22 of the best new adult indoor fun activities in Dubai

Shelter from swelter has never been so much fun…

With outdoor temperatures rattling the spicy end of the thermometer, those remaining in Dubai for the summer have to get tactical about where to have their fun. It’s an ‘inside job’. Kids have long been cashing in on their playtime privilege – with access to a seemingly unending list of soft play adventures and air-conditioned clambering, whereas the traditional provisions for adults have centred around “I dunno” *shrugs* “could do the mall?” It’s a discrepancy that 2024 has been working hard to dismantle – we’ve seen a climate-controlled cavalcade of new and genuinely exciting ventures opening up that cater specifically for grown-ups. These are just some of the best ways to have street-legal, adult indoor fun in Dubai.

New and coming soon

Tiger Strikes

Located within Megaplex Dubai, adjacent to the Grand Hyatt Dubai, Tiger Strikes is a brand new, adults-only, pay-per-play entertainment destination from Dubai Golf. Inside, a rich tapestry of competitive challenges and twinkling LEDs call for your attention. Earn your stripes and rack up strikes across six lanes of neon-lit bowling; or swing for slips-hit sixes with WIKIT, an impressive augmented reality cricket simulator featuring real-time immersive graphics feedback. The pub sports portfolio doesn’t end there. Darts has been given a futuristic retrofit with multiple, incredibly addictive digital game types for friends to try and hit the bullseye on; and for a little analogue palate cleanse – cue up some big break action on the pool tables.

Dubai Healthcare City, activities priced separately from Dhs30. @tigerstrikes.dxb

Chaos Karts

Another experiment from the Al Quoz adventuretainment laboratory, Chaos Karts is – as close as makes no difference – Mario Kart in real life. Just with none of the messy IP battles. Chaos Karts allows you to race across virtual-themed trackscapes, collecting gems and hilariously inconveniencing your friends with precision-timed virtual power-up projectiles – then driving past them to secure victory and a temporarily ruined friendship. All the best parts of Mario Kart. And with no physical obstacles on the track and anti-collision technology, drivers won’t need to wear helmets or driving suits. Ticket prices start at around Dhs179 for a 20-minute session.

Al Quoz, from Dhs179. @chaoskartsuae

Illusion City

This Bluewaters attraction plays host to a series of exhibits and themed rooms specifically designed to mess with your mind. The rule of thumb is that not everything you see is exactly as it seems, and that results in some truly magnetic Gram content. Take a trip to the upside-down, play with perspective and chortle at portals through multi-dimensional space.

Bluewaters, Mon to Thu 10am to 10pm, Fri and Sat 10am to 11pm, ages 18+ Dhs75, seven to 18 Dhs60, under sevens free. @illusioncity_dubai

Quiz Room

Q: Which member of the What’s On editorial team has won an episode of The Weakest Link? A: Yep, it was me. Modesty is a precious virtue. And if, like me, you’re a fan of the TV quiz show format, The Quiz Room located (almost too perfectly) in Al Quoz (Al Quiz?), might be the answer you’ve been looking for. Set to open at the end of August, teams of one-to-18 players (aged eight and up) will be able go head-to-head, and buzzer-to-buzzer in tests of trivia and musical knowledge. It’s been set up to simulate the quiz show experience, emphasising fun and the spirit of friendly competition. Not the spirit of flipping over the Trivial Pursuit board because “your questions were easier”. You know who you are.

Al Quoz, pricing TBC. @quiz_room_ae

Swingers

This crazy golf-fuelled, above-par, exclusively adult leisure attraction will be opening on Bluewaters imminently. Originally from London – it’s golf for people aiming at the 19th hole and ‘clubbing’ for people who want to be in bed by 10. The Dubai version drops in with three bars, three nine-hole courses and like its British counterpart, will feature street food, cocktails, live DJs and almost certainly – some dubious score recording.

Bluewaters, pricing TBC. @swingers_uae

Adventure Island

Adventure has a new name in the UAE, or a new surname at least… Adventure Island at Bahar Plaza on the JBR has its phasers set to stun, offering a pair of attractions – Laser Island and Pixel. The former is a rootin’, tootin’, pew pew-shootin’ version of laser tag, set between neon paint and black light – and cast across an intersecting network of nooks and camping-friendly crannies. Inside groups of up to 24 can lock and load for a battle royale – running and gunning in just-for-fun free-for-alls or team-based firefights. Pixel plays out on a series of touch-sensitive LED-lit-blocks on the floor of an enclosed room, players must leap around in co-op and versus challenges, collecting points and avoiding the dreaded ‘floor is lava’ red blocks.

