Boats, cars parade UAE colours
Kicking off socially distanced National Day celebrations in Dubai, yachts and cars on Tuesday paraded the UAE’s colours across the emirate’s streets and waterways. While 100 decorated vehicles vroomed into a parade in Mamzar at 9.30am, yachts set sail in Dubai Marina at 11.30am.
A fleet of 20 yachts and water scooters — adorned with mini UAE flags, ribbons and balloons — cruised towards the open sea. It was a captivating spectacle that residents were able to watch from their apartments’ balconies.
The yachts embarked on a two-hour cruise, taking with it a 49m-long UAE flag, which was raised in the middle of the sea by a fly boarder. During that unique flag-hoisting moment, the boats formed a circle around it as passengers cheered for the UAE.
‘Ride with pride’
Called Ride with Pride, the 40-minute car parade organised by Al Ghurair (AG) Auto and AG Cars Services took the festive fleet from Mamzar to the Union Flag pole in Jumeirah.
Adorned with the colours of the national flag, the vehicles moved together at a speed of 40 to 60kmph. As everyone observed Covid safety rules, there were only three people in a car, all them waving flags with the UAE’s national anthem playing in their stereos.
Leading from the front were Arturo Lujan, CEO of Al Ghurair Ventures; Mohammad Abdul Malique, head of operations at AG Cars by Al Ghurair; and Mohammad Malik Tarik, head of AG Auto. “This car parade was our way of saying thank you to the UAE that we expats call our second home. The safety we have experienced in the UAE, even amid the pandemic is a source of great comfort,” Lujan said.