Global Village marks Diwali with a 600-drone show on 8 November

Global Village will celebrate Diwali over five days, from Friday 6 to Tuesday 10 November, and the highlight is a drone show on Sunday 8 November, the night of Diwali itself. At 8pm, 600 drones will draw shapes inspired by the festival of lights in the sky above the Stunt Arena and the Syria Pavilion. Everything on the Diwali programme is included in the standard entry ticket.

The celebrations open on Friday 6 November, which is also Dhanteras, the first day of Diwali, with something the park has never held before: a baithak. It is a traditional South Asian music gathering in which the audience sits close to the musicians and is encouraged to sing along. It runs on the Main Stage from 8pm to 9pm and is organised with the radio station City FM; the performers have not been named. On Saturday 7 November there are interactive games with prizes for visitors, with times and places still to be published.

For all five days, a Diwali Mela organised with the India Pavilion runs in the Commercial Activation area, with stalls selling decorations, gifts, traditional snacks and sweets. Lamp posts along World Avenue are dressed for the festival, "Happy Diwali" signs are set up around the park for photos, and a Kids Corner offers face painting, diya colouring and rangoli making. For food, the Indian Chef and Grand Dhaba restaurants are joined by the Indian Chaat Bazaar, a food street themed on an Indian wedding, serving pani puri, chaat, pav bhaji, chole bhature, desi noodles and mithai.

Global Village opened its 31st season on 14 October and stays open until May 2027. It has 29 pavilions representing more than 90 cultures, over 3,500 shops and more than 250 places to eat. A 600-drone show also lit up the opening night this season; the Diwali show is a separate display with its own festive formations, and Diwali weekend is usually one of the park's busiest of the year.

Entry costs Dh25 on weekdays and Dh30 at weekends, bought online, in the Global Village app or at the gate counters. Rides at Carnaval and some other attractions are paid for separately. The park opens at 4pm and closes at midnight from Sunday to Wednesday and at 1am from Thursday to Saturday, so on Diwali night, a Sunday, it closes at midnight after the drone show. Tuesday 10 November, the last day of the programme, is a ladies and families day, as every Tuesday is except on public holidays. For the drone show, aim to be near the Stunt Arena or the Syria Pavilion well before 8pm.