Huge crowds are expected to converge on Dubai's Downtown area to see the Burj Khalifa fireworks. Pawan Singh / The National
Huge crowds are expected to converge on Dubai's Downtown area to see the Burj Khalifa fireworks. Pawan Singh / The National
Huge crowds are expected to converge on Dubai's Downtown area to see the Burj Khalifa fireworks. Pawan Singh / The National
Huge crowds are expected to converge on Dubai's Downtown area to see the Burj Khalifa fireworks. Pawan Singh / The National

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UAE

Dubai New Year's Eve: Roads to close early and Metro to run for 43 hours

Thousands of emergency workers to help see in 2026 safely

The National

December 26, 2025

  • English
  • Arabic

Dubai will close major roads early, extend Metro hours and post thousands of emergency workers in important locations to help manage what is set to be the emirate's largest New Year's Eve celebrations yet.

Authorities set out a comprehensive action plan on Friday which will involve large parts of the busy Downtown Dubai area – where huge crowds are expected to gather to witness the spectacular Burj Khalifa fireworks display -being sealed off to traffic hours before the clock strikes midnight.

The plan involves 9,884 Dubai Police officers, 1,900 medical staff, 1,754 firefighters and 635 ambulance workers being positioned across the emirate to help the public ring in the new year safely. A fully equipped field hospital will be in operation in the Burj Khalifa area, with a dedicated paediatric care section.

Seven medical points will operate across various locations in co-ordination with Dubai Ambulance Services, supported by 20 patient transport vehicles. Dubai is braced to welcome tens of thousands of revellers for its biggest party of the year, amid a sustained population boom and the city's growing status as a winter tourism destination.

The fireworks display at the Burj Khalifa will again be the centrepiece of the festivities. Designated free public viewing areas in Downtown Dubai will open at 5pm and operate on a first-come, first-served basis.

Burj Park in Downtown Dubai is hosting a ticketed New Year’s Eve party with views of the fireworks and synchronised Dubai Fountain show from noon.

Road closures in place

Road closures around event areas will begin at 4pm on December 31 and continue until 11pm.

  • Closed from 4pm: Al Asayel Street
  • From 4pm: Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Boulevard
  • From 4pm: Burj Khalifa Street
  • From 4pm: Financial Centre Street (lower deck)
  • From 4pm: Al Mustaqbal Street
  • From 8pm: Al Sukook Street
  • From 9pm: Financial Centre Street (upper deck)
  • From 11pm: Sheikh Zayed Road

Dubai Metro, taxis and parking

The Burj Khalifa Dubai Mall Metro station will be closed from 5pm on December 31, or when the capacity limits are exceeded. The rest of the Dubai Metro network will operate continuously from 5am on December 31 until 11.59pm on January 1.

Dubai Tram services will operate from 6am on December 31 until 1am on Friday, January 2. Dubai will provide 14,000 RTA taxis and another 18,000 luxury limousines to help keep the public on the move throughout the night and into the next morning.

About 20,000 parking spaces will be available in the Burj Khalifa area, along with around 8,000 parking spaces at metro stations.

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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

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Employees leaving an organisation are entitled to an end-of-service gratuity after completing at least one year of service.

The tenure is calculated on the number of days worked and does not include lengthy leave periods, such as a sabbatical. If you have worked for a company between one and five years, you are paid 21 days of pay based on your final basic salary. After five years, however, you are entitled to 30 days of pay. The total lump sum you receive is based on the duration of your employment.

1. For those who have worked between one and five years, on a basic salary of Dh10,000 (calculation based on 30 days):

a. Dh10,000 ÷ 30 = Dh333.33. Your daily wage is Dh333.33

b. Dh333.33 x 21 = Dh7,000. So 21 days salary equates to Dh7,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service. Multiply this figure for every year of service up to five years.

2. For those who have worked more than five years

c. 333.33 x 30 = Dh10,000. So 30 days’ salary is Dh10,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service.

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