, which outlined the fountains. The fire was temporary for the 2011 New Years celebration. [5] The Dubai Fountains project water in the air in many different combinations and patterns. The beam of light from the fountain can be seen from over 20 miles away. [6]

The Dubai Fountain consists of many high-pressure water jets created by WET, including Shooters, Oarsmen and water robots. The water robots make the water seem to dance while the WET Shooters shoot water upwards; Super Shooters, which shoot water under more pressure up to 73 m (240 feet) in the air, and Extreme shooters, which can shoot water under the most pressure to 500 ft (152.4 m) in the air. These WET Shooters create a loud "boom" noise after water is ejected. The Extreme Shooters are used the least during each show because it takes a lot of time to build up enough pressure and energy to shoot water that high in the air.[ citation needed ]

The Dubai Fountain 02.jpg
A panoramic view of Dubai Fountains Lake

Performances

Nozzle distribution of The Dubai Fountain Nozzle distribution of Dubai Fountain.svg
Nozzle distribution of The Dubai Fountain
The Dubai Fountain performing to the song "Bassbor Al Fourgakom". Dubai Fountain performing "Bassbor Al Fourgakom".jpg
The Dubai Fountain performing to the song "Bassbor Al Fourgakom".

The fountain is animated with performances set to light and music. It is visible from every point on the lake promenade and from many neighbouring structures. Performances take place at 1:00 pm and at 1:30 pm as well as every 30 minutes from 6 pm to 10 pm on weekdays, and from 6 pm to 11 pm on weekends (weekends being Thursday, Friday, and Saturday).

DHL Express premiered an advertising campaign at The Dubai Fountain on 20 October 2011. It was choreographed to a specially reworked version of the Motown classic "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", and was repeated for about a month. [7]

All of the fountain's performances are accompanied by music played through speakers around the lake, although sometimes the fountains are operated without music for testing purposes.

Usage

In March 2016 the fountains and the mall were part of the Expo 2020 logo launch attended by managing director Reem Al Hashimy and prime minister Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. After the event the fountains danced to Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You".

Music

The responsibility of selecting music to be used in the fountain was given to Peter Kopik, the head of the choreography in WET Design. [8]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burj Khalifa</span> Skyscraper in Dubai, United Arab Emirates

The Burj Khalifa is a skyscraper in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is the world's tallest building. With a total height of 829.8 m and a roof height of 828 m (2,717 ft), the Burj Khalifa has been the tallest structure and building in the world since its topping out in 2009, supplanting Taipei 101, the previous holder of that status.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emaar Properties</span> Emirati real estate development company

Emaar Properties is an Emirati multinational real estate development company located in the United Arab Emirates. It is a public joint-stock company, listed on the Dubai Financial Market, and has a valuation of US$16.8 billion as of August 2023 against the Net Asset Valuation of US$37.6 billion as of December 2022 based on the valuation of assets done by third party valuer. With six business segments and 60 active companies, Emaar has collective presence in 36 markets across the Middle East, North Africa, Asia, Europe and North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Musical fountain</span> Type of animated fountain for entertainment purposes

A musical fountain, also known as a fairy fountain, prismatic fountain or dancing fountain, is a type of choreographed fountain that creates aesthetic designs as a form of entertainment. The displays are commonly synchronised to music and also feature lighting effects that are refracted and reflected by the moving water. Contemporary multimedia fountains can include lasers, video projection and three-dimensional imagery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dubai Marina</span> Community in Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Dubai Marina, aka Marsa Dubai, is a district in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is an artificial canal city built along a 3-kilometre (2 mi) stretch of the Persian Gulf shoreline. As of 2018, it has a population of 55,052. When the entire development is complete, it will accommodate more than 120,000 people in residential towers and villas. It is located on Interchange 5 between Jebel Ali Port and the area which hosts Dubai Internet City, Dubai Media City, and the American University in Dubai. The first phase of this project has been completed. Dubai Marina was inspired by the Concord Pacific Place development along False Creek in Vancouver, BC, Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mohamed Alabbar</span> Emirati businessman

Mohamed Ali Alabbar is an Emirati businessman, best known as the founder of Emaar Properties, the developer of assets such as the Burj Khalifa and the Dubai Mall, as well as the founder and chairman of Eagle Hills, an Abu Dhabi-based private investment and real estate development company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nakheel Tower</span> Planned skyscraper

Nakheel Tower was a planned skyscraper on hold in Dubai, United Arab Emirates by developer Nakheel. The project was previously called Al Burj.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Dubai Mall</span> Largest mall ever made based on total area located in Dubai, UAE

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Address Downtown</span> Hotel tower in Dubai, United Arab Emirates

The Address Downtown, formerly The Address Downtown Dubai, is a 63-story, 302.2 m (991 ft) supertall hotel and residential skyscraper in the Burj Dubai Development Area of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It was built by Emaar Properties.

The government of Dubai took a decision to diversify from a trade-based, oil-reliant economy to one that is service and tourism-oriented. This has made real estate and other developments more valuable, thus resulting in a property boom from 2004 to 2006. Construction on a large scale has turned Dubai into one of the fastest-growing cities in the world. There are a number of large-scale projects which are currently under construction or are to be constructed in the future. Due to the heavy construction which is taking place in Dubai, 30,000 construction cranes, which are 25% of cranes worldwide, are operating in Dubai. Due to the burst of construction, Dubai has acquired various building-related records, which include: the world's tallest tower, the world's largest shopping mall, the world's largest fountain and the world's tallest hotel. Also under construction is Dubailand, which will be almost twice the size of the Walt Disney World Resort.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeddah Tower</span> Skyscraper currently on hold in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Jeddah Tower, previously known as Kingdom Tower, is a skyscraper construction project in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. It is planned to be the first 1 km (3,281 ft) tall building and would be the world's tallest building or structure upon completion, standing 180 m (591 ft) taller than the Burj Khalifa. Located in the north side of Jeddah, it is the centerpiece of the Jeddah Economic City project. After almost five years of inactivity, development work on the project resumed in 2023.

