Do you ever wish you could take a walk in the rain whenever you’d like? A private resort development in Dubai has done just that by building a one-kilometer pedestrian boulevard where artificial rain falls every 30 minutes, even during the desert’s hottest months. Raining Street uses climate-control technology to maintain a cooler temperature year-round.
The attraction runs through voco Dubai Monaco, an adults-only resort on Europe Island within Dubai’s World Islands. Despite its name, Raining Street is not a public city road. Access is limited only to resort guests and visitors who purchase a day pass.
Kleindienst Group, the developer behind The Heart of Europe, says German-engineered technology can produce rain and snow on demand. The project’s official description also lists the Fraunhofer Institute as an adviser on the system.
Managing partner Parisa Seif told Reuters that the temperature on Raining Street remained at 80.6 degrees while the temperature elsewhere in Dubai reached 116.6 degrees. The contrast allows visitors to remain outside during weather that would normally send them indoors.
The rain returns every 30 minutes
Embedded media follows. Please allow a moment for it to load.
Footage shows visitors carrying transparent umbrellas, dancing beneath the artificial showers and sitting at tables while rain falls around them. There is also live music surrounded by European-inspired buildings.
Visitors can also watch the rain from La Brasserie, a French-style restaurant with terrace tables facing the boulevard.
The street is part of an offshore island resort
The Heart of Europe occupies six themed islands within the larger World Islands archipelago. Voco Dubai Monaco also offers a private beach, an outdoor pool, restaurants, bars and nightly entertainment.
There is no road connecting the resort to mainland Dubai. IHG says boats leave from a mainland marine station every two hours, although visitors should confirm their assigned departure point before traveling.
Some commenters questioned the environmental cost
Embedded media follows. Please allow a moment for it to load.
View this post on Instagram
However, reactions to Raining Street on social media have not been very enthusiastic. Comments beneath promotional Instagram videos have called the attraction a waste of water and questioned why a desert resort should reproduce European weather. One person wrote, “Waste of Water. Enjoy the desert, why be ashamed of your natural habitat and have artificial rain.”
The developer says its properties use solar energy and a water-recycling system. However, it has not published separate figures showing how much water or energy Raining Street consumes.
Visitors can purchase an island day pass
The resort’s current day-pass offer costs 250 United Arab Emirates dirhams for women and 300 dirhams for men. The resort and its transportation are restricted to guests who are at least 18 years old.
Hotel reservations also include access to Raining Street and complimentary boat transportation. Advance booking is recommended because visitors must coordinate their resort admission with an available boat departure.