UAE gears up for spectacular New Year's Eve celebrations

Dazzling firework displays, star-studded concerts and family-friendly activities are planned

Burj Khalifa will attempt to break two world records with its fireworks and laser show at midnight on December 31, 2022. Photo: Emaar

The fireworks on Bluewaters Island will go off at 11.59pm

The Bluewaters fireworks will coincide with those at The Beach, JBR

Club Vista Mare on Palm Jumeirah will host fireworks at midnight for a duration of three minutes

Catch the Atlantis, The Palm fireworks from the hotel's New Year's Eve Gala Dinner. Photo: Atlantis, the Palm

Festival Bay will host a five-minute-long fireworks display, plus a special Imagine laser and fountain show. Photo: Festival City Mall

Global Village will put on seven fireworks displays from 8pm to 1am. Photo: Global Village

Dubai Parks & Resorts will host two family-friendly fireworks shows, one at 7pm, the other at 9pm. Photo: Dubai Parks & Resorts

Al Seef will host fireworks at 11.50pm on December 31 and at 8.30pm on January 1

TopGolf will host its own fireworks overlooking Dubai Marina. Photo: TopGolf

It's the biggest and final party of the year – and the whole of the UAE is ready to join in.

New Year's Eve will be marked in spectacular style across the country with a host of dazzling firework displays, star-studded concerts and other live events planned.

Dubai's Burj Khalifa will be at the heart of the action, with a cutting-edge laser light and fireworks show set to enthrall onlookers.

The world's tallest building is shooting for a place in the record books for the largest laser display on the planet.

The Sheikh Zayed Festival in Al Wathba will try to break its own Guinness World Records for the longest firework display, at a staggering 40-minutes.

The National Centre of Meteorology predicts light rainfall and cloudy skies in some areas on Saturday.

The weather is expected to clear up later in the evening and is unlikely to dampen the enthusiasm of the public.

This year's festivities will as ever be filled with hope and optimism. But there will be extra reason to rejoice during celebrations free of Covid-19 restrictions, which have marked recent New Year's Eve events both in the Emirates and around the world.

Here, The National takes a closer look at the huge celebrations taking place across the Emirates.

Abu Dhabi

Al Maryah Island will host a dazzling firework display. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

The capital will make sure 2022 goes out with a bang with pyrotechnics aplenty.

Al Maryah Island will have a 10-minute fireworks display for New Year’s, which can be viewed from its promenade.

Yas Island will host two fireworks shows: the traditional one at midnight and an earlier one at 9pm, which will allow families with younger children to see the light spectacle and still make an early bedtime.

Visitors can head to either Yas Marina or Yas Bay for a view of the displays.

The Sheikh Zayed Festival in Al Wathba will host another 40 minutes of fireworks as it tries to break its own Guinness World Records for duration, volume and formation. This includes the largest firework display and a light show with more than 3,000 drones.

For more information on other firework displays in Abu Dhabi, read our full report here.

Dubai

The Burj Khalifa will light up the night skies to usher in 2023. Photo: AFP

Burj Khalifa will host a cutting-edge laser light and fireworks show on and around its famed facade, with the hope of “turning the iconic tower into a shining beacon of hope, happiness and harmony for 2023”.

While the light and sound spectacle will dominate the Dubai skyline, The Dubai Fountain at the building’s base will also dance in sync with the show.

According to Burj Khalifa developer Emaar, the New Year's Eve celebrations will be seen on television by a billion viewers around the world.

A number of other dazzling firework displays will be held in the emirate, including in JBR, Palm Jumeirah and Global Village. For full details, read our round-up here.

Chart-topping singer Kylie Minogue will take centre stage at Atlantis, The Palm, while Enrique Iglesias will serenade fans at Nammos Dubai, part of the Four Seasons Resorts.

Authorities have plans in place to ensure New Year's Eve celebrations run smoothly and safely, with huge crowds expected to flock to Downtown Dubai.

Dubai's Executive Committee for Securing International and Local Events said 10,597 personnel, 5,800 security guards, 1,420 volunteers, 3,651 patrols and vehicles, and 45 marine boats will deployed across the 30 locations where celebrations and fireworks will take place to support organisation of the gatherings and crowd management.

Al Asayel Street, Burj Khalifa Street, Financial Centre Street Lower Deck and Mohammed bin Rashid Boulevard will be closed from 4pm.

Parts of Al Mustaqbal Street will be closed from 4pm.

From 8pm, Al Sukook Street will close. One hour later, Financial Centre Street Upper Deck will also close to motorists.

Dubai's water canal elevators and pedestrian bridges will be closed in Al Safa and Business Bay areas.

The committee identified three paths for members of the public to use to get to the Burj Khalifa area from nearby metro stations.

The first path is from Burj Khalifa station and will be divided into two parts, a section for families to the Al Jazeera Park area and the area behind the "Burj View". The second section will be for other groups and will lead to the "South Ridge", the area designated for watching fireworks.

The second path will be from Financial Centre station, where a section will be allocated for families heading to the Boulevard area, while the second section will be for other groups going to the South Edge area.

See how Burj Khalifa has been preparing for New Year's Eve

The third path will be for those coming from Business Bay station.

Burj Khalifa station and the metro bridge that connects to the Dubai Mall will be closed at 5pm on Saturday, or when the numbers exceed the capacity of the station.

Full details of all road closures and public transport timings can be found here.

Sharjah

Emirati singer Hussain Al Jassmi at Expo 2020 Dubai will be wowing crowds in Sharjah on New Year's Eve. Photo: Expo 2020 Dubai

Sharjah will be joining in the fun with a wide variety of offerings.

The picturesque Al Majaz Waterfront will host fireworks from 9pm.

Emirati singer Hussain Al Jassmi and Iraqi artist Aseel Hameem will perform at Khorfakkan Amphitheatre.

Mleiha Archaeological Centre will offer a more laid-back celebration.

You can mark the new year by camping under the stars at this stunning desert village.

For December 31, the site has organised stargazing, cultural and fire dances and an oud performance.

A buffet will also be available with Emirati and regional dishes.

For more on Sharjah's New Year's Eve itinerary, check out our report.

Ras Al Khaimah

Ras Al Khaimah will lay on another spectacular firework display on Saturday. Photo: Marjan RAK / Twitter

The emirate is pulling out all the stops with a 12-minute fireworks show.

Similar to last year’s spectacle, the pyro-musical will cover 4.7km along the waterfront between Al Marjan Island and Al Hamra Village.

For New Year's Eve last year, Ras Al Khaimah made a splash with a breathtaking fireworks show, using more than 15,000 effects and 452 firework drones.

It was recognised with two Guinness World Records titles — Most Remote Operated Multirotors / Drones Launching Fireworks Simultaneously, and Highest Altitude Multirotor / Drone Firework Display.

Ras Al Khaimah is hoping to rewrite the record books as it signs off for 2022.

Ajman

Take a scenic route to 2023 at Ajman Corniche. A brilliant firework display will light up the night sky and welcome in the New Year.

Ajman Department of Tourism has called on the public to turn out in force to "celebrate the New Year and welcome 2023 with a breathtaking fireworks display across the Ajman Corniche".

"Join us to light up the sky and create a magical evening," the department posted on Twitter.