Dubai: Pramod Nair, an Indian expat, regularly ushers in New Year by watching the fireworks. “It is an expensive affair to be booking a dinner for thousands of dirhams to get a glimpse of the fireworks which you can watch for free. And I think it is more fun to be amid the crowd and enjoy the festivities, though we had a bad experience last time. I had taken my parents, who were on a visit, to watch the fireworks and my father sustained a bruise on his forehead from a piece of debris that fell from the Address Downtown Hotel that caught fire just before the fireworks started. Since my family is away in India, I was in two minds about going there this time. But one of my friends has just come down from Germany to celebrate New Year here and I need to take her there.”
Pamela Nelepa, a Macedonian expat, feels she is lucky to be staying near the Burj Khalifa and can watch the fireworks from her window. “This is an amazing city with so many entertainments during the year. I feel the New Year is just something that we are having through the whole year, for Dubai residents have a New Year every day. So, to pay such huge amount of money is really not logical, especially if you can see it for free. There are a lot of great, but not so pricey, restaurants that we can enjoy as well. I believe the people who are paying so much for New Year’s dinner at Downtown are tourists or people who have not been living in Dubai for so long.”
Tek Bahadur Gurung, a Nepalese expat, said he has never got the chance to see the Burj Khalifa fireworks even from far. “I have been here for three years. I had worked in Global Village and that is the only place where I had seen the fireworks. I will be on duty on New Year’s Eve and I can’t even go to that area to watch it, let alone having dinner in Downtown area. All that is not meant for people like me.”
Ahmad Bin Al Shaikh, an Emirati who lives in Sharjah, is going to the sleepy coastal town of Khor Fakkan to get away from the crowds. “I am going to Khor Fakkan for New Year’s Eve.
“I will go on Friday and leave on New Year’s Day. I will relax in the Oceanic Hotel and avoid the crazy city traffic. I do expect the hotel to be full and I personally do not celebrate because it is not part of my culture and it is merely just a new day. I just hope that for those that do celebrate or gather for it, please do not cause problems on the roads. Instead of driving, take public transport to ease the traffic.”
Monique Ruma, a Filipina expat who lives in Sharjah, is planning to stay at home and cook a large dinner to celebrate. “It will really be so expensive if I celebrate outside home, such as dining in a restaurant, but it will not be if I just celebrate it at home and just cook dinner for New Year’s Eve. I’ll probably cook seafood for dinner, since traditionally, Filipinos have a belief that it’s not good to serve chicken on New Year’s Eve.”
Shahd Bargouthy, a Jordanian expat who lives in Dubai, is going to have a barbecue in the desert outside the city. “It is really expensive to celebrate New Year’s Eve in Dubai. Almost all places I tried to book required a minimum charge per person and thus it is difficult to invite the family out. Therefore, we decided to celebrate 2017 in Al Qudra desert which barely costs anything and we get to bring our own food and barbecue!”
Nisrin Arsiwala, an Indian expat who lives in Dubai, will hold a house party with close friends and family.
“This New Year will be like all others — spend some quality time with family and close friends. I will be hosting a party at my place and welcome a new beginning in the company of my near and dear ones. Everything and every place gets expensive during New Year’s and Dubai is no exception. While there are some extravagant parties and meet ups to welcome the New Year, the city also offers some great entertainment choices in the form of fireworks and street shows which serve as a perfect treat to begin the new journey.”
