Top Things To Do This Summer Break in Dubai, Abu Dhabi & Sharjah (2026 Guide)

Best for: Babies through to children aged 8, and parents who want to actually sit down for a coffee

Key activities: Soft play zones, the O-Town role-play city, arts and crafts, water play, and climbing structures, all overlooked by an on-site café

Suitable age group: 0–8 years

Why families love it: Two adults enter free with every paying child, and it’s a great pick for toddlers too, with the café positioned so parents can watch the play areas the entire time

Insider tip: The Full Day Pass (from AED 218.75) works out cheaper than two separate 90-minute visits if you’re planning a longer summer outing with siblings of different ages

Kidzapp offer: Save on Stay N Play sessions, plus the Wonder on Wheels summer camp, check Kidzapp for exact 2026 dates

👉 Check the exclusive Kidzapp offer for Orange Wheels

Best for: Thrill seekers and families wanting a boutique (not overwhelming) waterpark

Key activities: 16 signature attractions including the Boomerango tower slide, Freefall Plus, Parallel Pursuit, a wave pool with a sandy beach, a lazy river, and the region’s first FlowRider Triple Surf Simulator

Suitable age group: All ages, with a dedicated kids’ Splash Planet for younger children

Why families love it: Spread across a 37 acre estate, it feels far less crowded than Dubai’s mega waterparks, and the FlowRider genuinely gives teens something they can’t do anywhere else in the city

Insider tip: Private cabanas come in three tiers and sell out fast for weekends, so book at least a few days ahead if you want a shaded base for younger siblings

Kidzapp offer: Save on Single Day Waterpark Passes, with cashback on every booking

👉 Check the exclusive Kidzapp offer for Grand Hyatt Waterpark

Best for: Dinosaur obsessed kids aged 4 and up who want more than a static exhibit

Key activities: A free roaming VR walkthrough of a Jurassic landscape, a physical sanctuary zone with life-sized animatronic dinosaurs, a paleontology and fossil area, and an AR drawing station where kids’ sketches come to life on screen

Suitable age group: 4+, with children under 12 needing an accompanying adult

Why families love it: It’s genuinely the only Dubai experience combining a walkthrough VR arena with physical animatronic encounters in one guided visit, so kids get both the tech thrill and the “wow, it’s real” moment

Insider tip: Book an early morning slot if you want the VR zone to yourself; evenings and weekends fill up fastest since it opened

Kidzapp offer: Discounted entry with cashback on Kidzapp bookings

👉 Check the exclusive Kidzapp offer for Dinosaurs: The Immersive Odyssey

Best for: High energy kids who want to jump, climb and zip-line off their summer energy

Key activities: A large inflatable arena, the Zip Zag zipline, a multi level warrior assault course, a toddler only Mini Maniax zone for children under 95cm, and a café overlooking the action

Suitable age group: 1 to adult, with a 95cm minimum height for the main arena and zipline

Why families love it: Siblings of very different ages and energy levels can all find something, toddlers get their own soft zone while older kids tackle the warrior course, so nobody spends the visit bored

Insider tip: Visit Monday to Thursday for the Midweek Madness deal, two hours of jumping plus a mini pizza and juice, which is genuinely one of the better value combos in this list

Kidzapp offer: Up to 20% off entry tickets across all Dubai and Abu Dhabi branches

👉 Check the exclusive Kidzapp offer for Air Maniax

Best for: Sensory play, STEAM learning, and toddlers to tweens who like hands-on discovery

Key activities: Eight themed interactive galleries covering water play, slime making, digital art walls, and the Future Heroes zone designed to build communication and creativity skills

Suitable age group: 0-12 years

Why families love it: Every room is a different world, and it’s genuinely educational without feeling like a classroom, parents often say their kids ask to go back the same week

Insider tip: If you’ll visit more than once this summer, the OliOli 3-visit pass works out significantly cheaper than single tickets, and one accompanying adult goes free per pass

