Kuwait City is about to gain an Olympic-size ice rink, an indoor snow park with zip lines and an ice climbing wall, an outdoor cinema, a karting track, and a 2,300-seat theatre carrying the largest stage in the country. All of it sits inside one park, and all of it opens on the same day.
The third phase of Al Shaheed Park opens to the public on Thursday, October 1, with a two-day carnival running October 1 and 2. It is the largest phase of a project that has been reshaping the centre of Kuwait City for over a decade.
Image of Kuwait Nature
The Numbers
Phase 3 covers 243,605 square metres. Of that, 203,162 square metres is built-up area, 190,661 square metres is dedicated to green space, and 16,232 square metres is allocated to investment activities.
That makes it larger than Phase 1 and close to double the size of Phase 2. The project broke ground in 2020 and was delivered by ALHANI Construction & Trading as main contractor for the Amiri Diwan, working with design consultants TAEP and AAP. ALHANI also delivered Phase 2 in 2016 and 2017.
On the skyline, the defining architectural element is an aluminium spaceframe with a 3D infinity standing seam, giving the new phase a distinct profile against the city centre.
Image of Kuwait in Construction
What's Inside
An Olympic-Size Ice Rink
The new rink is Olympic size and comes with spectator seating, which means Kuwait can host official ice sports events including hockey and figure skating competitions. That is a step up from a recreational rink, and it gives the country infrastructure it did not previously have.
There is also a small tribute inside: a mini museum assembled from pieces of the old rink, including terracotta tile wall patterns, ceiling beams, and original seating. A nice touch in a project that could easily have erased what came before.
A Snow Park
Housed in the same building as the rink, the snow park is large and built for more than sliding around. Reported features include slides, zip lines, an ice climbing wall, and open areas for playing in snow. In a country where summer temperatures routinely clear 45°C, an indoor winter environment is less a novelty than a sensible piece of year-round leisure infrastructure.
Kuwait's Largest Stage
The large metallic structure that stands where the old ice rink used to be is a theatre seating over 2,300 people, and it carries the largest stage in Kuwait. That gives Kuwait City a venue capable of hosting productions and touring shows that previously had nowhere to go.
Behind the theatre sits an outdoor cinema area, making the complex a two-format venue for film and live performance.
A Karting Track
Phase 3 includes its own karting track, adding motorsport to a park that already had a skate park and youth complex from the Phase 2 expansion in 2017.
It lands in a country that has quietly built a real karting scene. Q8 Karting at Al Kout Mall in Fahaheel runs a two-level rooftop facility over 5,100 square metres with separate tracks for ages 3 to 6, 7 to 12, and 13 and above, combining into a 510-metre Grand Prix layout billed as the longest indoor track in the Middle East. Kuwait Motor Town operates a CIK-homologated race kart circuit alongside its rental track. The park's addition puts a track in the middle of the capital.
Image of Gokarting
The Opening Carnival
The two-day opening on October 1 and 2 is built around the themes of peace, harmony, and hope. Organisers have described a programme spanning cultural, artistic, entertainment, and sporting activities across the park, with musical performances, light shows, and activities aimed at families and children.
Anwar Al-Yatami, head of the Supervision, Management and Follow-up Committee for the third phase and a representative of the Amiri Diwan, described Al Shaheed Park as a national project that has added a new dimension to Kuwait's cultural and recreational landscape, and said the latest phase is intended to strengthen the park's standing as a major destination offering an integrated experience for families and visitors.
The Bigger Project
Al Shaheed Park is already the largest urban park in Kuwait and is considered the country's most notable green infrastructure project, holding one of the largest over-structure green roofs in the world. It sits in the Capital governorate, built along the line of the old city wall.
Phase 1 established the park. Phase 2 opened in April 2017 and added a skate park, a youth complex, and an open-air performance centre. Phase 3 is the largest addition yet, and a fourth and final phase is planned for the future.
The park also holds a memorial zone and a museum zone, so the recreational expansion sits alongside spaces built for remembrance rather than replacing them.
Image of Kuwait City
If You're Going
The carnival runs October 1 and 2. Some published details about specific facilities came from preview visits ahead of the opening and may have changed by launch, so check the park's official channels for confirmed opening hours, ticketing for the rink and snow park, and the carnival programme.
Anyone planning travel to Kuwait should check their own government's current travel advice before booking, as guidance for the region has changed several times during 2026.
Staying Connected
If you're in Kuwait or heading there, event schedules, ride-hailing, and maps all run through your phone. An eSIM gets you online on arrival without a SIM counter queue at the airport.
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Phase 3 turns Al Shaheed Park from a large urban park into something closer to a full civic entertainment district: ice sports, snow play, cinema, live performance, karting, and close to 191,000 square metres of green space, in the middle of the capital.
For a city often described as short on public leisure space, that is a substantial change arriving in a single day.