JBR, Priced from Dhs59. @adventure.island.ae

Real Madrid World

On the surface, a football team might not seem like the best study for a theme park. But ask any fan – and they’ll tell you that the ups and downs, the heroes and villains, the ceremony, the drama and adrenalin – all make for fever pitch thrill rides. Maybe less so if it were Nottingham Forest, but fortunately for Dubai Parks and Resorts they chose Real Madrid, home of the Galácticos, as the first name on their squad list. Real Madrid World comprises three zones (Champions Avenue, Celebration Plaza, Stars Universe) and a licensed store. It’s packed with rides that promise to bend you like Beckham, a museum, skill tests, roller coasters, restaurants and big-match Bernabeu experiences.

Dubai Parks and Resorts, Dhs295. @realmadridworlddubai

Arte Museum

For a more cultural outing this summer – Arte Museum comes from the world-renowned digital media design company d’strict. It’s perfect for the set that have had their attention span so ravaged by social media that they can now only enjoy art in perpetually evolving panoramic 4D. Their projected performances cover 13 immersive spaces allowing you to get up close and personal with moving images. In both senses of the word. Even the on-site tea house has its own blizzard of digital flora to pair with your cuppa.

Dubai Mall, Level 2, from Dhs129 per person, @artemuseum_dubai 

Brass Monkey

The Brass Monkey brand is now two caverns of visceral entertainment strong with a second location in City Walk’s C2 district, joining the Bluewaters original. The new C2 version brings the same chic bar-meets-amusement-arcade energy with a 12-lane bowling alley; billiards; epic sharing snack platters; craft mixology; axe throwing; frantic button smashing fun via a connoisseur’s collection of retro arcade games (anyone for Street Fighter II fisticuffs? No Honda, no Blanka); there are VR attractions; and foosball tables. Promos include a brunch, taco Tuesday, ladies’ night and a happy hour. The perfect squad night rumble in an electric urban jungle.

C2, City Walk. @brassmonkeysocial

Vertical Design

Combining the arcane arts of glass-blowing and neon lighting, Vertical Design’s Neon Discovery workshop is an illuminating voyage into new skills and take-away wall art. The 90-minute course takes you through the fundamentals of how neon works, the essentials for neon sign making, and a hands-on practical of creative glass blowing. Once you’ve finished crafting your lit masterpiece you have the option of purchasing it. Is the class worth the Dhs950 price tag though? All signs point to yes.

Urban Nest, Al Quoz, Dhs950 per person. verticaldesigndxb.com

Five Iron

There’s more indoor golfing action on the way, this time making a dogleg up the JBR and sailing towards the lush virtual fairways of The Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi Beach Resort & Marina. Five Iron is an American indoor country club set to open in August. The more than 32,000 sq ft space will feature 17 future tech simulators, each fitted with a multi-angle camera system to make side-eyes at your swing. Six bays will be equipped with TruGolf Multisport technology capable of creating dynamic sporting scenarios. F&B highlights include four bars, an outdoor bunker-themed bar, and a VIP lounge. There’s more leisure pleasure from the nine-hole mini golf course, indoor putting green, work pods, table games, gym, and sauna.

Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi Beach Resort & Marina, pricing TBC. @fiveirongolf.uae

Boom Battle Bar

Technically not a new space, but this ode to bar-based gaming has just undergone a comprehensive makeover. Adding to the existing augmented axe throwing; nine-hole crazy golf course; shuffleboard; interactive, projection-enhanced darts; and beer (/prosecco) pong – there’s now a DJ booth and a private Boom Box karaoke. There’s a thick menu of pub grub tapas, and promotions throughout the week that help keep prices low and vibes high.

DoubleTree by Hilton JBR, The Walk, games from Dhs65. @boom.dxb

BattleKart

The UAE’s latest hub of augmented reality karting has just screeched through the chequered flag at DIP. BattleKart is another adherent to ‘the ministry of blue shell’. Shh, it’s a Mario Kart thing. Here duelling kartists can face off and sling virtual missiles at each other in four different game modes that involve: a classic destruction derby race; a version of Nokia’s classic Snake; tagging the floor with digital graffiti; or hoofing 30-yard screamers in a quick-fire round of rocket football.

