Sound
0:00 / 0:00
DUBAI PARKS
When Dubai Parks and Resorts opened its gates in 2016 as the largest integrated theme park destination in the region, it arrived as a sprawling universe of distinct lands, each with its own personality, mythology and emotional pitch. WithFeeling’s Joe Dickinson composed the original soundtracks and musical scores that gave that universe its voice, from the spectacle of the grand opening ceremony to the attractions guests return for today.
THE CHALLENGE
The work spans the destination’s headline lands, MOTIONGATE Dubai, LEGOLAND Dubai and the riverside dining and entertainment heart, RIVERLAND Dubai. Each demanded something different: cinematic, big-screen orchestral scores for a Hollywood film park, bright and characterful contemporary energy for a world built for play, warmth and atmosphere for a social space that lives underneath a thousand conversations. The challenge was not writing one piece of music, it was building a coherent sonic identity flexible enough to carry wildly different worlds without ever feeling disjointed.
THE APPROACH
That range is the signature of the work. The scores move between sweeping cinematic orchestration, authentic Arabic instrumentation that roots the destination firmly in its place, and modern, commercial production that keeps everything feeling current and alive. For the grand opening, staged on a purpose-built stage on the lagoon, music was the thread that held an enormous spectacle together, cueing every entrance, lift and crescendo across a show of more than 200 performers, a fleet of LED drones in formation, giant custom puppets of the park ambassadors and a full firework display.
THE RESULT
The music had to do more than accompany the experience, it had to amplify it, turning rides, shows and shared moments into something guests feel as much as hear. Years on, these compositions are still part of the day-to-day fabric of the parks, proof that great themed audio is not a one-off event but a living layer of the guest experience. Original music and scores by WithFeeling. Composer: Joe Dickinson.
More Work
Related Projects
Explore more work in music, sound design and sonic branding.
