SET OFF THE FIREWORKS

While the Burj Khalifa’s iconic fireworks show has been cancelled, here’s a list of venues across the UAE where you can ring in 2018 with a bang. ABU DHABI

Katy Perry’s performance of Firework during her NYE concert won’t be the only pyrotechnics lighting up du Forum. The skies above Yas Island’s Winterland Carnival will be lit up by a six-minute long fireworks show. Free entry; visit duforum.ae.

The New Year’s Eve Countdown Village at Abu Dhabi Corniche will feature a 15-minute long firework display after performances by Egyptian singer Tamer Hosni and Emirati singer Hussein Al Jasmi. A laser and lights show and a confetti shower will also vie for your attention. General entry is Dh40 per person; visit platinumlist.net. Al Maryah Island will have festive food trucks, performances by Kadim Al Sahir and Balqees and a fireworks show at midnight. Free entry but limited to the first 1,500 visitors.

SHARJAH

Al Qasba and Al Majaz Waterfront, two of Sharjah’s cultural hubs, will have firework displays on NYE at the stroke of midnight. The festivities at Al Qasba are free but the 10-minute firework show at Al Majaz is preceded by an NYE banquet; call 06 511 7011 for details.

DUBAI

Atlantis the Palm is keeping their NYE tradition alive this year too with their annual gala dinner and a grand fireworks show. Kids aged 11 and under go free; adult tickets start from Dh2,900 and tickets for teens cost Dh2,030, at platinumlist.net. From 7pm-3am. Clusters of fireworks will bloom around Madinat Jumeirah and the Burj Al Arab on December 31. For a closer view, book yourself into one of the restaurants at Souk Madinat Jumeirah or the Burj Al Arab and watch the pyrotechnics reflect off the Madinat’s waterways. Visit Jumeirah.com. You can give the downtown crowds a miss and head south towards Jebel Ali for unhindered views of fireworks – there’ll be a firework display at Dubai Parks and Resorts’ Riverland and another one at the nearby Qasr Al Sultan hotel and dining venue. Entry to Riverland is free; fireworks at Qasr Al Sultan are part of a New Year Eve buffet and entertainment show that starts from Dh600 per adult. Visit qasralsultan.ae.

The Dubai Festival City Mall is upping the ante with four fireworks shows scheduled every hour on the hour from 9pm-12pm. The final show at midnight, over Festival Bay, promises to be bigger than the rest. Cop a spot outside the waterfront mall and enjoy musical performances and the laser show Imagine too.

Global Village is doing not one but seven New Year’s Eve celebrations. Each celebration coincides with the arrival of New Year in seven different countries and features a special firework display every time. The revelries start at 8pm to correspond with the dawn of 2018 in the Philippines, followed by festivities at 9pm when Thailand celebrates and then celebrations at 10pm, 10.30pm and 11pm to mark the New Year in Bangladesh, India and Pakistan respectively. After the midnight celebrations for UAE, there’ll be a final show of fireworks at 1am to celebrate Turkey’s New Year. Visit globalvillage.ae.

RAS AL KHAIMAH

The Emirate is gearing up to attempt for the Guinness World Record of the largest aerial firework shell along the island’s shoreline. Fireworks will be launched from 120 different sites on Al Marjan Island creating a blazing canopy of sparklers. If you want to witness history being made, make sure you reach Al Marjan before 10pm, as access to viewing decks and the main entrance will be closed at 10pm.