The UAE's eagerly awaited 51st National Day show on Friday will be broadcast on television and screened at more than 50 venues across the country.
Citizens and residents are being invited to gather together to watch the live stream of the production in grand settings such as Expo City Dubai, Hatta Dam and Qasr Al Hosn.
The stage performance, which starts at 6pm, will be also be shown at locations in Abu Dhabi city, Al Ain and Al Dhafra, including Sheikh Zayed Festival, Liwa Festival, The Founder’s Memorial and Majlis Abu Dhabi.
In Sharjah, viewings will be held at Sharjah National Park, Al Dhaid Fort and Khor Fakkan, while in Ajman it will be shown at Flag Park and Marina Ajman.
A host of cinemas across the UAE, including Novo, VOX, Roxy, Reel, Star and Oscar, will also broadcast the event, which organisers said would be held in Abu Dhabi without confirming the specific location.
The event will not be open to the public but people will subsequently be able to attend live National Day show events held at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre for nine nights from December 3.
An Emirati success story
Organisers have revealed the first details of the show, which will celebrate Emirati pioneers through the years who have blazed a trail for the country's rapid rise since its formation in 1971.
It will centre on the country's rich culture and look at its ambitious plans for the years ahead.
Plans for the show have been in the works since June and have included contributions from nearly 7,000 people drawn from more than 100 countries, including leading engineers, creative minds and technicians.
More than 1,000 school pupils — representing the multi-cultural make-up of the nation — will take part in a children's parade.
Rawdha Al Qubaisi, creative executive producer for the show, said it would be the most significant celebration in the country following the Covid-19 pandemic.
The stories of key figures in the fields of marine sciences, environment, agriculture, space, transportation, solar energy and education will be told to help inspire future generations to follow in their path.
The production will reflect Emirati values and customs, with visual elements inspired by Al Sadu, the traditional form of weaving.
Poetry's prominent role in Emirati life will also be explored with new poems waxing lyrical about the UAE's achievements and inspiring stories.
The show will also feature a verse from the anthology of UAE Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.
Viewers will be serenaded by a fusion of traditional Emirati song and international music.
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Emirati composers will unite to provide a stirring soundtrack.
A military performance will take centre stage, blended with Taghrooda, a Bedouin form of chanted poetry and Al Ayyala, a traditional performance art.
The Emirates Choir will be in full voice throughout, providing songs for scenes and oration for poems.
Audiences across the Emirates can tune in from 5.30pm on the official National Day website.
Keeping the National Day party going
The National Day show will be performed before crowds at Adnec from December 3 to 11.
Organisers have not confirmed if the Friday event will be staged at Adnec.
Tickets for the nine shows ― which start at 6pm each day ― are available for Dh200 via the National Day website. Children under three are free.
Citizens and residents are expected to turn out in force to celebrate the date the Emirates was formed in 1971.
Last year, stunning Golden Jubilee celebrations took centre stage in Hatta before an audience including President Sheikh Mohamed, who was Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi at the time, and Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, both of whom could at times be seen recording the spectacle on their mobile phones.
December's festivities will also be momentous for the country.
Sheikh Mohamed will oversee his first National Day as leader, having been elected in May after the death of Sheikh Khalifa.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Will the pound fall to parity with the dollar?
The idea of pound parity now seems less far-fetched as the risk grows that Britain may split away from the European Union without a deal.
Rupert Harrison, a fund manager at BlackRock, sees the risk of it falling to trade level with the dollar on a no-deal Brexit. The view echoes Morgan Stanley’s recent forecast that the currency can plunge toward $1 (Dh3.67) on such an outcome. That isn’t the majority view yet – a Bloomberg survey this month estimated the pound will slide to $1.10 should the UK exit the bloc without an agreement.
New Prime Minister Boris Johnson has repeatedly said that Britain will leave the EU on the October 31 deadline with or without an agreement, fuelling concern the nation is headed for a disorderly departure and fanning pessimism toward the pound. Sterling has fallen more than 7 per cent in the past three months, the worst performance among major developed-market currencies.
“The pound is at a much lower level now but I still think a no-deal exit would lead to significant volatility and we could be testing parity on a really bad outcome,” said Mr Harrison, who manages more than $10 billion in assets at BlackRock. “We will see this game of chicken continue through August and that’s likely negative for sterling,” he said about the deadlocked Brexit talks.
The pound fell 0.8 per cent to $1.2033 on Friday, its weakest closing level since the 1980s, after a report on the second quarter showed the UK economy shrank for the first time in six years. The data means it is likely the Bank of England will cut interest rates, according to Mizuho Bank.
The BOE said in November that the currency could fall even below $1 in an analysis on possible worst-case Brexit scenarios. Options-based calculations showed around a 6.4 per cent chance of pound-dollar parity in the next one year, markedly higher than 0.2 per cent in early March when prospects of a no-deal outcome were seemingly off the table.
Bloomberg
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Europe’s rearming plan
- Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
- Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
- Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
- Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
- Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
Ultra processed foods
- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns
- margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars;
- energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces
- infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes,
- many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts.