Kidzapp offer: Save on the 3-Visit Pass, plus weekly themed summer camps (Jurassic, Space, Tinker and Mess Camp) run through the school break, check Kidzapp for exact 2026 weekly dates

👉 Check the exclusive Kidzapp offer for OliOli® Dubai

Best for: Marine life lovers of every age, from toddlers to teens who want the shark dive

Key activities: Walking the 48 meter Aquarium Tunnel 11 meters below the surface, exploring the Underwater Zoo’s Rainforest, Rocky Shore and Ocean zones, meeting the Gentoo penguins at Penguin Cove, and glass bottom boat rides

Suitable age group: All ages

Why families love it: It’s a summer classic on Kidzapp precisely because it’s fully indoor, centrally located, and the tank holds 10 million liters of water housing over 140 species, you could visit five times and still spot something new

Insider tip: Go straight to the third floor entrance rather than queueing at ground level; it’s the fastest way in during peak summer crowds

Kidzapp offer: Discounted combo tickets covering the Aquarium Tunnel, Underwater Zoo and Penguin Cove

👉 Check the exclusive Kidzapp offer for Dubai Aquarium

Best for: Families wanting Dubai’s newest and largest soft play destination

Key activities: A sprawling carnival-themed soft play area, The Portal (a 360-degree immersive dome, the first of its kind in the UAE), the Dabra Creations craft zone, and live magic shows and parades throughout the day

Suitable age group: Toddlers through primary-school age

Why families love it: The Portal is genuinely unlike anything else on this list, it’s less “play area” and more “immersive theatre” for kids, which makes it stand out from the usual soft-play format

Insider tip: Time your visit around a scheduled live show; the carnival parades and performances break up the day and give parents a natural seated break

Kidzapp offer: Discounted entry and birthday packages

👉 Check the exclusive Kidzapp offer for Abracadabra

Best for: A genuine escape from the summer heat, and kids who’ve never touched snow

Key activities: Skiing and snowboarding lessons from age 3, the Snow Park kept at -4°C with an Ice Cave, Snow Plough Playground and Tubing Run, a chairlift, the Snow Bullet zipline, and penguin meet-and-greets

Suitable age group: Children aged 2+ can enter the Snow Park; skiing lessons start from age 3

Why families love it: There’s no other experience in the region where kids can build a snowman in July, and the mix of gentle play areas alongside real slopes means it works for a 3 year old and a 13 year old on the same visit

Insider tip: All winter gear is provided at the door, so pack a change of dry clothes for after rather than bringing your own snow jackets

Kidzapp offer: Save on the Snow Classic Pass with cashback included

👉 Check the exclusive Kidzapp offer for Ski Dubai

Best for: Trampoline lovers and kids who want a proper cardio burn indoors

Key activities: Wall-to-wall trampoline zones, ninja courses, freestyle jump areas, and dodgeball

Suitable age group: 1+, with children under 12 needing adult supervision

Why families love it: It’s one of the few venues on this list where parents often end up joining in rather than just supervising from the side

Insider tip: Arrive at least 15 minutes before your session time; grip socks are required and the queue at peak weekend hours moves faster if you’ve already got yours from a previous visit

Kidzapp offer: Discounted tickets with cashback at every location

👉 Check the exclusive Kidzapp offer for Bounce X

Location: Arabian Ranches, Dubai (also branches in JBR, Al Barsha, J3 Mall, The Pointe and Downtown Dubai) — plus an Abu Dhabi branch at Al Forsan Village

Best for: Babies, toddlers and young children needing a safe, supervised soft-play morning

Key activities: A multi-level soft play structure, the Monkey Clubhouse role-play zone, an Arts & Crafts Garden, a Blocks Station, and a dedicated Kids Salon at select branches

Suitable age group: 10 months to 8 years

Why families love it: Two adults enter free with every paying child, and the Mommy Mornings offer (which includes a coffee for mom) makes it one of the more relaxed options for parents of very young kids

