La Perle or the Dubai Fountain?

The short answer

These are different kinds of evening. La Perle is a seated theatre show of about 90 minutes in which performers dive, fly and work in and around a pool. The Dubai Fountain is a choreographed water, light and music display on Burj Lake that anyone can watch without a ticket. If you want performers and a planned start, book La Perle. If you want a lighter, flexible plan in Downtown Dubai that you can fit around dinner or the mall, go to the fountain. Both are in Dubai, but they sit in different parts of the city.

• La Perle: ticketed, seated, 90 minutes
• Fountain: free to watch, short, flexible
• Boat ride: the paid way to see the fountain from the water

What La Perle is

La Perle is a resident aqua-acrobatic show in a purpose-built theatre at Al Habtoor City, in Business Bay beside the Dubai Water Canal. The operator says the stage changes from dry to wet in an instant and that artists dive 25 metres into the pool. The show runs about 90 minutes with no interval, the dress code is smart casual, and children under 2 are not admitted. The operator advises arriving 45 to 60 minutes early, so the evening is a commitment of more than two hours. The seating wraps 270 degrees around the stage.

What the Dubai Fountain is

Wikipedia says the Dubai Fountain sits on the 12-hectare Burj Khalifa Lake in Downtown Dubai and was inaugurated on 8 May 2009. It is 275 metres long and shoots water up to 152 metres into the air. Wikipedia says WET Design, the California company behind the Bellagio fountains, designed it, and that it is lit by 6,600 lights and 25 coloured projectors. It performs to a changing list of songs. There is no cast and no story: the choreography is water, light and music.

The cost question

The Khaleej Times says anyone can watch the Dubai Fountain for free, reaching Burj Lake through the Dubai Mall. It advises standing at the front rails around the lake and arriving early, because crowds build. The paid options are a boat ride on the lake and a floating boardwalk, which the paper says puts you away from the crowd. La Perle always needs a ticket, so it is the more expensive evening. If budget decides your choice, the fountain from the lakeside wins on price. Prices change, so read the live price on the booking page.

The boat ride

The lake ride puts you on the water in front of the fountain. The ride lasts about 30 minutes in a traditional wooden abra, with boats leaving shortly before each performance. Wikipedia says abras are traditional wooden boats and were Dubai's oldest form of public transport, ferrying people across Dubai Creek. On Burj Lake the same boat type is used for sightseeing. The ride is the paid way to see the fountain up close, and it is much shorter than a theatre show.

Time and effort

The fountain asks for little: it performs on a schedule, you can walk up, and you can stay for one performance or several. La Perle asks for planning. You book a date, arrive 45 to 60 minutes early, collect tickets and sit for about 90 minutes with no interval. If your evening is already full, the fountain fits around it. If you want the evening to be the show, La Perle is the one. The Khaleej Times guide lists show timings for the fountain, so check them on the day. Arriving early pays off for both: the paper advises the front rails at the lake, and the operator advises a 45 to 60 minute margin for La Perle.

Families and children

La Perle does not admit children under 2, every child needs a ticket, and children must show a passport or Emirates ID at collection. They must also come with a paying adult. That is a lot of rules for a family with a baby or a toddler. The fountain has no ticket rule at all, since it is free to watch, and only the boat ride asks for a passport or ID card. For a family with small children, the fountain is the easier plan; for teenagers, La Perle works. You can also leave the fountain whenever you like, which is harder in a 90-minute show with no interval.

Doing both

Do them on separate evenings. La Perle is at Al Habtoor City on the Dubai Water Canal, and the fountain is on Burj Lake in Downtown Dubai, so you would be crossing the city between two commitments with fixed arrival windows. Put the fountain on a night you are already in Downtown, for example before dinner at the mall, and keep La Perle for an evening where the show is the plan.

Who built them

The two displays come from very different traditions. La Perle comes from the Dragone company, which Franco Dragone founded in 2000 after directing Cirque du Soleil shows, and Wikipedia says it premiered in 2017. The Dubai Fountain was designed by WET Design, which Wikipedia says also built the Bellagio fountains in Las Vegas, and was inaugurated in 2009. One is theatre, with people at the centre. The other is engineering, with water, light and music at the centre. Knowing that helps you decide which you would rather watch.

Read next: Franco Dragone and water stages

Booking and timing

For La Perle you choose a date, then an option, in the booking calendar, collect tickets 30 to 60 minutes before the show and carry a photo ID, and the operator says in-person collection needs the card used for the booking. For the fountain you can simply turn up, because the Khaleej Times says it is free to watch. For the boat ride, boats leave about 15 minutes before each performance, and the booking page shows the schedule, so confirm the slot when you book instead of assuming a time.

Who might look elsewhere

A story-led theatre night is not quite what either offers, since reviews of La Perle describe vignettes and the fountain has no performers. A meal is not part of either ticket. And for a quiet evening, both are loud and crowded in their own way. The comparison suits visitors who have one free evening and want the most memorable use of it, and who are happy with spectacle over narrative. It is not a review of either, only an outline of what each is and what each asks of you.