Aquapark, which was the first water park in Kuwait got demolished a few years ago to a lot of people’s dismay. But, another waterpark was built in its place from the ground up with new games and it was given a new name, BayZero. The new park is the largest water park in Kuwait and this past weekend they reopened again for the new summer season.
Entrance to the park is 6KD and they’re open daily from 10AM to 10PM. The park is located right under the Kuwait Towers, behind McDonalds. Tickets can be purchased from their website bayzero.com.kw. For more info and photos, their Instagram account is @bayzerokuwait
The last camel races of the season are going to be held this coming Friday and Saturday. The races usually only take place on Saturday but this weekend there will also be races on Friday which should be good news to anyone that couldn’t watch them on Saturdays.
Friday, March 17
There will be 16 races taking place and they will start at 7:30AM
Saturday, March 18
There will only be 5 races taking place and they will start at 2:00PM
There is no entrance fee and you can either watch the races from the sidelines, drive up to the starting lines and watch the start of the race or just drive around the track in your car following the races.
If you want to visit the Kuwait Camel Racing Club, here is the link to Google Maps.
I always imagined it would be crazy expensive to play golf at the Sahara Kuwait Golf Club but turns out that’s not the case. Earlier this week I got in touch with the golf coach there and after a bit of back and forth I managed to figure out the cheapest way to have fun at the golf club.
If like me you just want to go alone or with friends and hit balls at the driving range, then you can do that for just 13KD. The cost to use the driving range for a non-member is 10KD for 2 hours and that includes 150 balls. If you don’t have a golf club which I’m assuming you don’t then you can rent a 7-iron for 3KD. If you want more balls, its 3KD for an additional 150.
Another great option is booking a 30-minute lesson with a professional PGA coach. The lesson costs 35KD and once you’re done with it you then get 2 hours of practice at the driving range with 150 balls to hit. The golf club is included at this price.
I went yesterday to the driving range to try it out and it’s definitely a very fun thing to do. I went just before sunset and the place was very chill. The range can hold 11 people but there was just one person when I was there. 150 balls lasted me nearly an hour of basically non-stop swinging.
If you want to play at the driving range you can either go as a walk-in or book ahead by calling them up on 22203411 or 22203410. There is a basic dress code, for guys, it’s like no jeans or shorts, no flip flops, and wear a top with a collar. When you call them they’ll fill you in. When you get to the Sahara Club, head downstairs to the golf shop, that’s where you pay and go in from.
At 13KD, this could be one of the most affordable and fun outdoor activities in Kuwait.
Ahmadi Music Group (AMG) is one of the longest-standing arts organizations in Kuwait dating back to the 1950’s. They hold a lot of different events throughout the year and are now looking to welcome new members to their group.
If you like to sing then Ahmadi Music Group can surround you with a 50-strong choir and orchestra. The first rehearsal is tomorrow, Monday 9th of January at 7 PM. If you’d like to try out, contact Jennifer on WhatsApp 66147907 for the location and details.
Yesterday I passed by Youm Al-Bahhar which officially reopened on Sunday after getting refurbished.
I’ve been visiting Youm Al-Bahhar since I was a kid in the 80s so I’m very familiar with the place and tend to visit it every few years for nostalgic purposes but also because of the bookshop there which I first visited back in 2014. The bookshop called the Kuwait Heritage Library mostly sells old books many of which are rare, so I like to pass by the guy every so often to see if he got anything new.
The Youm Al-Bahhar village has changed a lot since it first opened. Initially, it resembled an old fisherman’s village built on sand next to the sea and was filled with different old-school entertainment rides for the kids (the photo above of me and my brother is the only one I could find showing it). Over the years the village kept getting more modernized and eventually the children’s games were removed.
If you visited the village over the last few years then you’re not going to see much of a difference in terms of the main structure. It’s been cleaned up, and given a fresh new paint job but the layout is still basically the same. The village has a few shops that sell different things related to Kuwait, there is now a small museum, a rooftop cafe which was closed when I passed by, and an area filled with benches and surrounded by a few shops that sell various traditional food like tea and rugag bread.
The village opens from 11AM to 10PM but the various shops open from 4PM onwards. Entry is free and the village is located across from the National Assembly building (Google Maps).
Since the weather has gotten cooler it’s a good time to visit the camel races if you’ve never visited before. Last year I posted a pretty thorough article on the experience and I’ll probably do an updated one this year but, I’m not planning to visit until my FJ40 comes back from Abu Dhabi since I wanted to visit the races in that car.
Last year I went in my Alfa and it was pretty fun and I got some great shots, so I wanted to do it again but in another car this year. If you do want to go before my updated post, the biggest change this season is the timing of the races.
Starting this past Saturday the races now begin at 2:15 PM instead of 1:00 PM. Other than that I think everything else should pretty much be the same. So until my 2022 post is up you can use my previous post as a reference.
A new arcade opened up last week in Salmiya called Venue 56. It’s the second arcade to open up in that area with Hangar being the other, but what caught my attention was the fact Venue 56 had a miniature golf course.
