Pay premium to enjoy best Dubai fireworks view

Dubai: If you are keen on watching the fireworks light up the Burj Khalifa live from a vantage point in Dubai Mall this New Year’s Eve, be prepared to shell out a few thousand dirhams on food and beverage.

For unlimited orders of burgers, hot dogs, hand cut fries, a wide variety of sodas and freshly made customised milkshakes, American burger chain Five Guys is charging Dh1,200 per person for the gold package and Dh1,000 for the silver package. It’s another thing that a confirmed booking of any one of the packages then becomes your ticket to uninterrupted views of the Burj Khalifa fireworks, which is otherswise a free event.

Another Dubai Mall restaurant, Café Bateel, is charging the same albeit for a more elaborate five-course set menu including lobster and duck dishes while prices for a four-course meal at Patiala, an Indian specialty restaurant in Souk Al Bahar, next to the Dubai Fountain, start from Dh1,000.

“There are still a few tables left and there will be absolutely no walk-ins that evening,” said a staff at Noodle House that’s offering meal deals starting from Dh750 going to Dh1,500. “If you choose our extended terrace seating, you will get uninterrupted views of the Burj Khalifa. Can’t promise the same to someone who’s bought any other package,” he said explaining why the restaurant is charging Dh1,500 for an all-exclusive meal that otherwise costs Dh1,000 in their ‘normal terrace’ setting and Dh750 for someone dining inside the restaurant. “You may be able catch a bit of the fireworks perhaps from the window but nothing like the clear open air views you will get from our extended terrace,” he stressed.

If a recent study by Travelex is anything to go by, revellers may actually be shelling out even more – Dh2,015 on food, drinks and entertainment per person on an average. According to the British foreign exchange firm this also makes Dubai the most expensive place to ring in 2016 – ahead of London (Dh1,635), New York (Dh1,565) and Paris (Dh1,145).

Downtown delight

Briton Joanna who is hosting three of her cousins from Southampton over a NYE dinner in Dubai says most of her friends are spending even more. “London fireworks is spectacular but it’s nothing like what’s here in Dubai. I have seen both and I can tell you why watching Dubai fireworks is the real deal and why people spend all the money to be here,” says the consultant who will be headed to Downtown Dubai fireworks for the third straight year.

“This time it’s costing me a fortune as I have my family but I don’t mind it,” adds Joanna who has made table arrangements for four at a Souk Al Bahar restaurant for close to Dh5,000.

Indian Navneet may be visiting Dubai for the third time with his wife but says it will only be his first NYE here. “I want to make this special and I’ve already booked a spot under the Burj,” says the new father who is hoping to catch Emaar’s unprecedented audio-visual display with LED lights and light beams this time from as close as possible.

“Food becomes secondary in these situations. You would have to think you are paying for a lifetime’s experience,” adds the advertising professional from New Delhi who’s paid over Dh3,000 for two adults and his five-month-old son at another Dubai mall restaurant.

The much-awaited Downtown Dubai New Year’s Eve Gala is expected to be a futuristic celebration of the city, underlining its 2020 vision, while paying rich tribute to the UAE and its achievements.