Sheikh Mohammed hails Dubai as ‘city of the world’ after record-breaking New Year’s Eve

Celebrations dubbed ‘model of coexistence, tolerance and civilisation’

Fireworks display on Burj Khalifa for the new year 2025 celebration at Dubai Mall in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National

Sheikh Zayed Heritage Festival drone and fireworks New Year’s Eve display held at Al Wathba, Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National

Sheikh Zayed Heritage Festival drone and fireworks New Year’s Eve display held at Al Wathba, Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National

Sheikh Zayed Heritage Festival drone and fireworks New Year’s Eve display held at Al Wathba, Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National

Sheikh Zayed Heritage Festival drone and fireworks New Year’s Eve display held at Al Wathba, Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National

Sheikh Zayed Heritage Festival drone and fireworks New Year’s Eve display held at Al Wathba, Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National

Fireworks at the Sheikh Zayed Festival in Al Wathba, Abu Dhabi, during the evening of December 31. Victor Besa / The National

The crowd enjoys the circus show during the Sheikh Zayed Heritage Festival, at Al Wathba. Victor Besa / The National

The Sheikh Zayed Heritage Festival will attempt to set four Guinness World Records once again. Victor Besa / The National

There will be fireworks for 50 minutes at Al Wathba, while 6,000 drones take to the sky for 20 minutes, creating a special show with lasers and light. Victor Besa / The National

The crowd enjoys the circus show at Al Wathba, Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National

Hourly fireworks displays at Al Wathba started at 6pm and were set to continue every hour until 11.40pm, after which the world record-breaking show would begin. Victor Besa / The National

Visitors arrive at the Sheikh Zayed Heritage Festival, at Al Wathba. Victor Besa / The National

A fountain show during the evening of December 31, at Dubai Mall. Pawan Singh / The National

Children ready for New Year Eve's celebrations at Dubai Mall. Pawan Singh / The National

Sheikh Zayed Heritage Festival, held at Al Wathba, Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National

Sheikh Zayed Heritage Festival, held at Al Wathba, Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National

Entertainment during New Year's Eve at Dubai Mall in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, has praised those who attended and helped to organise the emirate’s New Year’s Eve celebrations after a record-breaking night for the UAE.

Describing Dubai as the “city of the world”, he noted how millions of tourists, residents and citizens flocked to 36 locations to celebrate the start of 2025 and labelled the night as a “model of coexistence, tolerance and civilisation”.

“We congratulate everyone on the New Year and we thank everyone who attended, interacted and shared our celebrations from all countries of the world,” he wrote on X. “Special thanks to the Events Security Committee, which includes 55 government agencies and contributed to safe, smooth and honourable celebrations, befitting the name of Dubai and the Emirates.”

“Happy New Year to everyone, and may the Emirates be a country that welcomes the world, and represents an honourable model for the world,” he added.

Huge effort

With revellers arriving in droves, Dubai employed a comprehensive New Year's Eve action plan to help ring in 2025 safely, including road closures and extended Metro operating times.

More than 8,500 police officers, nearly 1,100 firefighters and close to 600 first responders from the ambulance service were positioned at 44 firework displays and other live shows taking place across the emirate.

The clean-up work was also rapid, with Dubai Municipality focusing on 366 locations on New Year's Day to deploy:

• 2,534 cleaning engineers
• 242 supervisory and inspection staff to oversee tasks and respond to emergencies
• 246 machines and vehicles for routine and emergency cleaning programmes
• 202 engineers and supervisors to monitor the cleanliness of main roads
• 97 engineers and supervisors to monitor the cleanliness of public beaches
• 500 additional waste storage units at busy locations
• 255 volunteers contributing to community cleaning efforts

Watch: Dubai's Burj Khalifa welcomes 2025 with dazzling show

Record-breaking night

Elsewhere in the Emirates, Ras Al Khaimah set two Guinness World Records with its drones and fireworks display. The first was for the largest aerial display of a tree formed by drones and the second was the largest aerial image of a seashell formed by drones.

The emirate staged a heritage-themed show to ring in 2025, combining traditional fireworks with 3D drone artistry that stretched across 5km of waterfront.

“Securing two Guinness World Records titles with such a spectacular and meaningful display reflects the innovative spirit and cultural pride that define our emirate,” Raki Phillips, chief executive at Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority, said.

In Abu Dhabi, the Sheikh Zayed Festival in Al Wathba drew large crowds with its 53-minute fireworks display. This was 13 minutes longer than last year's display when the venue broke four world records for duration, quantity and design.

The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation also organised events on Tuesday for workers across the UAE to celebrate the new year. Themed Happy Workers, Thriving Business, the celebrations at 18 locations featured sports and entertainment activities and competitions with valuable prizes for participants, including a car raffle.

Watch: Ras Al Khaimah's New Year's Eve display

Cause for optimism

President Sheikh Mohamed sent New Year's greetings to leaders of nations around the world and the people of the UAE, wishing them continued health and prosperity in 2025.

“I extend my best wishes on the occasion of the New Year,” Sheikh Mohamed wrote on X. “Together, let us pray for peace and progress in the region and around the world as we work united to foster a better future for all.”

In a separate post, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid hoped for “glory, pride, prosperity and stability” for the country year after year. He highlighted the “historic numbers” the Emirates has achieved in “all its indicators” in 2024.

Sheikh Mohammed also wished for peace around the world and expressed hope for “humanity to advance to new horizons”. “We welcome 2025 with greater optimism, greater ambitions and a greater determination to continue the journey of growth and prosperity,” he said.

“My sincere congratulations on the occasion of the New Year and my wishes that it will be a year of progress and prosperity for our beloved country under the shadow of our wise leadership and for all countries of the world,” Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Presidential Court, added.