Dubai: Downtown Dubai is the place to be on New Year’s Eve, if you are a lover of massive celebrations.
More than two million people gathered around Downtown Dubai to enjoy the midnight spectacle that sent the crowd into a frenzy of celebrations.
Individuals as well as families, young and old, walked kilometres and endured hours of hardship, standing in the jostling crowd, in anticipation of the fireworks.
“I have been coming here with my friends since last year. This is the best place in the world to celebrate New Year and I don’t want to miss it for anything,” said Subhankar Singh, an Indian civil engineer working in Dubai, as he walked with his friends to Burj Khalifa.
Among the revellers were a group of people, all decked up in UAE colours, who have been celebrating their New Year at Burj Khalifa for the last seven years.
The group of Pakistani drivers, labourers and technicians, was a huge attraction for other revellers, seeking pictures and videos and selfies.
“We just come here for fun. We like to have a good time and see others enjoy with us. We come with a different theme every year and this year we thought of designing the dresses with mini flags,” said Abid Hussain, the leader of the group.
While the whole world was scrambling to get the best spot to soak in the spectacle, Australian Vaughan Macefield and his son were walking with the crowd to head back to their home in Burj Khalifa.
Living on the 22nd floor of Burj Khalifa, Masefield hopes to get a better views from the comfort of his home.
“I think they are going to shoot off some fireworks from Burj Khalifa and hopefully we will get the best possible view. This is my first New Year here and I hope we are going to have a good time up there,” said Macefield, a physiologist.
Another reveller, Chirag Rana, agreed that there is no better place to enjoy the New Year Eve, than Downtown Dubai.
Filipino Ameer Aldin said: “I have been coming here for the last two years and I think this is the best New Year celebrations we have. It’s worth all the hassles and pain we go through to be here. The experience is simply amazing.”
