Goo Goo Gang

18/06/2026

This weekend in the UAE has 24 things for families.

A market run entirely by children negotiating their own sales. An escape room designed by the man who invented the concept. A camel farm where you feed the animals and then eat their ice cream. A dinosaur immersive experience that takes an hour to walk through. Stargazing in the desert with professional telescopes at midnight.

Most parents have no idea any of this is happening.

Magic Phil at Sanderson's in Al Quoz on June 27 sells out every single time. If you have a child aged 5 to 12 and haven't booked, do it before you put your phone down.

The Little Merchant Bazaar at Amaya Mall on June 20 and the D3 Tiny Preneurs Market on June 27 are both free to enter. Kids selling things they made themselves. It sounds wholesome. It is wholesome. Watch these kids close deals.

The Workshop Dubai in Al Quoz runs moonlight painting, botanical relief art, impasto sculpture and oud perfumery workshops through June 28. Ages 14 and up. AED 189 to 399, all materials included.

Two free workshops at public libraries this week: Comic Creation at Al Safa Art Library, June 19 to 21. Pencil Shading at Dubai Digital Park, June 19 to 20.

Full details and links in the free weekly newsletter. Link in bio.

Tag the parent who needs to see this before the weekend.

11/06/2026

Dubai has launched a city-wide Kids Go Free summer campaign. Adults pay, kids don't — and the list of venues is longer than you'd expect.

Museum of the Future is running one child free per adult until mid-September. Burj Khalifa and The View at the Palm have the same deal. Yas World in Abu Dhabi covers Ferrari World, Warner Bros and Yas Waterworld on selected days. Green Planet at City Walk has children 10 and under free any day. La Perle, Dubai Crocodile Park, Madame Tussauds and Expo City are all part of it. Age limits vary so check each venue directly.

The Dubai Mallathon starts this Sunday June 15. Nine malls open every morning from 7am to 10am as indoor running and walking tracks through September 15. Free, no registration, any distance.

The World Cup starts tonight — Mexico vs South Africa at 11pm. Palm Arena 2.0 opens today at Marriott Resort Palm Jumeirah. Free entry, open until 3am, all 104 matches.

Yas Marina Circuit lets you cycle the actual F1 track for free. Bikes on site, four-wheel bikes for young kids, strollers allowed.

The Hive Summer Theatre Festival runs every weekend until June 28 at Live at Hive in Al Quoz. 500+ young performers, 50+ live plays, free entry.

Full details and links in the free weekly newsletter. Link in bio.

Share this with a parent who needs a plan this summer.

05/06/2026

GameExpo runs today through Sunday at Dubai World Trade Centre — 300+ games, VR, LEGO zones, esports, and a cosplay championship with an AED 50,000 prize. Family pass for two adults and four kids is AED 63.75 for all three days.

Saturday is the girls' day — K-beauty, all-girl gaming tournaments, and a collectibles market. If you have a daughter aged 10 to 16, that is the day to go.

Abu Dhabi Summer Sports opens Saturday at ADNEC and runs through August. 52 courts and activity zones — padel, football, cricket, chess, yoga, AR/VR — all indoors, all air-conditioned, open from 6am to 1am daily. Camps for ages 4 to 16.

The Cave of Wonders at Quranic Park in Al Khawaneej is AED 5 and most Dubai families have never heard of it. An interactive journey through Quranic scientific references inside a cave structure in a public park. Open 9am to 9pm, Nol card accepted.

Three mangrove options this weekend: Jubail in Abu Dhabi is free and quiet before 9am. Khor Kalba in Sharjah has the UAE's oldest mangrove forest and the Arabian Collared Kingfisher — a bird found almost nowhere else on earth. AED 15, free under 12. Ajman Mangroves at Al Zorah is the least crowded of the three.

The World Cup kicks off Thursday night — Mexico vs South Africa, 11pm. 48 teams, 104 matches. If you have a football-obsessed kid, Thursday night is worth staying up for together.

for more: https://www.googoogang.com/p/a-cave-of-wonders-gaming-and-mexico

27/05/2026

What's happening this week - for families and kids. Hopefully something resonates!

22/05/2026

Six days off with the kids is either a gift… or a crisis. 😅

This week’s Goo Goo Gang is packed:

🐶 Bluey LIVE in Abu Dhabi
🐝 A giant indoor Bee Festival at Expo City
🎆 Yas Bay Eid fireworks
🏎️ Dubai’s new drift-karting arena in Al Quoz
🟢 Last chance for Global Village, Miracle Garden & Dubai Safari Park before summer closures
🛥️ A new AED 25 Dubai Marina water taxi pass almost nobody knows about
👶 Messy play for babies
🎮 Mario Kart IRL for teens
🎬 Shrek back in cinemas for Eid

Honestly? One of the strongest family weeks Dubai’s had in a while.

Also: If Global Village is still on your list… this is your final warning before it disappears until October.

Full guide in the newsletter. Link in bio.

Send this to:

- The parent already panicking about Eid plans
- The family group chat
- Someone with bored kids and no strategy yet

02/05/2026

Dubai is slowing down for the summer. Here's what to do before it does. 🌸

🎡 GLOBAL VILLAGE — last week
Closes May 10. Season 30. 90+ countries, street food, rides, live shows. Open 5pm–midnight daily. From AED 25. Free under 3 and seniors 65+. If you've been saying "we should go" since October — this is it.

