The countdown to New Year's Eve is on and there are plenty of spots to catch fireworks shows when the clock hits midnight in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
Many of the most popular places have revealed their plans to ring in the new year, with others expected to follow suit in the weeks to come.
Meanwhile, those looking for budget-friendly year-end parties can find more information in The National's guides for Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Dubai
Burj Khalifa
The fireworks show at Burj Khalifa this year is set to be its biggest with 325 firing positions. They will shoot in 2,800 directions using 15,682 pyrotechnic elements. They will transform the sky into an intricate pattern of colours and shapes.
A special show for the Dubai Fountain has also been planned. Developer Emaar announced the first ticketed year-end party at Burj Park, priced at Dh150 for children between four and 12, and Dh300 for adults.
Additionally, numerous restaurants in the vicinity, including those at the promenade of The Dubai Mall, which has front-row seats to the fireworks and fountain shows, have New Year's Eve packages ranging from Dh1,500 per person at Wagamama to Dh7,000 at Maison de Curry.
Atlantis, The Palm
The Palm Jumeirah resort is known for its extravagant year-end parties. The fireworks display, too, is usually accompanied by a big-ticket name, and this year it is 17-time Grammy-winning artist Sting.
Guests can choose from several packages, from Dh7,000 for a Premium Circle spot to Dh12,500 for the Golden Circle, which includes a personalised caviar box and dishes with white truffle. The various restaurants within the hotel also have New Year's Eve offerings. At Ossiano, for example, prices start at Dh2,950 per person, while diners to Hakkasan will pay Dh1,950 each.
Bluewaters Island
Bluewaters is counting down to 2024 with restaurant deals galore, topped with a three-minute fireworks show as soon the clock strikes midnight. Diners can book tables at eateries including Virgin Izakaya (from Dh500), Miya (from Dh750) and Shi (from Dh1,500) among others. Most of the venues have different seating options and some offer more clear views of the fireworks than others.
If you miss the show on December 31, the island will also host daily fireworks from January 5 to 14, with a longer 10-minute display on January 13.
Al Seef
The charming and rustic Creek-side development is hosting daily fireworks shows from Christmas Day until January 4, at 9pm each evening.
Numerous dining options are also on site, as well as the picturesque sight of neon-lit abras sailing across the waters.
Dubai Parks and Resorts
Head to the Dubai Parks complex to catch an early fireworks display, ideal for families and those who want to hit bed early on New Year's Eve.
The laser and fireworks show is taking place at Riverland at 7pm and 9pm. Guests need to pay Dh15 to enter the venue, but those with annual passes or tickets to the other theme parks can enter for free.
Abu Dhabi
Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental
The Abu Dhabi hotel has a packed entertainment schedule for New Year's Eve, topped with its annual fireworks show. Starting at 10pm, the year-end party will include a live band as well as DJ sets and other performances.
The eight restaurants within the hotel are joining in the fun, too. Guests can pay Dh4,500 per person to enjoy dinner and drinks from any one of them, plus access to the hotel's after-party. A beverage-only package costs Dh2,500.
Yas Island
There will be two fireworks shows on Yas Island, one at midnight and an earlier one 9pm, which is perfect for families with younger children.
Yas Marina and Yas Bay are both good spots to witness the spectacle, with a handful of restaurant options along the promenade.
Sheikh Zayed Festival
The festival at Al Wathba is hosting a 40-minute-long fireworks display to ring in the new year, attempting to break a Guinness World Record in terms of size, type and formation.
This will be complemented by cultural performances on the ground, as well as other family-friendly activities that start at 4pm.
Al Maryah Island
The island's promenade is the perfect viewing spot for its annual 10-minute fireworks display, but there are also plenty of restaurants across The Galleria, Four Seasons and Rosewood hotels to book to enjoy the evening with a meal.
Hudayriyat Island
Marsana beachfront will be open until the wee hours of January 1, making it an ideal spot to ring in 2024, complete with a fireworks display organised by Hudayriyat Island.
The show aside, check out food spots including Drvn, Babu Town and Shrimp Pot, as well as the family-friendly activities lined up from midnight to 5am.
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Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
UAE squad
Ali Kashief, Salem Rashid, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Khalfan Mubarak, Ali Mabkhout, Omar Abdelrahman, Mohammed Al Attas (Al Jazira), Mohmmed Al Shamsi, Hamdan Al Kamali, Mohammad Barghash, Khalil Al Hammadi (Al Wahda), Khalid Eisa, Mohammed Shakir, Ahmed Barman, Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain), Adel Al Hosani, Al Hassan Saleh, Majid Suroor (Sharjah), Waleed Abbas, Ismail Al Hammadi, Ahmed Khalil (Shabab Al Ahli Dubai) Habib Fardan, Tariq Ahmed, Mohammed Al Akbari (Al Nasr), Ali Saleh, Ali Salmeen (Al Wasl), Hassan Al Mahrami (Baniyas)
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
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Result: India won by 203 runs
Series: England lead five-match series 2-1
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Springtime in a Broken Mirror,
Mario Benedetti, Penguin Modern Classics
Tonight's Chat on The National
Tonight's Chat is a series of online conversations on The National. The series features a diverse range of celebrities, politicians and business leaders from around the Arab world.
Tonight’s Chat host Ricardo Karam is a renowned author and broadcaster with a decades-long career in TV. He has previously interviewed Bill Gates, Carlos Ghosn, Andre Agassi and the late Zaha Hadid, among others. Karam is also the founder of Takreem.
Intellectually curious and thought-provoking, Tonight’s Chat moves the conversation forward.
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GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
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- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
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Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
INVESTMENT PLEDGES
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The specs
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
$1,000 award for 1,000 days on madrasa portal
Daily cash awards of $1,000 dollars will sweeten the Madrasa e-learning project by tempting more pupils to an education portal to deepen their understanding of math and sciences.
School children are required to watch an educational video each day and answer a question related to it. They then enter into a raffle draw for the $1,000 prize.
“We are targeting everyone who wants to learn. This will be $1,000 for 1,000 days so there will be a winner every day for 1,000 days,” said Sara Al Nuaimi, project manager of the Madrasa e-learning platform that was launched on Tuesday by the Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, to reach Arab pupils from kindergarten to grade 12 with educational videos.
“The objective of the Madrasa is to become the number one reference for all Arab students in the world. The 5,000 videos we have online is just the beginning, we have big ambitions. Today in the Arab world there are 50 million students. We want to reach everyone who is willing to learn.”
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How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
THE DETAILS
Solo: A Star Wars Story
Director: Ron Howard
2/5
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
If you go
- The nearest international airport to the start of the Chuysky Trakt is in Novosibirsk. Emirates (www.emirates.com) offer codeshare flights with S7 Airlines (www.s7.ru) via Moscow for US$5,300 (Dh19,467) return including taxes. Cheaper flights are available on Flydubai and Air Astana or Aeroflot combination, flying via Astana in Kazakhstan or Moscow. Economy class tickets are available for US$650 (Dh2,400).
- The Double Tree by Hilton in Novosibirsk ( 7 383 2230100,) has double rooms from US$60 (Dh220). You can rent cabins at camp grounds or rooms in guesthouses in the towns for around US$25 (Dh90).
- The transport Minibuses run along the Chuysky Trakt but if you want to stop for sightseeing, hire a taxi from Gorno-Altaisk for about US$100 (Dh360) a day. Take a Russian phrasebook or download a translation app. Tour companies such as Altair-Tour ( 7 383 2125115 ) offer hiking and adventure packages.
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
