Celebrate the end of '08

On New Year's Eve, Hungarians burn effigies, Danes smash plates, Puerto Ricans throw buckets of water off balconies and onto the street below, the Japanese nosh on sticky rice cakes and almost everyone would like to spend the evening with friends and family.

In Dubai, with its mosaic of cultures, there is an activity to suit every budget and every taste. Shalaka Paradkar lists your best options.

End of the Year Blowouts

- Live large at Atlantis, The Palm, whose 17 restaurants, bars and lounges have a line-up of budget-busting options.

- At Ossiano, the Catalan-inspired restaurant by four-Michelin-star Chef Santi Santamaria overlooking the Ambassador Lagoon, you can ring in '09 with a set menu of Catalan-inspired cuisine.
Dh3,750 per person, with limited beverages.

- Drop the ball in Parisian style at Rostang-The French Brasserie. On offer are alfresco dining on the terrace or in the traditional bistro dining room, a raw bar serving seafood, and a set menu on New Year's Eve of Parisian favourites and live entertainment. Or there is Ronda Locatelli, arguably the best Italian fare this side of the Mediterranean. New York style steakhouse Seafire offers meat from around the globe.
Dh2,750, with welcome drink.

- Chef Nobuyuku Matsuhisa (Nobu to you and me) offers guests a lounge and bar, sushi counter, private dining rooms and a stylish main dining area to enjoy his signature dishes. The New Year's Eve set menu is followed by a DJ spinning the decks in the lounge area from 10pm.
Dh3,750, with welcome drink.

- For a NYE with a view of fireworks, head to Nasimi. There's a set Asian menu served to the tune of a DJ, live percussionist and the Arabian Gulf lapping at your feet. Middle Eastern restaurant Levantine has Arabian music, the regulation belly dancer, set menu and shisha under the stars. For families, Kaleidoscope serves up international cuisines and Saffron has more of Asia. A decadent open-air party under the stars takes place at The Royal Towers, with international cuisine, champagne bar and lounge and fireworks along the white sand beach.
Dh2,750, with unlimited beverages.
Call 04-4262626 or e-mail festive@atlantisthepalm.com

Action in Abu Dhabi

- Party like it's 1609 at the Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi. The annual Royal Masquerade Gala Dinner has guests in medieval costume and provides carnival masks. Chris Poole and the Shades perform live alongside the hotel's resident DJ, along with a female dance troupe, the It Girls. Post-midnight, party with DJ Holly Bee. Bespoke drinks and canapés served upon arrival. Dinner is a plated five-course set menu with selected free flowing beverages.
Dh2,900 (adult) and Dh1,450 (6–12 years), plus 10 per cent service charge and 6 per cent tourism fee.

- Another family celebration option is the New Year's Eve buffet or New Year's Day brunch offer at Le Vendome. Couples receive limited beverages.
Dh310, plus 10 per cent service charge and 6 per cent tourism fee.

- Want to end the year with your dignity intact? How about an elegant six-course dinner with family and friends at Sayad or Mezzaluna, Emirates Palace's award-winning restaurants.

Dh750, plus 10 per cent service charge and 6 per cent tourism fee.
Call 02-6907999 or e-mail restaurants.emiratespalace@kempinski.com.

- Head away for the weekend to the Danat Resort, Jebel Dhanna, outside Abu Dhabi. Dress up to party at the Baynoona Ballroom, the "House of Mirrors". Live entertainment from the resident DJ and exciting prizes to be won.
Dh600, inclusive of unlimited regular beverages. Over 21s only.

- The party at L'attitude has a live band and resident DJ, countdown and a raffle.
Dh50, inclusive of one regular beverage.
Call 02-4099999

- Out at Al Raha Beach Hotel, the Sevilla Restaurant transforms into a lavish dinner party setting from 7:00 to 11:00pm.
Dh380, under 12s Dh190

- The Azur Mediterranean Restaurant has a five-course gastronome's menu with a drink to toast in 2009, from 7pm to 1am. Dh290

- Enjoy cocktails and hors d'oeuvres at The Black Pearl Piano Bar. Dh190

- Or party hard at the Enigma Nightclub hosting a team of DJs and an oriental dancer, from 10pm to 3am.
Dh300

- The Abu Dhabi Grand Ballroom has a New Year's Eve "Reach for the Stars" gala dinner with a full evening of entertainment, plus select beverages, from 9.15pm to 2.30am
Dh690, under 12s Dh345
Call 02-4099999

Fireworks

- For less cash and more bash, grab a picnic and head to the Jumeirah beaches and watch the fireworks going off at the Burj Al Arab and the Palm.

