ABU DHABI’S VOR VILLAGE TO BECOME KIDS’ ADVENTURE PLAYGROUND
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates – 4th December 2014: Abu Dhabi’s Volvo Ocean Race (VOR) Destination Village which be open on the UAE capital’s Corniche Breakwater from December 12 – January 3 will be an adventure playground for children of all ages.
The village, which is free-to-enter, will host the VOR stopover and the hardy fleet and crews who are contesting the round-the-world ocean epic.
“It’s going to be a family haunt with adventure facilities, a park, a crèche and childrens’ activities to keep everyone occupied day and night,” said Mohammed Al Zaabi of Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi), which is behind the emirate’s VOR campaign.
A village highlight will be The Adventure Zone, activated in partnership with dedicated outdoor adventure retail specialist Adventure HQ. The zone – will feature an eight-metre climbing wall staffed by fully trained and certified instructors,bikes, scooters, skateboards and roller blades as well as kayaks, stand-up paddleboards and fat bikes on the beach for people to try.
“We’re passionate about getting more people active and engaged in adventurous activities and are excited to be a part of this prestigious event,” says Sam Whittam, CEO and founder of Adventure HQ.
The Family Park will be a haven for younger children while The Happy Nest crèche will offer a paid-entry stay and play supervised service where children can take part in nautical-themed arts and crafts activities, relax in the kids’ cinema, or enjoy the ‘soft’ play area. Charges will be Dhs 20 per hour or Dhs 35 for two hours.
Little ones will love the Volvo ride-on pedal trucks and bouncy castle and there’ll be people on hand to do face painting, airbrush tattoos, sand art and hair braiding. Budding rugby fans can brush up on their touch rugby skills in the kick rugby sessions being run by UAE Touch, the Touch football governing body for the United Arab Emirates
And youngsters will be able to try their hand at surfing thanks to the Wadi Wave, a surf simulator operated by Al Ain’s water adventure park Wadi Adventure.
The Destination Village, which is the size of five football pitches will be packed with edutainment and entertainment highlighting Abu Dhabi’s union with the sea and its maritime heritage. There’ll be dhow racing, pearl diving showcases, traditional sea shanty performances, ocean conservation exhibitions and activities such as conservation talks.
The village will be open weekdays from 12 midday to 9pm, and weekends from 11am to midnight.
Up to 175,000 people are expected to visit the Destination Village, until January 3, when the race fleet departs for its next endurance sailing leg to Sanya, China.
For more information about Abu Dhabi’s 2014/15 VOR Stopover please go to www.volvooceanraceabudhabi.com or visit our Facebook and Twitter pages at www.facebook.com/AbuDhabiOceanRacing and @ADORlog
