UAE celebrates New Year with pomp and grandeur

Our Correspondent
Bidding goodbye to a tumultuous year characterised by a catastrophic pandemic that changed living and working habits, the world and the UAE greeted 2021 with renewed vigour and hope. Dubai, which leads from the front in matters of entertainment and business, left no stone unturned in ushering in the New Year in style.
Fireworks lit up the entire city at 23 different locations: Burj Khalifa; Burj Al Arab; Madinat Jumeirah; Dubai Festival City Mall; Global Village; La Mer; Dubai Frame; Jumeirah Beach Residence – The Beach; Al Seef – Dubai Creek; Nshama Town Square; Bab Al Shams Desert Resort; Le Royal Meridien Resort; Bvlgari Resort Dubai; Golf Club – Arabian Ranches; Emirates Golf Club; The Address Montgomery Hotel; Jebel Ali Hotel; Four Seasons Hotel; The One & Only Hotel – Palm Jumeirah; The One & Only – Royal Mirage; Atlantis The Palm; Jumeirah Zabeel Saray; and Park Hyatt Dubai.

Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest tower, lit up Dubai skies with an amazing fireworks and laser show to usher in the New Year. Before the main event, flags of various countries from Japan to Mexico were displayed on Burj Khalifa as the clock struck 12 in those countries.
Global Village, the UAE and wider region’s leading multicultural family destination for culture, shopping, and entertainment, welcomed the New Year in a spectacular display of fireworks. In line with the Global Village’s tradition of celebrating with countries and cultures from around the world, seven fireworks displays lit up the skies to introduce the New Year, with each display going live immediately after the countdown to midnight in each time zone.
The celebration was not over at midnight in the UAE; there was one last firework display at 1 am.
A fire and fountain show in honour of the COVID-19 frontline heroes called the “High Hopes for Heroes show” received a standing ovation from guests and staff alike.
As part of its ambitious target of 25 Guinness World Records titles to mark its 25th anniversary, Global Village claimed its latest title on New Year’s Eve when visitors witnessed the countdown to 2021 on the largest underwater mesh screen in the world. The LED mesh screen measures 5013.394 square meters and 223,000 pixels. This is the 9th record of the season for the park, which targets a record for each week of the season.
Abu Dhabi: In the UAE capital, the Sheikh Zayed Festival set two Guinness World records with a dazzling fireworks display that lasted for 35 minutes to welcome 2021. The first record was set for the longest-running fireworks show, launched from 16 towers. The second was for the longest Girandola fireworks show in the world.
The Festival’s organising committee distributed free masks and sanitisers, ensured that social distancing norms were observed, and checked the temperature of visitors at the entry gate.
The Sheikh Zayed Heritage Festival is a cultural festival that is held annually in Abu Dhabi. The festival is one of the largest cultural festivals in the UAE and has grand pavilions dedicated to various countries as well as exhibitions and entertainment for all.

Sharjah: The emirate’s eastern enclave witnessed a new dawn of art and entertainment on December 31, with the new Khorfakkan Amphitheatre – the Roman-style architectural masterpiece situated on the city’s mountains – reverberating with the music of Emirati superstar Hussain Al Jassmi and singer Angham at the sold-out inaugural music concert. A dazzling display of fireworks lit up the skies to the thrill of the audience.
Looking forward to the New Year, Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Executive Council, has thanked members of the Dubai Government team for successfully navigating challenges of the year gone by.