Dubai, Jan 1: At the stroke of midnight, Dubai's very own Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest tower, was placed at the centre of the world, regaling residents and visitors from across the globe to its annual spectacular fireworks display, ushering in 2017.
"Celebrating national pride" was this year's theme. The sky was lit for eight minutes, highlighted by a series of crescendos which captivated the huge crowd estimated at around 650,000 at the foot of Burj Khalifa and almost two million, if we are to include those who stood in awe at surrounding areas, including Burj Park, Mohammad Bin Rashid Boulevard, Shaikh Zayed Road and Business Bay area, were to be in.
Fireworks lit up the sky and on the ground everyone was capturing every moment with their smartphones in hand. The NYE fireworks display was also streamed live via Twitter, allowing people everywhere to view and tweet about the festivities as they happened, creating a truly global celebration.
Standing shoulder to shoulder at the foot of Burj Khalifa, people were blowing trumpets and shouting 'Happy New Year' as the countdown began with rockets cutting through the air and colourful brush strokes enveloping Burj Khalifa, followed by panoramic fireworks display highlighting the major achievements and futuristic developments of the UAE.
Using the latest technology, splashes of UAE colours and specialised red and white projections continued the spectacle as special LED shows and pyrotechnics were spewed from Burj Khalifa, the Dubai Opera and other landmarks in Downtown Dubai.
The Dubai Fountain, was also synchronized with the fireworks and a Middle Eastern soundtrack brought to life Arabian dance forms, among others.
Highlighting the fireworks sequence was the display of the Expo 2020 logo, inspired by the 4,000-year-old ring discovered by His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, at the Sarouq Al Hadeed site.
The finale celebrated Dubai's futuristic icon, celebrating national pride and serving as a symbolic bridge between the present and future of Dubai.
"It was an absolute epic," summed up by 10-year Dubai resident Praneep Srinivas, who witnessed the event for the first time with his parents.
The Eugenio family endured waiting for 10 hours just to get a perfect view of the fireworks. Rommel, the head of the family, said "it was worth all the wait."
"Before I just watched it on Youtube and now experiencing it up close was truly fantastic and exhilarating - the sound, the lights were all indescribable," Rommel said.
Ruth, a service crew, at a restaurant in Burj Park was almost teary- eyed after the fireworks. "It was better than last year, erasing the somehow bad memory of seeing the nearby Address Hotel engulfed in fire," she told Khaleej Times.
In an earlier statement, Ahmad Al Matrooshi, managing director of Emaar Properties, said: "The New Year's Eve celebrations by Emaar is a tribute to the positive spirit of our city."
Algerian tourist Bessine Yousef also agreed. "Watching it for the second time in a row was truly amazing."
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