I don’t know why no one has thought of opening a proper miniature golf course in Kuwait. It’s fun, it doesn’t require too much of a large space, and it can be indoors so open all year round. There are all these huge indoor padel courses opening up now so maybe when they eventually go out of business someone can turn one of them into a miniature golf course. Until then all we have is this new small one at Venue 56, and the one at Nomad but all the way in Khiran.
It costs KD4.750 to play minigolf at Venue 56 and they also have billiards, bowling and arcade games. They’re located in the new building next to Zahra Complex (Google Maps) and you can check them out on Instagram @venue56.kw
A couple of weeks before corona, a place opened up at Sirbb Circuit called Smash Hub where you could go and smash things to relieve stress and just have fun. Sadly that place closed down and has been replaced by Padel Courts, but another place similar opened up called Smashing Point.
For 12KD you can put on protective gear and using one of the different tools available, smash 10 glasses (or plates) and one electronic item. They also have a group package where you and a couple of friends can smash things together for 45KD. When I tried this at Smash Hub I had a blast, but haven’t tried Smashing Point yet.
Smashing Point do have a few videos in their Instagram highlight to give you an idea of what the experience looks like. They’re located in Al Tilal Complex in Shuwaikh and are open from 5PM to 10PM. Check them out on Instagram @smashingpointkw
Aquapark which was the first water park in Kuwait got demolished a couple of years ago and just reopened again but with a new name, Bay Zero. I never went to the original Aquapark so I have no attachment to the old name or place but I do prefer the name Aquapark that’s for sure. The new park has been rebuilt from the ground up and is still the largest water park in Kuwait.
They’re open daily from 10AM to 10PM and the ticket price is 6KD (free for children under 4 years). Ladies’ day is currently still not available but will be available soon. Bay Zero is located right next to the Kuwait Towers, here is the link to Google Maps and they’re on Instagram @BayZeroKuwait
This could be something fun and different to do, a carpentry workshop. Meena Woods have various carpentry workshops taking place next month for beginners. You could learn how to make basic joints, a stool, and build a box.
Spots are limited, for more info, their Instagram account is @meenawoods and you can book on Eventat
I was going to go try this out before posting about it, but then I found out the place was located in Khiran so that’s not gonna happen. But, if you don’t mind driving to Khiran with friends, there is a place there called Nomad that has Blacklight Minigolf. I’ve tried it in Dubai before and it was super fun although me and my friend were pretty drunk when playing and she hilariously ended up breaking her pinky finger when she tripped and fell over one of the holes. But even if no alcohol is involved miniature golf is always a fun activity.
Nomad also has laser tag although that’s not something I care for but you might. Check out their Instagram account @nomad.kw and their website for booking is nomadkw.com
If you’re a fan of Tampopo then you’ve probably seen Chef Rashid AlSaif there working behind the bar. This coming Saturday he’s holding a cooking class at OFF THE MENU in 360 Mall where he will teach you how to make dumplings from scratch.
Ozone, the first indoor skydiving in Kuwait is set to open this Thursday, September 1st. Ozone is going to be the third indoor skydiving center in the region with our center having the most powerful wind tunnel of the three.
Right now until August 25th they have a 20% early bird discount so if you’re planning to try out indoor skydiving, it’s a good idea to take advantage right now. 2 flights will cost you 16KD with the discount while 4 flights will cost you 28KD. They also have a group price, 5 people for 68KD. If you’re interested, here is the link.
During the holiday I got a sneak peek tour of the new indoor climbing wall arena opening in Sabah Al Salem (Map). I knew it was pretty big before I got there but in person, it was even bigger than I imagined. The climbing wall covers three sides of a very large space and will be able to handle over 25 climbers at the same time.
There are different climbing difficulty levels and one section is even dedicated to sport climbing. The sport climbing section has timer start buttons at the bottom of the climb and a stop timer button on the top of the wall. That section is certified for competitions and is similar to the one athletes compete in during the Olympics.
While there I also checked out Ozone next door, the indoor skydiving which I posted about a couple of weeks ago. This is going to be the third indoor skydiving center in the region with the other two located in Bahrain and the UAE, but our center will have the most powerful wind tunnel of the three. Both Ozone and the Climbing Wall are expected to open very soon, within 2-4 weeks, they’re just waiting for the electricity to be turned on so they can finish up the remaining work which is minimal.
Right now Ozone is running an early bird promotion where you can get 20% discount on your first flights in the wind tunnel, if you want to take advantage and pre-book, here is the link.
The first indoor skydiving in Kuwait is set to open soon in Sabah Al Salem. The indoor skydiving place is called Ozone and is part of a larger complex that will house a huge indoor climbing center, a crossfit gym and a spinning studio.
The project is still under construction but they’ve already finished installing the windtunnel and looking at the photos and videos they’ve also been playing around with it.
The climbing wall also looks pretty huge as you can see below. The only thing that sucks about this project is that it will be located in the already heavily congested Sabah Al Salem area.
If you want to follow Ozone, their Instagram account is @o3_kw and here is the location on Google Maps.
