22 years at Dubai beach, fireworks and family reunions: UAE residents reveal unique New Year's Eve plans

Dubai: As New Year's Eve approaches, UAE residents are preparing to ring in 2026 in their own distinctive ways, from beach walks under fireworks to traditional home-cooked feasts and family reunions.

For German artist Petra Kaltenbach and her family in Dubai, the tradition has remained unchanged for 22 years. Living in Umm Suqeim 2, the family embarks on a 30-minute walk to the beach beside Burj Al Arab to watch the spectacular fireworks display up close.

“The whole atmosphere there is so beautiful. It's such a lovely community," said Petra, who makes the journey with her husband Reiner and daughter Hannah.

“People go there and do picnics, sometimes with tents. It's really very atmospheric, and it's worth it to see the fireworks from so close and so intense."

Beach celebrations

In the beginning, the family only had the option of walking into the beach. Later, they used to take their car. But, due to the traffic jams that followed after the spot became a NYE fireworks site, walking became their cherished family ritual again.

"Initially, it was very empty, but later it became crowded enough not to go there by car because you can't leave without waiting for hours because of all the traffic jam," Petra explained.

The Kaltenbachs sometimes join groups of up to 20 people, while other years they have intimate celebrations with just the three of them.

Home-cooked traditions

For Romanian Alina Radut, her Sri Lankan husband Gayan Nandika, and daughter Alexia, this New Year's marks a special milestone in their new home at Town Square community.

"We moved to our new home a couple of months ago, so we will be staying home and enjoying the New Year celebrations in our new community, cooking some traditional food," said Alina, a sports officer with a higher education institution.

Family-focused festivities

The family plans to prepare traditional Romanian dishes including sarmale (cabbage rolls with mincemeat and rice), and mamaliga, a cornmeal dish similar to polenta that serves as a bread substitute.

"The UAE has declared 2026 as Year of Family, so we want to spend more time with the family beginning from New Year's itself, paying more attention to activities together," Alina said.

"We will also spend time expressing our gratitude towards family, what we build together, and where we started from and where we reached. We are happy and grateful for what we have."

Road trip, family reunion, fireworks

Indian expat Siddhant Kakkar is set to welcome the New Year with a grand family reunion against the backdrop of record-breaking fireworks in Ras Al Khaimah.

“My wife, Pooja, will be flying back from Mumbai to the UAE after spending time with family in India. Her flight is scheduled to land at Ras Al Khaimah International Airport at 10:30 pm, just hours before the countdown to the New Year.”

While Pooja makes her way back by air, Siddhant, his three-year-old son Aryavardhan, and his mother Anita will be on the road, driving from Dubai to Ras Al Khaimah to join her.

“Early this month, my mother flew in specifically to experience the festive spirit of the UAE’s New Year celebrations. She wanted to witness firsthand how the country brings people from different cultures together to celebrate a shared moment in time,” Siddhant noted.

Homecoming celebrations

Meanwhile, Yvonne C Mtengwa from Zimbabwe represents those who fly out to celebrate elsewhere. After 14 years in Dubai, she has returned home to Zimbabwe with her family to ring in the New Year with her parents.

"New Year's Eve for us is very much about family gatherings, people coming together from different parts of the world to come back home to Zimbabwe," said Yvonne, contrasting the experience with Dubai's glittering skyline celebrations.

"It's certainly not the glitz and glam that you find in the skylines of Abu Dhabi or Dubai with the fireworks and the big lights on Burj Khalifa. For us, it's a lot of backyard barbecues, community-centric events, shop markets, outdoor music festivals. It's very summer right now, so lots of greenery, lots of outdoor event,” explained Yvonne, an entrepreneur, communications professional, and travel industry figure.