🌸 MIRACLE GARDEN — now free on weekdays
New deal just announced: free entry Mon–Fri through Gate 3, 9am–6pm until May 31. AED 30 for residents on weekends. 150 million flowers. Emirates A380 covered in blooms. Kids under 12 always free. Go on a Tuesday. Beat the crowds.

🏙️ BURJ KHALIFA — AED 99
Levels 124 and 125. Off-peak resident pricing. Book online, go at sunset. Genuinely one of the best value things in the city right now.

🌿 RIPE MARKET — this weekend
Dubai Hills Golf Club today. Academy Park Al Sufouh Fri–Sun. Running through May 17. Local vendors, food, kids' entertainment, space to roam. Free.

🎨 AL SERKAL ART MONTH — through May 18
16 exhibitions across Al Quoz. Workshops, live art, open studios. The kind of place where teenagers stop looking at their phones. Free.

🌳 CENTRAL PARK @ WASL GATE — just opened
Jebel Ali, near Energy Metro. 82,700sqm. Cycling tracks, skate park, food trucks, sports courts. All ages. Free.

🔮 MUSEUM OF ILLUSIONS — Al Seef
First 20 guests in UAE flag colours get free entry daily until May 15. Otherwise AED 99. 60 optical illusions. Good for when it's too hot outside.

Full details and links in the free weekly newsletter — link in bio.

Share this with someone who's still trying to figure out the weekend. 🙌

02/05/2026

Dubai is slowing down for the summer. Here's what to do before it does. 🌸

🎡 GLOBAL VILLAGE — last week
Closes May 10. Season 30. 90+ countries, street food, rides, live shows. Open 5pm–midnight daily. From AED 25. Free under 3 and seniors 65+. If you've been saying "we should go" since October — this is it.

🌸 MIRACLE GARDEN — now free on weekdays
New deal just announced: free entry Mon–Fri through Gate 3, 9am–6pm until May 31. AED 30 for residents on weekends. 150 million flowers. Emirates A380 covered in blooms. Kids under 12 always free. Go on a Tuesday. Beat the crowds.

🏙️ BURJ KHALIFA — AED 99
Levels 124 and 125. Off-peak resident pricing. Book online, go at sunset. Genuinely one of the best value things in the city right now.

🌿 RIPE MARKET — this weekend
Dubai Hills Golf Club today. Academy Park Al Sufouh Fri–Sun. Running through May 17. Local vendors, food, kids' entertainment, space to roam. Free.

🎨 AL SERKAL ART MONTH — through May 18
16 exhibitions across Al Quoz. Workshops, live art, open studios. The kind of place where teenagers stop looking at their phones. Free.

🌳 CENTRAL PARK @ WASL GATE — just opened
Jebel Ali, near Energy Metro. 82,700sqm. Cycling tracks, skate park, food trucks, sports courts. All ages. Free.

🔮 MUSEUM OF ILLUSIONS — Al Seef
First 20 guests in UAE flag colours get free entry daily until May 15. Otherwise AED 99. 60 optical illusions. Good for when it's too hot outside.

Full details and links in the free weekly newsletter — link in bio.

Share this with someone who's still trying to figure out the weekend. 🙌

16/04/2026

16/04/2026

Schools reopen April 20. No buses yet. And honestly? This weekend is a quieter one. 🤷

But quieter doesn't mean nothing. Here's what I'd actually do:

🏃 Art Run at Expo City on Friday — it's not a race, it's art built into a route. Kids don't even realise they're exercising.

📚 Used Book Fair at Gate Avenue — air-con, calm, kids can wander. On till April 26. Perfect 60-minute plan.

⛵ Evening abra loop at Al Seef — boats, the creek, sunset. Costs almost nothing and kids always love it.

🌿 That green spot in Warsan 3 — koi pond, farm animals, shade. Free. Not polished. That's the point.

💦 Summer Splash is coming to Al Wasl Plaza from April 25 — water + outdoors. Mark the calendar now.

And if none of this feels right — that's fine too. Pick one thing, keep it short, don't overcommit. That's the whole plan.

27/02/2026

February's almost done and March is stacked. 🌙

Ramadan Kareem to everyone celebrating — the city is buzzing and there is genuinely so much to do this weekend and beyond.

Not a full cheat sheet, but here are the highlights:

🎾 Dubai Duty Free Tennis finals are THIS Saturday at the Aviation Club. Last chance.

🐎 Emirates Super Saturday at Meydan — the dress rehearsal for Dubai World Cup. Food, fashion, horses. Feb 28.

🕌 Ramadan District opens at Jumeirah Emirates Towers tonight — Emirati artists, calligraphy, henna, kids activities. Right in front of the Museum of the Future. FREE.

📚 Big Bad Wolf Book Sale is LIVE — 2 million books from AED 2. Dubai Studio City, open till midnight daily through March 8. FREE entry. Go.

🎠 Mary Poppins is running at etihadarena in Abu Dhabi — first UAE run, 26 performances. If you have little ones, this is the one.

🎿 Spring break camps are filling up fast — OliOli, Ski Dubai, Mission Discovery, ISM Sports, JamJar... the newsletter has the full list.

🌸 Miracle Garden is in full bloom — 150 million flowers and a brand new kids section with a train and bumper cars.

The full newsletter with all the details, links and prices lands in your inbox every week — link in bio to subscribe, it's free.

Save this post. Send it to a parent who needs a plan this weekend. 🙌