Dubai: The countdown to the new year and the annual midnight pyrotechnic displays are close at hand and if you still don’t have a plan for the night, now is the time to figure it out.
Visit the popular spots Downtown Dubai, Jumeirah Beach Road, Palm Jumeirah, Dubai Land, Dubai Creek, and Abu Dhabi Corniche for a good view of fireworks.
Burj Khalifa, Atlantis The Palm, Burj Al Arab and Global Village have also scheduled huge firework displays this year, and for the first time on Burj Khalifa, an illuminated LED show will wrap around the façade of the 828-metre tower as part of Downtown Dubai New Year’s Eve Gala.
To reach these popular spots, visitors are recommended to start earlier than usual on December 31 and to take public transport. The Roads and Transport Authority is planning to extend the operational hours of the Dubai Metro.
Downtown Dubai New Year’s Eve Gala, by global developer Emaar Properties, will feature the world’s most advanced pyrotechnics and LED illumination technology, which will also be streamed live on YouTube and on all major international channels. YouTube viewers can also choose from four different camera angles to watch the livestreaming.
The event reached more than 2.5 billion people last year through live telecast, in addition to millions converging in Burj Park for a family carnival to usher in the New Year, and the same is expected to happen this year.
Ahmad Al Matrooshi, Managing Director of Emaar Properties, said: “The Downtown Dubai New Year’s Eve Gala has defined its credentials in a short span of time as the world’s most-watched New Year’s Eve spectacle surpassing the visitor turnout at celebrations in New York, Sydney and London. With visitors from all over the world arriving to join in the festivities, the event has become a defining spectacle that adds to the pride of Dubai.”
Burj Khalifa also has a magnificent event planned. The concept behind this year’s LED display and fireworks is to present Burj Khalifa as a ‘living entity’ befitting its epithets of ‘A Virtual City’ and ‘A Living Wonder.’ The six-part display will highlight the innovative and dynamic architecture of the world’s tallest building with a never-before-seen pyrotechnic design.
Gold and silver strobe light effects will illuminate the tower in the first act, which will be complemented by fireworks displays from across buildings in Downtown Dubai illuminating the sky. The second act will dress Burj Khalifa in colourful rings and volcanic waves, lending the tower a rainbow effect with the displays scaling up and down the high building.
The third act creates a constellation of twinkling golden stars in a glitter of pink, resembling a shower of stars over Downtown Dubai, while the next will feature a wave of cyclonic light effects enveloping the tower. The final two acts will be the crescendo, with quivering light sequins covering Burj Khalifa, before the final countdown begins for a never-before-seen spectacle. The highest man-made point on earth will become home to a million stars in this brilliant finale.
