Skating, wall-climbing, ping-pong: Abu Dhabi residents make the most of Al Fay Park

The verdant 27,500-square-metre space opened to the public on January 20

The sprawling Al Fay Park opened on Reem Island on January 20. All photos by Victor Besa / The National

Al Fay Park is located beside Gate Towers, and has plenty of sport and outdoor play amenities

Mohammed Ahmed a gymnast from Lebanon, works on the bars in Al Fay Park on Reem Island

The skatepark arena is a popular spot with youngsters

Anabelle does some tricks on her skateboard at Al Fay Park

A ping pong table at Al Fay Park

Abdulaziz, 7, and his brother Mohammed, 4, ride their bikes around the ping-pong area

Maria Agha, 6, practises her wall-climbing skills at Al Fay Park

The futsal court at Al Fay Park

The basketball court

Charlie, 2, with his truck in the children's play area in Al Fay Park

Abdulaziz, 9, plays on the rings at Al Fay Park on Reem Island

The rings are popular across age groups. Seen here, Alex, 2, hanging on with a little support

Ahmed Rawashdeh, 4, and his brother Kareem, 2, at the fountain area in Al Fay Park on Reem Island

Bella Ambat, 2 practises wall-climbing at Al Fay Park

Tala, 7 and Amelia, 8, scooter around Al Fay Park on Reem Island

One of the many walkways in Al Fay Park on Reem Island

The park is mindful of Covid-19 health measures and has an army of cleaners to sanitise surfaces

Dozens of residents from Al Reem Island and other parts of Abu Dhabi spent their weekend at the newly opened Al Fay Park next to Gate Towers.

Boasting 2,000 local trees, the sprawling 27,500-square-metre, forest-like space, was opened by Sheikh Khalid bin Mohamed, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Office, on January 20.

Sport and outdoor play are high on the agenda at Al Fay Park, which houses hard courts for basketball and futsal, ping-pong tables, a skatepark, rock-climbing walls, monkey bars, and multiple tree-lined, cobbled and water-facing walkways.

A soft play area and fountains will keep young children occupied, while the open-plan layout lends itself well to walkers, riders and rollerbladers.

Scroll through our gallery to see some of the amenities at Al Fay Park

The benefits of being outdoors 

Open-air play and spending time in nature have a host of physical and mental health benefits.

A 2019 article published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA journal concluded that exposure to green spaces during childhood is associated with better mental health and lower risk of psychiatric disorders from adolescence into adulthood. As author Richard Louv's Last Child in the Woods (2005) outlined, spending less time outdoors makes people, especially children, feel alienated from nature and more prone to negative moods, reduced attention span and increased obesity.

An ideal - and crucial - counter to the amount of screentime we engage in, taking a break amid nature can work wonders for one's wellbeing. Not only does time spent outdoors reduce stress and anxiety, but it can also improve self-esteem, confidence and focus, whether at work or at school