Dubai Investment Park, Dhs200. @battlekartdubai

Loco Bear

This 70,000 sqf leisure colossus is self-described as an “indoor entertainment hub and theme park” in Al Quoz 2 has been created to enthral all ages. Loco Bear is rammed to the rafters with unique activities, including the unprecedented mess of whatever the Slime Universe is; a soft play zone; VR games; a ball pit with a splash of Squid Game energy; and challenging wall climbs. There are adrenalin-courting attractions too – Takeshi’s Jump and Leap of Faith. And there’s more… an 18,500 sqf interactive Trampoline Arena; Ninja Warrior and parkour challenges; a Wipeout Area; an indoor roll glider; two futuristic laser tag arenas; a six-lane first-of-it’s-kind in the UAE interactive bowling set up; shuffleboard; arm wrestling; air hockey; and pool. More than un poco loco.

Al Quoz 2, prices start from Dhs135 for children and Dhs140 for adults. @goloco.dxb

Old but indoor gold

Aya Universe

Launch yourself into a mesmerising constellation of cosmos-themed, interactive exhibits with a trip to family-friendly, AYA. Known for its Gram Candy surrounds, AYA-nauts can explore the entertainment park’s high-tech sound and visual bewitchery. Attractions inside this 40,000-square-foot universe-within-a-universe include strobe-lit waterfalls, lava rivers, and an absolutely massive, digitally enhanced ball pit, all designed to immerse you in an alternate reality.

Wafi Mall, from Dhs125. @ayauniverse

RollDXB

Like hair, roller skating was big in the 80s. And whilst its popularity dropped off dramatically in the subsequent decades – the last few years have seen a bit of a revival. And why not? It’s all incredibly good fun – racing around a rink to a tracklist of bangers, the thrill of evading mild concussion, learning new tricks, and cutting down commute times. And if you’re looking for somewhere to learn, or indeed practise this graceful art, RollDXB – with its retro vibe, disco ball and skilled instructors – wheely is the best place to do it.

Shed 3 Marina Cubes Street, Dubai Maritime City, Dhs90 including equipment rental. @rolldxb

JA Shooting Club

Pistols at dawn. Ok not dawn, it opens at 1.45pm. And it doesn’t just have to be pistols – they have rifles and shotguns too. We know that guns can be a divisive topic – but JA Shooting Club has a long history of providing a safe and well equipped space for the ballistically curious and trained sharp shooters alike. For the cooler months there are five floodlit outdoor clay shooting ranges, and for summer – a 10 lane, 25-meter indoor pistol range.

JA The Resort, Jebel Ali Freezone, non member prices from Dhs150. @jatheresort

Ground Control

Brand new at Nakheel Mall, Ground Control – found next to the shopping hub’s Vox Cinema – is more than the sum of its eight-lane bowling alley. There’s mini golf, darts, axe throwing, and a collection of retro video games.

Nakheel Mall, bowling from, Dhs75. @groundcontrolme

Game Over

When it comes to escape rooms, we really are spoilt for choice in Dubai – but Game Over is a venue we keep coming back to. Although that might be the Stockholm syndrome talking. Found on the upper floor of Nakheel Mall – there are currently 12 individual rooms that require your amateur sleuthing skills. The puzzle themes run the gamut from horror to Agatha Christie inspired murder mystery, there’s a Wizarding World hat tip and several of the challenges have live actors. But for a real test of mentalist mettle, try Illuminati – an off-brand Da Vinci Code tribute that would even give Professor Langdon the red herring run around.

Nakheel Mall, Palm Jumeirah, Dhs140. @game_over_dubai

The Smash Room

If the very idea of meditation makes you want to flip tables, do we have the stress relief for you. The Smash Room is essentially rage yoga. Select your weapon and then enter a cage to theatrically dismantle assorted mundane objects. Nostalgia is spared no mercy with old TVs, glass bottles, washing machines, and printers all going, quite literally, under the hammer. Too agro to drive? They’ve recently launched The Smash-Mobile which will drive right to you, so you can hop in the back and get medieval on a bunch of miscellaneous bric-a-brac.

Al Quoz, from Dhs69. @thesmashroom.ae

New for the kids

Boo Boo Laand

Found in Dubai Mall this 25,000 sqft space is a shrine to wonder and whimsy with over 30 individual attractions spread across four different zones. The space is designed for young’uns of all ages – from babies to teens – and features a snow park, super slide, trampolines, football stadium, princess dress-up area, arts and crafts area, as well as live performances, interactive shows, and meet-and-greets with special characters.

Boo Boo Laand, Dubai Mall, pricing TBC. @booboolaand

Rimbamelle

This high-end, aesthetic-forward indoor playground opened its doors in June and offers the exciting prospect of a soft play experience paired with a bar for the adults. Its jungle-inspired wonderland features stylishly designed slides, ball pits, and interactive games. The venue also runs fun juniour workshops on cooking, arts and crafts.

The Wharf, Bluewaters, from Dhs100 for three hours. @ribambelle.dubai

Images: Provided