Adventureland is a family entertainment center in Sharjah, UAE, located at the 1st level of Sahara Centre in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. The entertainment center has an area of 70,000 square feet (6,500 m2) and is owned by Mr. Salah Bukhatir as part of the Bukhatir Group of Companies and operated by Funquest, a joint venture company of Glencorporation and Edifice, managed respectively by Mr. Glenn Figueroa and Mr. Shahram Foroughi. Adventureland opened its doors to the public on February 20, 2002.
Adventureland is divided into three themed areas, which stretches along like the letter L. The mixed theming of the FEC introduces the idea of presenting themed "worlds" with passages connected from one area to the next.
The entire FEC occupies an area approximately 70,000 square feet (6,500 m2) with a standing capacity of 5,000 guests at any one time. When the FEC initially opened, it consisted of four themed areas:
Since 2004, Area 3 and Area 4 were merged into a single area known as Area 3.
Adventureland provides a balanced mix of rides and attractions in the UAE, which caters the entire age bracket of family members. Among these rides and attractions are:
Besides the rides and attractions, Adventureland also has the following services provided for guests:
In addition to the attractions, Adventureland provides live entertainment at the Activity Area of the FEC. Various other performing acts were also featured in the Activity Area during the grand draw of a major promotion. The performers would often include, but not limited to:
Haidar the Lion and Mr. Clown, Adventureland’s characters, would greet the guests, interact with children, join birthday parties and pose for photos, can be found throughout the FEC during weekends.
Every weekend, Haidar the Lion, the official mascot of Adventureland together with Mr. Clown would perform dance numbers at the Activity Area. Photo opportunities and free ride vouchers are provided by the characters for the kids. The event usually begins at 6:00pm.
Aside from the usual mascot appearances, the following activities were also being conducted in the Activity Area during weekends
Also, during the grand draw, Haidar the Lion and Mr. Clown would join the other performers throughout the event.
From Adventureland's opening day until the present, the price of the rides and attractions was in addition to the price of swipe cards, known as Adventurecards. These swipe cards enables the guest to play on any of the game, ride or attraction in the FEC. Guests paid a small fee for the swipe cards, but admission to the rides and attractions are required separately that consisted of various prices, visible in all cashiers’ booth.
Each card’s value is determined by the company, and can be charged with any amount the customer may desire. These cards are rechargeable, and the customer’s desired amount is charged to them in a special count called CREDIT.
Every game has a card reader and a display, which shows both the game’s normal price and its VIP price (read “Status” for more details). Cards can be swiped through the reader in any way, as long as the magnetic stripe is facing the display.
Once the card has been swiped, the display shows a message “One moment please…” and then the card’s balance after the game’s price has been discounted.