Brighter and bigger Diwali in Dubai
EMIRATES OFFERING SWEETS TO PASSENGERS ONBOARD AND AT ITS PREMIUM LOUNGES
A 10-day fair, plenty of entertainment activities and retail promotions to brighten up Indian festival of lights this year |
With a first-time fireworks display, a 10-day fair and plenty of entertainment activities and retail promotions, Dubai is taking the Indian festival of lights to a brighter level this year.
Diwali has officially become a major festival on the Dubai calendar, with the emirate’s tourism department promoting various activities before and after the actual day of the festival, which falls on November 7 this year.
“Diwali is very significant on the Indian calendar and we are looking forward to making it an enjoyable occasion for not just Indian residents and tourists, but people of all nationalities,” Ahmad Al Khaja, CEO of Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), an agency of Dubai Tourism, said in a media statement. “This year promises to be bigger and better than ever before.”
Firecrackers, a traditional part of Diwali celebrations in India, are not permitted in Dubai. Even so, the emirate will officially hold a dazzling display of fireworks.
Emirates airline is also taking Diwali festivities further this year, by offering sweet delicacies of the festival to its passengers on-board and at its premium lounges in Dubai, New Delhi, Cape Town, Johannesburg and Kuala Lumpur.
Dubai residents can enjoy the first-ever official display of a Diwali diya lighting ceremony and fireworks at the Dubai Creek at 8.30pm on November 7. The fireworks are part of 10-day festivities at Al Seef, the waterfront promenade by Meraas, with the participation of DFRE, Dubai Police and the Indian Consulate.
Also on the agenda is a Guinness World Record attempt for the biggest number of people lighting up LED lamps in a relay, as well as a display of supercars and a marching band performance by the Dubai Police, as part of the Diwali Mela [carnival].