• Tourism operator Arabian Adventures arranged for a whole patch of desert to be illuminated in green. Supplied
    Tourism operator Arabian Adventures arranged for a whole patch of desert to be illuminated in green. Supplied
  • Burj al Arab hotel lit up green in celebration of St Patrick's Day. WAM
    Burj al Arab hotel lit up green in celebration of St Patrick's Day. WAM
  • Abu Dhabi University also joined in the fun. WAM
    Abu Dhabi University also joined in the fun. WAM
  • The Burj Khalifa's green efforts covered the entire edifice. WAM
    The Burj Khalifa's green efforts covered the entire edifice. WAM
  • Nation Towers opted for a lighter green. WAM
    Nation Towers opted for a lighter green. WAM
  • The new Abu Dhabi Edition hotel also took part. WAM
    The new Abu Dhabi Edition hotel also took part. WAM

UAE landmarks – and even the Dubai desert – go green for St Patrick's Day


Simon Wilgress-Pipe
  • English
  • Arabic

Some of the UAE’s most prominent buildings went green on Tuesday to celebrate St Patrick’s Day.

They were bathed in the country’s national colour for Tourism Ireland’s Global Greening initiative.

In Dubai, it prompted a colourful response from, fittingly, Kempinski Emerald Palace.

Other places in the emirate that marked the occasion included Burj Khalifa, Burj Al Arab and Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club.

In the capital, Nation Towers, Abu Dhabi University,  InterContinental Abu Dhabi and Edition hotel were lit in leafy hues.

Even a dune deep in the protected part of the Dubai desert went a verdant shade, thanks to tour operator Arabian Adventures.

While the day’s traditional revelry was muted by the coronavirus pandemic, which has forced many bars and restaurants to close, Britain’s London Eye, New York’s Madison Square Garden and City Hall in Bangkok, Thailand, were among 400 global landmarks to go green.