WET, also known as WET Design, is a water feature design firm based in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1983 by former Disney Imagineers Mark Fuller, Melanie Simon, and Alan Robinson, the company has designed over two hundred fountains and water features using water, fire, ice, fog, and lights. It is known for creating The Dubai Fountain, the world's largest performing fountain, along with the 8-acre Fountains of Bellagio. It has designed features in over 20 countries around the world, in North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dubai Opera</span> Performing arts center

Dubai Opera is a 2,000-seat, multi-format, performing arts centre, which is located within The Opera District in Downtown Dubai. It was developed by Emaar Properties to host a variety of performances and events including theatre, opera, ballet, concerts, conferences and exhibitions. Its plans were announced by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum in March 2012 and it was completed in 2016. It opened on 31 August 2016 with a performance by Plácido Domingo. The first season featured Bizet's The Pearl Fishers opera and also the tenor José Carreras. Dubai Opera has flat floor capacity of 1,800 m2 (19,000 sq ft). This floor can be hired for weddings, gala dinners, fashion shows and exhibitions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fountains of Bellagio</span> Attraction at the Bellagio resort on the Las Vegas Strip

Fountains of Bellagio is a free attraction at the Bellagio resort, located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. It consists of a musical fountain show performed in an 8.5-acre (3.4 ha) man-made lake in front of the resort. The show uses 1,214 water nozzles and 4,792 lights. The fountains shoot as high as 460 feet. Stages are sometimes built on the lake to host events, such as musical performances, that incorporate the fountain show.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Downtown Dubai</span> Community in Emirate of Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Downtown Dubai or The DubaiDowntown is a large-scale, mixed-use complex in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It was developed by Emaar Properties. Before 2000, the place was called Umm Al Tarif. It is home to some of the city's most notable landmarks, including Burj Khalifa, The Dubai Mall, and The Dubai Fountain. It covers an area of 2 square kilometres (0.77 sq mi), at an estimated cost of US$20 billion upon completion and, as of 2017, has a population of 13,201.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tourist attractions in Dubai</span> Overview of tourist attractions in Dubai, United Arab Emirates

There are many tourist attractions in Dubai, resulting from the large scale construction boom. Dubai received 14 million tourists from all around the world in 2015. Euromonitor ranked the world's 150 most visited cities by international tourists in 2009; Dubai ranked 7th. Dubai welcomed 14.36M visitors in 2022. Dubai's economy relies on many sections of the "state", one of the most important being tourism, in 2014 total 70,475,636 passengers traveled through Dubai Airport. To maintain this important position in the tourism industry they are known to create big and impressive tourist attractions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dubai Trolley</span> Tram system in Downtown Dubai

Dubai Trolley is a tram system in Downtown Dubai. It includes a number of trams specially designed for Emaar Properties, with an operational speed of 10 km per hour. The trolleys are double-decker and can convey 50 passengers, who can ride on the open deck or the air-conditioned seating. They convey passengers free of charge.

Address Boulevard 73-storey 368 m (1,207 ft) hotel in Downtown Dubai in Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Address Boulevard is a 73-storey 368 m (1,207 ft) hotel in Downtown Dubai in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It has 196 five-star-hotel rooms and 523 serviced residences. It is on the list of tallest buildings in Dubai and the list of tallest buildings in the world. It has a restaurant and 3 pools and has views of the Burj Khalifa.

Emaar Developments is the UAE-based property development arm of Emaar Properties. The company develops residential and commercial property, shopping malls and other retail assets, as well as hospitality and leisure attractions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">At the Top (Burj Khalifa)</span> Burj Khalifa observation deck

At the Top is an outdoor observation deck on the Burj Khalifa. It opened on 5 January 2010 on the 124th floor. At 452 m (1,483 ft), it was the highest outdoor observation deck in the world when it opened.

References

  1. "The Dubai Fountain". Burj Khalifa. Archived from the original on 26 October 2018. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
  2. Emaar Properties (9 June 2008). "Emaar Brings World-Class Water, Light and Music Spectacle to Burj Dubai Lake" (Press release). Archived from the original on 10 July 2011. Retrieved 13 June 2008.
  3. Emaar Properties (26 October 2008). "'Dubai Fountain' Is Winning Name of Emaar's Water Spectacle in Downtown Burj Dubai" (Press release). Archived from the original on 10 January 2014. Retrieved 26 October 2008.
  4. Video of the testing process: Archived. Archived from the original on 11 April 2012. Retrieved 8 May 2023 via YouTube.[ dead link ]
  5. "Dubai Fountain". dubaifaqs.com. Archived from the original on 28 May 2018. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  6. "The Dubai Fountain". The Dubai Mall. Archived from the original on 15 May 2009.
  7. DHLExpressUAE (31 October 2011). The Dubai Fountain Performing the DHL Express theme Song. Archived from the original on 2 June 2020 via YouTube.
  8. Gornall, Jonathan (28 January 2018). "Dubai Fountain: The Stories Behind the Music". The National. Archived from the original on 8 October 2018. Retrieved 8 October 2018.

25°11′43″N55°16′30″E / 25.1951849°N 55.2750599°E / 25.1951849; 55.2750599