As Doha continues to expand and its population to grow, Al Wakra is becoming a more popular residential area. Parents increasingly look for local fun and friendly play areas for kids to go wild, and the new Funville indoor play area in Al Wakra Ezdan Mall might just be the coolest place to go.
Located on the first floor of the new Al Wakra Ezdan Mall, Funville entices you inside with bright, bold colours, flashing and dancing lights, and the whoops and yells of excited children. Designed to fuel little ones’ imaginations, stimulate the senses and keep kids active and entertained, the play area offers a host of attractions, including a soft-play area, amusement rides, kiddie rides, arcade games and simulated video game rides.
Doha Family Rating
Overall: 4/5
Convenience: 4/5
Safety: 4/5
Facilities: 4/5
Climb, crawl and slide
The multi-tiered soft-play area is a vibrant maze jam-packed with features and activities for kids—it is definitely the star attraction. They can run free to clamber across obstacle courses of bash bags, cave crawls and other padded delights, or explore the labyrinth of tunnels, rope walks, log ramps, stairs and bridges. They can bounce on trampolines, dive into thousands of balls at the ball pit, roll around in the physio-ball room, or fly down the astro slides, the covered slide, the three-storey-high spiral slide, or the enormous funnel slide. The ball cannon arena with ten cannons over three levels, a ball fountain and a ball shower is a great place for kids to blow off steam.
A smaller area on the ground floor provides younger children and babies with their own soft adventure land to explore. Two roller slides, two roundabouts, a spinning cup, a rotating tube, a small slide and wall-mounted play panels provide lots of gentle stimulation for pre-schoolers.
Flying high
Larger amusement rides in the park include classic bumper cars but also Airbourne, a flying merry-go-round for the very brave; Log Flume, a boat ride that winds its way through the ground floor of the soft-play area; Taga J, a rotating inflatable carousel full of inflatables to climb on and crawl over; and Super Swing, a 16-seater swing.
Play area basics
Funville facilities are designed for kids between one and 12 years. However, height and age restrictions apply for the larger rides and the soft-play area. For example, to enter Taga J, kids must be older than four and at least 105cm tall. Other attractions require adults to accompany children who do not meet height or age requirements. The soft-play area has a maximum height restriction of 157cm. Check the information boards and height charts outside rides and soft-play enclosures for further information.
Numerous arcade games, video games and kiddie rides in the park can be played to win tokens, which can be exchanged at the reception desk for an array of prizes—from plastic knick-knacks and games, to remote control cars and even smart phones. It is worth noting that tokens are only valid for six months from the date of issue.
If you plan to leave your children unaccompanied, please be aware that there are no physical restrictions on them leaving the park, or the mall itself. The only venue inside the park that requires children to be signed in and out is the soft-play area. However, security cameras and security personnel are present at strategic locations around the site and the mall.
Maintenance routines are carried out twice daily and recorded in a maintenance log to ensure all rides are fit for purpose. All attractions, rides, games and the soft-play area are cleaned and disinfected twice daily.
A work in progress
Al Wakra Ezdan Mall is still a work in progress. Currently, only one third of the mall is operational—within that third, only a small number of establishments, including Carrefour, are open. However, progress appears to be relatively speedy. Some shops and restaurants (Paul, Boots Pharmacy, Happy Feet, Kids Cuts Salon, etc.) are set to open shortly. Once complete, Ezdan Mall will provide a great venue for shopping, dining and entertainment.
Location: First floor in the new Ezdan Mall, Al Wakra
Directions:
- Take Ras Bu Abboud Street past Hamad International Airport, towards Barwa City
- Take a left on to Al Wakra Road (Q7)
- At the second roundabout, take the first exit on to Majlis Al Taawon Street
- Take the third exit at the next roundabout on to Al Jamiyah Street
- At the following roundabout, take the first exit on to Al Wukair Road
- Follow the road over to the next roundabout. The slip road to Ezdan Mall is on the right-hand side
Parking: There is free, covered parking outside
Nearby landmarks: Ezdan Mall is opposite Al Wakra Hospital on Al Wukair Road
Contact: +974 7476-3141, funville.ae
Accessibility: Funville can be accessed via escalator and lift facilities—emergency escape stairs are also in place. The soft-play area is only accessible via a set of stairs.
Physically handicapped and special needs visitors are welcome at Funville, but stairs to some rides and the soft-play area would need to be navigated carefully.
Hours: Sunday to Thursday 08:00–22:00, Friday and Saturday 08:00–23:00 (closed for Friday prayer 11:00–12:30)
Fees: A Funville card can be purchased at the reception desk for QR 3 and topped up with credits each time you visit. If you purchase a card with a QR 100 value, the initial QR 3 for the card will be waived. Additional promotional packages are available. Any credit purchased is valid for six months from the last swipe of the card.
The soft-play area costs QR 45 per child. Children can go in and out of the enclosure as many times as you would like during your visit. The rides range in cost from QR 10 to QR 16 per person, per ride. Arcade games, kiddie rides and simulated video rides cost between QR 4 to QR 15 per game or ride.
Food and beverages: No food or drinks are allowed in the soft-play area or on rides. A popcorn shop, POParazzi’s, is available on site, but for cafés, restaurants and other food outlets you will need to venture back into the mall.
Toilets: The closest toilets are located on the first floor on either side of the park. Separate wheelchair-accessible toilets and a well-stocked baby changing room are also available
Wi-Fi: Free Wi-Fi will be available in the mall, but it had not yet been installed at the time of writing
Nearby mosque: Male and female prayer rooms are available throughout the mall
Dress code: There is no specific dress code for the mall or at Funville, but dressing conservatively to respect local culture is recommended. No shoes are allowed in the soft-play area. Socks must be worn, and grip socks can be purchased at the entrance to the soft-play for QR 5 per pair. Open lockers for shoes and bags are available.
Things to note
- Funville is a busy venue in the late afternoon to evening, especially on Fridays and Saturdays. If you prefer a more quiet visit, you may want to consider dropping in mornings or early afternoons, especially during the week.
- Don’t forget to register your Funville card (name and contact details) at the reception desk. That will enable you to replace your card—along with any remaining credit on it—if you lose it.
- Watch your head! The soft-play area is fabulously proportioned for kids, but adults will want to keep an eye out for low-level frames.
