Wednesday, June 4, 2025
Saudi Arabia

Two parks set for completion this year

Following the recent opening of the Smart Kids amusement centre in Riyadh, the Al Hokair Group is pressing ahead with two other fun-filled leisure facilities - Al Hokair Land in Riyadh and the Luna Park in Madinah.

Artist's impression of the plaza of Al Hokair Land.

AN amusement park that has European, Far Eastern, American and African themes is being built in Riyadh at a cost in excess of $25 million by the Al Hokair Group.

The flagship amusement park of the group, known as Al Hokair Land, id for easy striking and saving concrete.

'After removing the internal formwork, the external ACS units are climbed hydraulically to the next lift. At the same time Vario served as perimeter formwork for concreting the slab.'

'We could drastically reduce the onerous crane times of this gigantic construction site with ACS. Working with the self-climbing formwork is very easy, safe and exact.'

'For the subsequent floor slabs, two Uniportal table sizes - 5.00 by 3.00 m and 5.40 by 2.70 m - and optimum beam taattractions such as:

  • A 500-capacity theatre for 3D presentations;

  • A 1,800 sq m edutainment (educational entertainment) centre run by ABCraino;

  • A 1,800 sq m multipurpose hall for exhibitions and travelling shows; and

  • A 3,500 sq m main plaza, which can be accessed from all areas.

    The plaza, which has a spectacular art deco design, will include retail and food and beverage outlets, video games, community seating, party halls and a centrepiece two-level carousel.

    The outdoor facilities spread over an area of approximately 40 per cent of the entire development while the covered facilities account for 10 per cent of the space. The theme park will offer parking for around 300 cars.

    The main contractor on the project is Al Swayeh Contracting, which started work on the development a year ago.

    Luna Park

    Meanwhile, commissioning work is in progress on the Al Hokair Luna Park in Madinah, which is due to open next month (June).

    Located in the Al-Hijra Park, the project is the latest and largest development in the leisure business in the region for the Al Hokair Group.

    The $7 million Luna Park spreads over an area of 40,000 sq m and is divided into various sections:

  • An indoor family entertainment centre (FEC) which covers 5,400 sq m. It has a food-court which includes Perky's Pizza and A&W (all-American food), video games, retail shops and other attractions such as flume and dark rides, mini-rollercoaster and a carousel;

  • A water-park, developed over a 7,000 sq m area incorporating water rides and private booths for families;

  • An outdoor park which is said to include an extensive variety of the latest innovations in the rides industry;

  • Al Medina House, covering 1,200 sq m, which will echo the traditional local architecture and encompass a retail area and local food concept; and

  • An open-air landscaped area for families.

    The contractor on the project is Al Tarif Contracting, which launched construction work on the development about one year ago.

    Smart Kids

    An Hokair leisure project which opened its doors in March is Smart Kids in Riyadh, which is described as the only one of its kind in the Kingdom.

    Designed and built by Engineer Hummam Attar, a Saudi designer from Jeddah, the concept was very simple: build a place that is dynamic, fluid and interesting and fill it with things to do for every member of the family, says Habre.

    "The centre has everything a family needs to spend a whole day - as a matter of fact, if you visit the centre every day for six months you will still have not covered everything," he claims.''This amazing place has more than 230 activities and programmes, group video games, food-court, shooting arcade, and many more activities."

    The $3 million Al Hokair Smart Kids is located on Takhassosi Road, one of the busiest and upmarket areas of Riyadh. It is occupies 2,500 sq m over two storeys.

    The first floor houses video games, seating areas, gift shop, hobby centre and a food-court. The second floor houses a 20-hall activity centre.

    "This centre is not a museum, where you would come in to view the exhibits - it is an activity centre for everyone," comments Habre. ''Take the kitchen hall, for example, it has two programmes - one for kids and the other for adults. Kids can make their own pizzas. Adults have their own programmes. They have, for instance, Japanese, Chinese and Moroccan cooking classes.

    "All programmes and activities are specifically designed for groups and are held throughout the day."

    Some of the highlights of this centre include:

  • Sky Explorer, equipped with a 16-inch telescope and the latest image-processing gear, for exploring the universe;

  • Banking and finance section, for hands-on banking, minting and total financial information;

  • TV and movie production, which provides instructions on cinematography, live production, animations and non-linear editing, all with professional equipment;

  • Photography centre where kids and adults can take photographs of themselves in various costumes, photograph products, colour separate the images or prepare them for publishing in magazines - all done with the help of supervising professionals;

  • Flight training is brought within the reach of common people. Training sessions are offered on a state-of-the-art simulator which is approved by the FAA (Federal Aviation Authority). All kinds of flight gear are available for sale;

  • Driving school simulators which place the learners in different kinds of scenarios.

    "This is what the police train on in the US," comments Habre.''It is unbelievably real simulation of real-life situations and chases."

  • The art and craft section with activities such as pottery, artificial flower and plant-making, glass blowing, ceramics, airbrush and many others;

  • Girls' World, where girls and women can learn the art of applying make-up correctly, and can get well versed in etiquette, home decoration and fashion; and

  • A 30-seat 3D static theatre.

    M Al Hokair and Sons Group is one of the largest organisations in Saudi Arabia which specialise in amusement parks, water-parks, wave pools, family fun centres, tourism, luxury apartments and hotels.

    The founder and president Abdul Mohsin Al Hokair, a pioneering figure in tourism, has been in the business since 1965 and was the first chairman of the National Tourism Committee that overlooks entertainment and tourism activities in the Kingdom, explains Habre.

    "The early entry into the entertainment business has given the firm an edge in the market. Today, the Al Hokair Group has amusement parks in all the major cites of the Kingdom while it covers smaller towns with mobile parks. It currently has more than 50 parks of different sizes and themes in Saudi Arabia," he says.

    With the creation of these parks, the Al Hokair Group felt the need to provide back-up services to support them and soon launched into the business of amusement ride manufacturing in the Kingdom.

    The facility is believed to be the largest of its kind in the Middle East and supplies all amusement and entertainment parks in Saudi Arabia and also maintains them.

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