Insider tip: Weekday sessions (Sunday to Thursday) run noticeably cheaper than weekends across most branches, so a weekday morning is the best-value time to go

Kidzapp offer: Weekday passes from AED 60–70 for a 90-minute session

👉 Check the exclusive Kidzapp offer for Cheeky Monkeys

Best for: Families who want an active, outdoor water day without booking a hotel pool pass

Key activities: Over 21 water-based obstacles including frog jumps, monkey bars, trampolines, balance beams and inflatable climbing structures, set in a freshwater pool

Suitable age group: 3+, with basic swimming skills required

Why families love it: It’s Dubai’s first freshwater swimming pool waterpark, tucked away on Kite Beach, so you can turn it into a full beach day by packing a picnic before or after

Insider tip: Call ahead or arrive early — capacity limits mean it fills up quickly on weekend mornings during summer

Kidzapp offer: Buy one hour, get one hour free on selected sessions

👉 Check the exclusive Kidzapp offer for Aqua Parks Leisure

Location: The Dubai Mall, Dubai · Yas Mall, Abu Dhabi

Best for: Role play, independence building, and kids who love “grown-up” pretend jobs

Key activities: Role playing over 40 real world professions from firefighter to radio presenter, earning and spending KidZos (the park’s own currency), and exploring dedicated sectors for media, health, retail and industry

Suitable age group: From 6 months, though most activities suit 3+; children under 120cm need an adult guardian present

Why families love it: It’s one of the UAE’s most unique kids experiences because the learning is disguised entirely as play, kids build confidence and decision-making skills without realising it

Insider tip: The Dubai branch is larger with more structured KidZos activities, while Abu Dhabi’s Yas Mall location is more compact and easier to navigate with younger children, pick based on your kids’ ages and patience levels

Kidzapp offer: Save on general admission with cashback, both locations

👉 Check the exclusive Kidzapp offer for KidZania

Best for: Tweens and teens who think they’ve “outgrown” typical kids’ attractions

Key activities: Wandering through 25 interactive worlds, catching live Hip Hop, Bollywood and K-Pop performances, joining the Grand Parade, and snapping photos in AI-powered booths

Suitable age group: All ages, though the energy and pace suit older kids and teens best; children under 12 must be accompanied

Why families love it: It doesn’t try to be an educational attraction, it’s pure spectacle, which makes it the rare venue that teenagers will actually ask to visit rather than be dragged to

Insider tip: Budget the full 60-90 minutes and don’t rush; shows appear without warning throughout the space, so lingering pays off

Kidzapp offer: Discounted entry tickets with cashback

👉 Check the exclusive Kidzapp offer for House of Hype

Best for: Ghibli-loving families — but not this summer

A quick heads-up: this immersive exhibition, spanning 16 galleries recreating scenes from films like My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away and Howl’s Moving Castle, was originally due to open in Abu Dhabi this year. It has since been postponed to 4 June–29 August 2027, so it won’t be running during summer 2026.

What to do instead: If your family loves immersive, story-led experiences, Dinosaurs: The Immersive Odyssey (above) scratches a similar itch this year, and we’ll update this guide the moment 2027 tickets go live.

👉 Join the official waitlist for The World of Studio Ghibli

Best for: A full-day marine adventure and the Middle East’s largest aquarium tunnel

Key activities: Walking a 10-zone journey home to over 46,000 animals across 300+ species, the Beyond the Glass bridge walk, the Bu Tinah Dhow glass-bottom boat tour, and behind-the-scenes access to see how the team cares for over 200 sharks and rays

Suitable age group: All ages

Why families love it: It’s a genuinely different scale to a mall aquarium, the sheer number of zones means you could easily spend three or four hours without repeating an exhibit

Insider tip: Combine your visit with Pixoul Gaming or Adrenark Adventure next door at Al Qana using a combo ticket; it’s better value than booking each separately and turns the trip into a full day

Kidzapp offer: Discounted general admission and combo packages with cashback

👉 Check the exclusive Kidzapp offer for National Aquarium Abu Dhabi