ABU DHABI // Visitors to Mushrif Central Park on Friday enjoyed a much more peaceful experience than last weekend, when about 50,000 people visited.
The facility, which replaced the women-and-children-only park at the corner of 15th and 24th streets, was reopened at the end of March after a Dh179 million refurbishment.
Michelle Walsh, who visited the park for a second time with her four-year-old son after the hectic opening weekend, said she was glad the crowds were smaller.
“I heard there was a lot of commotion last weekend but we had no problems today.
“It was easier than the first weekend, when we had to queue,” the Irish schoolteacher said.
Mohammed Awad, 38, became an instant admirer of the park on his first visit on Friday.
“It’s a world-class park and you can feel it when you first walk through the entrance,” said the Yemeni, who had travelled from Baniyas with his five children.
Last weekend, crowds flocked to the park to see new features that included a botanical garden planted with indigenous species, a memorial garden to the UAE’s Founding President, Sheikh Zayed, and a corner for quiet contemplation.
Tanuja Kothari, project manager for the park’s developer, Al Ain Properties, said she was pleased with the public’s response. “Initially, our expectation was not more than 3,000 to 5,000 people on the weekend,” she said.
“We were overwhelmed that our expectations were over-exceeded.
“The number of visitors [last] weekend was about 50,000 people, which was a great surprise for the staff on the projects team.”
Many parkgoers last weekend said they were impressed with the revamp but they believed the park was a victim of its own success and had become too busy.
Aisha Al Gemzi, 27, an Emirati, said the park was much better than others in the city.
“There are many nice parks, but Mushrif park surpasses them with its unique style,” she said.
She hoped other parks in the capital would also get a makeover, to give people a choice.
“Last weekend was very hectic. I didn’t find it to be fun, it was too crowded and a lot of people were disrespecting the park,” she said.
“The experience at Mushrif park was an amazing one but it could have been better due to the size of the park and the amount of people entering.”
Mahmoud Awad, 17, from Sudan, said the surrounds of the park provided him with many opportunities to practise his passion for photography.
“It’s one of the most beautiful parks in the UAE. I like it because it has a beautiful view with a beautiful landscape,” he said.
Asel Babayeva, 32, from Kazakhstan, said the park was an ideal place to take her two children.
“I like the location. It is within the city and it is convenient for us to visit,” she said.
“I go to a few parks on the Corniche but this one is different and it’s quite green, very green, big trees, lots of grass.”
Jordanian Zeyad Al Omari, 16, was disappointed the park did not have any spots where he could play football.
“I think they need a football field. The park has a big landscape to add a football field and there is a part of the park which is empty and I hope they add more activities,” he said.
Ms Kothari said with the large number of visitors, the park had already lived up to its billing as the “people’s park”.
She admitted there were queues to get in over the weekend but they had brought in more ticket sellers at the gates.
“The best moment when we opened the park and we saw the community actually enjoying every component of it and exploring it. It is like a vision come true,” she said.
malshamsi@thenational.ae
* Additional reporting by Thamer Al Subaihi
