The masterplan has been unveiled for the $3bn Dubai Festival City - a 1,200-acre mixed-use development on 3.5km of shoreline of the Creek in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

A privately funded project by the Al-Futtaim Group, Dubai Festival City aims to offer entertainment, dining, retail, sports, a marina, hotels, residential and office components and an 18-hole golf course.

The City Core, The Crescent, will boast waterfront dining, shopping, entertainment and hospitality. A food court will surround a water-based theatre designed by Scéno Plus Architects where free shows will be put on to entertain diners.

'The scope and mix of this project cannot be found anywhere else in the world,' said Lee Tabler, CEO of Dubai Festival City Development. 'Dubai Festival City is important to the tourism efforts of Dubai and its evolution as an international city.

Dubai currently receives around 4m visitors a year, but Tabler is aiming for the city to draw 10m by the time the project is completed - in sections over the next decade. The first stage - the Robert Trent Jones-designed golf course - will open early in 2004. Details: www.dubaifestivalcity.com