Abu Dhabi Is Hosting A Real Life “Squid Game” Event This Week: Report

Players will be competing for a customized green tracksuit, not $38 million, like in the Netflix series.

BYHayley Hynes
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Calling all Squid Game fans! If you’re one of the millions of people who have streamed the Netflix original series so far, we’ve got some good news – a real-life version of the show (minus the bloodshed, of course) is set to take place this week, in Abu Dhabi.

According to Insider, the United Arab Emirates’ Korean Cultural Center has organized the event, which will be happening on Tuesday, October 12th.

This rendition of Squid Game will see two teams of 15 people each face off against one another in four different games that were initially introduced when the series premiered on September 17th.

The heavily-memed “Red Light Green Light” is one of the most highly anticipated events, although players will also get to try their hand at “Dalgona Candy,” “Marbles,” and “Ddakji.”

If you haven’t yet seen the Korean show, the premise is simple – a group of 456 desperate individuals, all very strapped for cash with no other way out, agree to participate in a series of deathly challenges, modelled after popular children’s games, all in hopes of taking home the prized jackpot of $38 million.

Unfortunately for our Abu Dhabi players, they won’t be bringing home a massive pay check if they win. However, they will receive a customized green tracksuit, and bragging rights, which is still pretty cool.

Since Squid Game premiered nearly a month ago it’s been generating major buzz. This series is currently holding onto the #1 spot on Netflix’s Canada’s daily Top 10 list, and we recently reported that the streamer is excited about the potential of a second season.

Would you participate in a real life Squid Game? Let us know in the comments.

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About The Author
Hayley Hynes is the former Weekend Managing Editor of HotNewHipHop, she stepped down after two years in 2024 to pursue other creative opportunities but remains on staff part-time to cover music, gossip, and pop culture news. Currently, she contributes similar content on Blavity and 21Ninety, as well as on her personal blog where she also offers tarot/astrology services. Hayley resides on the western side of Canada, previously spending a year in Vancouver to study Fashion Marketing at Blanche Macdonald Centre and Journalism at Mount Royal University in Calgary before that. She's passionate about helping others heal through storytelling, and shares much more about her life on Instagram @hayleyhynes.