How Warner Bros World Abu Dhabi became Middle East’s first theme park to win Liseberg Applause Award
Immersive storytelling, operations excellence and innovation shaped winning entry
ABU DHABI – Warner Bros World Yas Island, Abu Dhabi’s rise to becoming the first theme park in the Middle East to win the 2026 Liseberg Applause Award has been shaped by a combination of immersive storytelling, operational excellence and sustained investment in world-class entertainment.
The recognition reflects years of development focused on creating a fully integrated indoor theme park experience built around globally recognised intellectual properties. It also highlights how Yas Island has steadily positioned itself on the international tourism map through large-scale leisure developments.
Applause Award
The Applause Award is considered the highest honour in the attractions industry, with judges evaluating parks on creativity, management quality and guest experience. For Warner Bros World, the winning formula lay in its ability to blend storytelling with operational precision, offering visitors seamless experiences across multiple themed environments.
The park’s structured approach to design and operations ensured consistency across attractions, food and beverage services, and live entertainment offerings, strengthening its global competitiveness.
Immersive design
A key factor in the park’s recognition is its fully indoor, climate-controlled structure, allowing year-round operation in the region’s weather conditions. Spread across six immersive lands, the park brings iconic characters and franchises to life through carefully designed environments. These include DC-inspired zones and animated worlds that are built to replicate cinematic storytelling on a physical scale.
The integration of advanced ride systems and themed environments has been central to its appeal. Each attraction is designed to maintain narrative continuity, allowing guests to move through story-driven spaces rather than standalone rides. This level of immersion has been repeatedly highlighted as a distinguishing feature in global benchmarking by industry evaluators.
Global benchmark
Partnerships have also played a significant role in its development. The park was created in collaboration with Warner Bros Discovery Global Experiences and operated under Miral’s wider strategy to elevate Yas Island as a premier leisure destination. This alignment between creative licensing and destination management has supported consistent upgrades and expansion planning.
According to industry assessments, the park’s performance in guest satisfaction, operational reliability and thematic depth placed it among the strongest contenders globally. Its ability to scale experiences while maintaining quality standards has been a defining metric in award evaluations conducted under the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions framework.
Expansion plans
Looking ahead, Warner Bros World is preparing for a major expansion phase that is expected to further strengthen its global positioning. Plans include a dedicated Harry Potter-themed land along with new DC-based rides, designed to deepen the park’s storytelling ecosystem.
These additions are set to build on its existing structure of immersive zones, expanding both capacity and narrative diversity. The ongoing development reflects Miral’s broader ambition to enhance Yas Island’s entertainment portfolio while supporting Abu Dhabi’s long-term tourism diversification strategy.