Dubai: The UAE celebrated its 45th National Day on Friday, with streets lined with UAE flags and signboards commemorating the occasion.
Early shoppers made their way to Dubai shopping malls on Friday morning to take advantage of the Dubai’s National Day sale, with discounts between 25 and 90 per cent in participating outlets.
The National Day Sale, which runs till Saturday, is being organised by the government’s Dubai Tourism board, as the UAE celebrates 45 years as a unified country.
Malls have been adorned with UAE flags and some shops had UAE National Day-inspired decorations installed for the occasion.
The Dubai Mall Waterfall had UAE flag projections especially for the occasion and the screen next to the ice rink showed patriotic video clips.
Some UAE residents wore UAE flag scarfs and National Day brooches as they stepped out, while some girls had UAE flag-inspired hair accessories.
Traditional bands from the UAE and other GCC countries held traditional song-and-dance performances in malls across Dubai, highlighting the region’s rich heritage.
Live performances included traditional song and dance accompanied by traditional bagpipe and drum music.
Performances were held at Dubai Festival City Mall, Mall of the Emirates, City Centre Deira, City Centre Mirdif, Ibn Battuta Mall, Dragon Mart 2, The Beach, Boxpark, City Walk and Outlet Village and will continue until Saturday.
The evening saw free concerts from top Arab music superstars Hussain Al Jasmi and Balqees at Burj Park, while renowned Emirati singers Abdullah Bel Khair and Aryam performed at Dragon Mart 2.
Singers Mohammad Menhali and Walid Ebrahim also performed at Global Village.
