Daniel
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October 1, 2026
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9 min read
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Al Boom Tourist Village is the former name of a 15-acre heritage venue on Dubai Creek in Umm Hurair 2. It reopened in December 2015 as Zaman Awal after a two-year facelift. Entry to the grounds is free. Restaurant listings disagree on the hours, so call +971 4 324 3000 before visiting. Here is what is actually operating, what is not, and how to get there.
Al Boom Tourist Village opened in 1982 as one of Dubai’s first heritage attractions, with traditional boats, an old-style souk and cultural displays on the Creek. The venue was rebuilt and relaunched as Zaman Awal, and today its working parts are the restaurant, the Al Aref boat and the banquet halls. If you are planning a wider trip, start with our Dubai travel guide.
| Detail | Al Boom Tourist Village (now Zaman Awal) |
|---|---|
| Status | Relaunched as Zaman Awal in December 2015. Restaurant operating, banquet halls taking events |
| Entry | Free (grounds). Restaurant and events priced separately |
| Location | Sheikh Rashid Road, Umm Hurair 2, behind Grand Hyatt, beside Dubai Creek |
| Hours | Unconfirmed for the venue. Zaman Awal restaurant hours vary by listing (9am–1am vs noon–midnight); call ahead |
| Official website | Dead. alboom.ae is a parked page, so call ahead |
| Time needed | 1 to 2 hours for a meal or a look around |
This is the question every other guide answers badly. Here is the straight version.
The venue as “Al Boom Tourist Village” no longer operates under that name. In December 2015, after a two-year facelift, it relaunched as Zaman Awal, named after its centrepiece restaurant, according to Time Out and Hotelier Middle East. The 15-acre site on the Creek still belongs to the Bin Harib family, and the heritage concept survived the rebuild.
What is confirmed operating right now:
What is not confirmed:
The practical advice: if you want dinner at Zaman Awal, it is bookable. If you want to wander a heritage village the way the 1982 original worked, call first, because that version of the place is gone.
There is no entry ticket for the grounds. Every source agrees the venue itself is free to walk into, so VAT does not apply at the gate.
What you pay for is what you use:
| What | Cost |
|---|---|
| Entry to the grounds | Free |
| Meal at Zaman Awal | About AED 90 per person (listings vary); call to confirm hours |
| Dhow cruise or private boat | Price unconfirmed. Ask when booking |
| Banquet hall hire | Quote only. Six halls, 100 to 1,000 guest capacity |
Timings are genuinely unconfirmed for the venue as a whole, and the sources conflict. Older guides cite 9am to 11:30pm, one restaurant listing shows 9am to 1am, and another shows noon to midnight. Do not treat any single figure as fact call +971 4 324 3000 before visiting.
Set expectations right and there is still a good evening here.
This is not a full-day attraction anymore. It is a dinner stop or an event venue with heritage character, and it works best as one evening in a wider Creek-side plan.
Here is what the tourist guides miss. The venue’s actual continuing business is events. Al Boom Tourist Village has six banquet halls — including Rashid, Latifa, Adhary and Al Khor with capacities from 100 to 1,000 guests, and wedding planners still list it as an active venue.
If you are researching it for a wedding or a corporate event, you are looking at the right place. Contact the venue directly for quotes, because no current price list is published and the old website is dead. If you are a tourist hoping for a heritage day out, the restaurant is your way in.
The address is consistent everywhere: Sheikh Rashid Road, Umm Hurair 2, behind the Grand Hyatt and beside Dubai Creek, near the Al Garhoud Bridge.
| From | Option | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Anywhere in Dubai | Taxi or ride app | The simplest option. Say “Zaman Awal, Umm Hurair 2” to the driver |
| Green Line | Al Jadaf or GGICO station | Both are claimed as nearest by different guides, neither is verified. Either way, expect a short taxi ride after |
| Bus | 32C, 44 or C7 | Cited by several guides, but route currency is unverified. Check the RTA S’hail app |
Do not trust any guide that states one metro station as fact. Both Green Line stations are plausible and neither is confirmed, so plan for a taxi from the station. Pair the visit with an abra ride across the Creek or the Deira souks, both minutes away.
Evening. The Creek setting, the lit boat and the restaurant all work after sunset, and the restaurant’s late listings mean dinner runs late — though you should confirm the hours by phone. Between October and April the weather cooperates for a waterfront walk before your meal.
For events, the halls run year-round. Book well ahead for the November to March wedding season, when every Creek-side venue in Dubai fills up.
| Time | Stop | Why then |
|---|---|---|
| 0:00 | Waterfront walk along the Creek | Sunset light on the dhows, best photos |
| 0:30 | Al Aref boat exterior and museum | The heritage centrepiece, confirm access |
| 1:00 | Dinner at Zaman Awal | Middle Eastern food, about AED 90 per person |
Two hours covers the visit. Add a Creek abra ride or a stop at Creek Park if you want a longer evening.
Al Boom Tourist Village works as the evening anchor of a Creek day. Start with an abra ride on the Creek, browse the Deira souks in the afternoon, and finish with dinner at Zaman Awal as the sun sets over the water. For more ideas across the emirate, see our top attractions and experiences for every traveller.
| What you will read | What is accurate |
|---|---|
| “A heritage village open 9am to 11:30pm” | The 1982 heritage village closed for a rebuild and relaunched as Zaman Awal in December 2015. Venue-wide hours are unconfirmed; restaurant listings conflict, so call ahead. |
| “Book on the official website” | alboom.ae is a parked dead page. There is no working official site to book through. |
| “An amusement park with rides, ideal for kids” | Fabricated by thin blogs. The venue is a restaurant, boat and event halls, not a theme park. |
| “The nearest metro is Al Jadaf” (or GGICO) | Both are claimed by different guides and neither is verified. Plan a short taxi ride from either Green Line station. |
| “Al Boom Tourist Village is closed” | One directory flags it closed, but the Zaman Awal restaurant is actively listed and the events business continues. The old name is retired, the venue is not. |
Under its old name, no. The venue relaunched as Zaman Awal in December 2015. The Zaman Awal restaurant is listed as open daily and the banquet halls take events, so the site is operating, just not as a tourist village.
No. Entry to the grounds is free. You pay for what you use: about AED 90 per person at the Zaman Awal restaurant, with dhow cruises and hall hire priced separately.
Unconfirmed for the venue as a whole. Restaurant listings conflict — one shows 9am to 1am, another noon to midnight. Do not rely on any single figure; call +971 4 324 3000 before visiting.
On Sheikh Rashid Road in Umm Hurair 2, behind the Grand Hyatt and beside Dubai Creek, near the Al Garhoud Bridge.
No station is verified as nearest. Al Jadaf and GGICO on the Green Line are both claimed by different guides. Take the metro to either and finish by taxi, or just take a taxi door to door.
Zaman Awal is the relaunched name of the venue since December 2015. “Al Boom Tourist Village” is the legacy name that most guides and map listings still use.
Yes. The venue’s six banquet halls (including Rashid, Latifa, Adhary and Al Khor) take weddings and corporate events for 100 to 1,000 guests. Contact the venue directly for quotes, since no current price list is published.
Written by
Daniel
Daniel is the travel writer behind Go Dubai Now, covering Dubai's attractions, parks, restaurants and practical travel topics. Every guide is researched against official sources — government portals, operator websites and current local listings — and updated regularly so timings, prices and rules stay accurate. His goal is simple: answer the exact questions travelers ask before they go, with no fluff and no outdated information.
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