Dubai: Around 1,000 expat workers gathered on Sunday in Dubai to create a human flag of the UAE as part of UAE National Day celebrations.
Workers from Dubai Municipality’s horticulture department took part in the event at Zabeel Park.
The human flag covered around 2,000 sq ft as a drone took aerial shots of the flag.
The workers had practised for two days so, when the time came, they could smoothly fall in line and take positions.
Dressed in red, green, white and black shirts and caps — colours of the UAE flag — they neatly filled up an outline of the flag on the ground on Sunday.
Senior municipality officials and colleagues looked on as the flag took shape. Officials released 43 balloons, symbolic of the UAE’s 43 years of independence, and cheered on the workers.
It is not rare to see human flags created for National Day celebrations but this was the first time the municipality has undertaken the feat.
Flags of similar sizes have been previously created by UAE schoolchildren.
Sunday’s event was also held to show appreciation for the workers, said Hussain Lootah, the municipality’s director-general.
“The idea here is to show… we’re one group, one family. We have a goal to keep Dubai clean and green,” Lootah added.
Pakistani Gulam Sajjad, a worker, said the event “took me back to tenth grade when I was in a human flag at school for Pakistan’s independence day”.