Or you can do so ensconced in chic surroundings, at The Observatory's 52nd floor gastro-lounge and restaurant with its stunning views of the Palm Jumeirah and Dubai Marina. Relax in the bar area to the sounds of an in-house DJ or enjoy a meal in one of the intimate booths. Kick off the evening with a selection of canapés from live cooking stations, with drinks, then be seated for a five-course dinner of cuisines from around the world.
Dh2,500 including an open bar (selected beverages)
Call 04-3194000

A Private Party in a Hotel

- The trappings of a luxe life must include this one — The Hilton Dubai Creek's package for a bespoke party at its Panoramic suite. With a 270 degree vista of Dubai's skyline as backdrop, it features personalised butlers from the Gordon Ramsay team serving gourmet canapés and beverages. Little luxe touches include themed décor, playlist of choice, and exclusive party favours. Two people can stay overnight, though the party must wrap up by 2am.
Dh2,000 (based on a minimum booking of 20 persons).
Call 04-2127550

Desi Extravaganza

- Award-winning venue Kandy Club offers the mother of all parties at the Jumeirah Ballroom, Crowne Plaza Hotel — a mix of international performers, the latest sound and light technology, and of course, surging crowds. This year's lineup stars talents from the UK, India and Dubai, including Brit Asian R&B sensation Jay Sean, the Prince of Bhangra, Juggy D, DJ Rink and DJ Lil B from India, and local talent including DJ Cowboy, DJ Hani, DJ Benson and DJ Shadow. The venue has an estimated capacity of 3,000 and a separate entrance from the back of the Hotel. Ladies enter free before 11pm.
Dh200 (single), Dh250 (couple) and Dh350 (table).
Call 050-7398169 or log on to kandyclub.com

- Back for the fourth year running are popular desi parties Temptasian 2009, featuring DJs from Dubai, DJ KnoX and DJ Sash along with DJ Reme from India at the Dhow Balloom, Dhow Palace Hotel, Bur Dubai.
Call 050-5028022 or 050-3616185

- The Country Club Hotel's members-only bash has Bollywood stars Mallika Sherawat, Adnan Sami, Usha Uthup, Shibani Kashyap and more performing at Airport Expo East Hall, Dubai, from 7.30 pm.
Call 04-3988840

Party in the dunes

- Dhoom 2009 kicks off at the Royal Tours Desert Camp. A night-long family event, with DJ KnoX and home grown talents DJ Beatz, DJ Saleem and DJ Dave spinning out house, techno, funk, underground, and grunge with a Desi flavour.

The ticket covers an all-you-can-eat-and-drink buffet, and pick-up and drop-off facilities. Designated pick-up and drop-off points are the Immigration parking lot, Bur Dubai and Safeer Mall parking in Sharjah. Shuttle buses ply between 7pm and 9pm from these points to the edge of the desert, from where guests will be taken to the desert camp in four-wheel drives after a short drive through the dunes.

Tickets available at Choitram outlets and Sindh Punjab restaurants. Buy tickets online at www.sparkwholesales.com for a 10 per cent discount.
Dh600 (couple), Dh325 (adult) and Dh150 (children).
Call 050-5085467, 050-5085468

- Drum out the old, drum in the new — under the stars at the Gulf Ventures camp. A night of drumming, singing, dancing fuelled by food and music, out in the desert. The eclectic experience around a bonfire includes community drumming through the night, barbecue dinner, camel rides, sand boarding, shisha, belly dancer, fire dancer, African drum group, African dancer, DJ Hany (No Limit), and a balloon lady. A limited number of tents that sleep two are available to rent at Dh100, or camp in your own tent. Shuttle to the car park available at 12.30am, 1.30am, and last shuttle 2.30am. Breakfast served from 8am to 10am.
Dh375 (adult), Dh175 (5-14 years), no charge for under fives. Dinner from 9.30pm to 11.30pm
Call 050-6402058 or e-mail jana@dubaidrums.com

More Five-Star Festivities

- At The Address, Downtown Burj Dubai, the countdown to 2009 starts at Fazaris. A buffet with live cooking stations, party hats and New Year frolic all round from 7pm onwards for Dh1,250.

- Calabar lounge has a resident DJ, spinning soulful funky Latin house until the wee hours of the morning. From 9pm onwards.
Dh500 including two beverages.

- Neos, the 63rd floor sky lounge, has a guest DJ starting the party from 9pm onwards.
Dh800, including two beverages.
Call 04-4368888

- The food — and stylish atmosphere — at Zuma have been a near-constant topic of conversation in Dubai since the DIFC restaurant opened in September. For a minimum spend, you can enjoy the authentic-but-modern Japanese cuisine on New Year's Eve while the resident DJ ups the tempo.

Before 9:30pm, the minimum charge is Dh400. After 9:30pm, it's Dh1,200. The minimum charge will be credited towards the bill after the meal.
Call 04-4255660