Dubai: More than a thousand people have already gathered at the Jumeirah Open Beach in anticipation of World Record fireworks.
People began gathering as early as 5pm to avoid traffic, camping with families, even as the weather is increasingly chilly.
The location offers best view of Atlantis, Burj Al Arab as well as Burj Khalifa.
Pakistani expat Nasir camped with his wife and three children from 6pm.
"We come here every year as this is the best place to enjoy the fireworks from all sides. It's a good place to have a family outing also. We came early today to avoid being late as we wanted to be part of the world record," said Nasir, who lives in Sharjah.
Cherif Farrog has come all the way from Egypt to enjoy the spectacle and he says he can't wait for the show to begin "I came here with my friends at 5:30pm and hope to be here till late in the night. We are having good fun here and I hope the show will worth the wait."
Indian expat Mohammad Shamir came with his one-year-old daughter to Jumeirah Open Beach to watch the fireworks.
"It is a beautiful evening here and we are enjoying with family. I anticipated rush here so I reached at 6pm. I hope to see a spectacular show. Last year I was at Burj Khalifa, but this year I came here because this is the location from where we can enjoy all fireworks," said Shamir.
At Burj Khalifa
Revellers by the thousands on Tuesday night struggled to find their own spot close enough to the Burj Khalifa to watch the New Year's eve fireworks.
By 7pm, thick crowds had already gathered at most of the viewing spots around the tower including those on Mohammad Bin Rashid Boulevard just behind the Dubai Mall.
Dubai Police barricaded some sections of the boulevard to control the crowd but some roudy revellers managed to jump over and break the barricade just to get closer to the tower.
Many families settled in the corner of the walkway to have their packed dinner. There was hardly space to walk from one section of the boulevard to the next.
Finnish tourist Aki, who's visiting Dubai for the holidays with his wife and two kids, told Gulf News he expected that the crowd would be huge.
"We're excited to watch the fireworks. We're on holiday and we thougt we'd come to see it," he told Gulf News.
Although he could only see half of the tower from his spot, he said: "This is better than nothing."
Even an ambulance carrying a patient had difficulty driving through the boulevard due to the massive crowd.
Here are the best locations you can watch the fireworks from:
Burj Khalifa
Dubai Mall — If you can make it early, there is no better place to watch the fireworks from. The Burj Boulevard, Burj Park or the Mohammad Bin Rashid Boulevard are the good locations to watch the fireworks at the world’s tallest tower.
The pyrotechnics can also be enjoyed from Shaikh Zayed Road, Al Khail Road, Al Meydan road and Safa Park and Al Safa area.
Palm Jumeirah
Palm Jumeirah and the World Islands will be the best places to watch the world’s largest fireworks from. However, given that the area will be restricted to residents and ticket holders of the Sandance Music festival, the alternative locations would be Jumeirah Beach Residence, Umm Suqueim Beach and Jumeirah Beach.
Dubai Festival City
Dubai Creek, Al Garhoud Area and the Business Bay area would be ideal locations to enjoy the fireworks at the Dubai Festival City
Getting there
In order to control the influx of party-goers on the Palm, Dubai government has set up a premium access procedure for visitors. Entry will be restricted to only those holding access passes. Residents can use their passes to bring in their guests, providing they follow the permitted access timetable.
- 8am to 9pm: Access for event pass holders in their personal vehicles and passengers in taxis holding event passes.
- 9pm to 10.30pm: Access for passengers in taxis holding event passes only.
- 10.30pm - 1am: Access will be restricted security and safety purposes. Exceptions will be made for emergency situations.
- Residents are advised to have a maximum of five cars per villa, each of which should have a car pass.
- After 10:30pm, walking around the Palm Jumeirah will be restricted to ensure the safety of residents and visitors during the show.
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All deliveries must be made before 5pm and delivery vehicles should carry an event pass.
