First look inside the amazing Madame Tussauds Dubai waxworks gallery

Madame Tussauds Dubai will connect adoring fans with wax-versions of their idols when it opens its doors on Thursday October 14 – and Time Out has had the very first look around.

The unbelievably impressive museum is set on Bluewaters Dubai, right next to the soon to open Ain Dubai observation wheel.

Madame Tussauds Dubai is home to a glittering galaxy of stars (no Time Out editors yet, but we’re hopeful of a call any day now) from film and TV, politics, sport and fashion, and will have your jaw on the floor in amazement at the sheer artistry that guys into ever wax model.

So, what can you expect from Dubai’s latest Hollywood (and part Bollywood) attraction?

The self-guided tour starts in true Dubai style, and a golden Bentley photo booth the first photo op (alongside a snap of Lady Gaga at the ticket kiosk) getting into top gear before guests have even reached the first Leaders Zone.

Here you’ll be able to sip tea with the Queen of England while her corgis bark in the background and check out Donald Trump’s latest tweet while rubbing shoulders with the globe’s most influential politicians.

Strutting into the Fashion Zone, be sure to pap Victoria Beckham, Kylie Jenner and Cara Delevingne plenty others, and feel like a glamour model yourself as you parade down an interactive runway complete with judges critique over the sound system.

There’s yet more photo ops – including a giant pearl swing set next to your girl Kylie – before attention turns to the silver screen in the Film Zone.

An all-star cast including Vin Diesel, Tom Cruise (atop motorbike), martial arts king Jackie Chan and icon Audrey Hepburn can be found in wax form here, with classic theme tunes helping to give the famous faces life.

You might also like: Absolutely eveything you need to know about the amazing Ain Dubai observation wheel

A Media Zone depicting some of Dubai’s most noted regional radio and TV names, and a Bollywood Zone with a ready-to-blink-any-minute statue of Shah Rukh Khan follow before the Sport Zone delivers a real knockout portion of the tour.

Here you’ll tread the same blades of grass as Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, square up to UFC powerhouse Connor McGregor, and eyeball boxing legend Muhammed Ali.

Pioneering UAE weightlifter Amna Al Haddad can be seen powerlifting her way to Madame Tussauds Dubai fame (there’s a dummy bar for those who want to give her sport a try), and a host of other faces you’ll just have to swoop in and check out for yourself.

The A-List Zone is where your Insta feed will really blow up, with a raft of global names primed and waiting for you to jump in and nab that perfect selfie.

We all know Will Smith is a big fan of Dubai, and now he has a permanent home at Madame Tussauds Dubai, as has Rhianna, Justin Bieber, Nancy Ajram and one popstar that we’ll let you keep an eye out for up on the ceiling.

Each wax statue takes around three to six months to craft from first photoshoot to final installation.

During the creative process, artists document 500 precise body measurements, insert real hair strand by strand, and apply countless layers of paints to build up the skin tones.

The value of each life-like figure is in the region of Dhs700,000 (good job they can’t run away).

Preview access tickets: Dhs135 (adults), Dhs110 (kids aged 3-11). Free (kids under three). Opening Oct 14 Sun-Thu noon-8pm, Fri-Sat 10am-8pm. Bluewaters Dubai, madametussauds.com/dubai

Looking for more top things to do in Dubai?

The Laughter Factory has announced its October line-up
Ready to laugh your guts out? Then you definitely need to check out this giggle-full Dubai institution.
Read more here.

First look at the Irish Village at Expo
We love the Irish Village (who doesn’t) and now, a third outpost of the award-winning pub is open to all at the sprawling Expo 2020 Dubai.
Read more here.

Try the Pitfire x Pickl collab
These two mega restaurants are collaborating for a limited time at Time Out Market Dubai and you need to try it.
Read more here.