DUBAI’S BIG MORNING CLEAR-UP... BUT SHOW WILL GO ON
▶ Baby Omar arrived on stroke of midnight as a million residents watched record Burj display, now lightshow will run until March
The breathtaking Burj Khalifa lightshow that dazzled spectators on New Year’s Eve will run every night until March, organisers said.
More than a million people were in Downtown Dubai for the performance on Monday night.
It was accompanied by the return of a fireworks spectacular that was watched by the crowds.
Down at the coast, Juventus footballer Cristiano Ronaldo posted an image on Instagram of himself and his family with the Burj Al Arab in the background.
The pyrotechnics were put together by a team of more than 40 professionals, and more than 250 experts worked on the laser and light show.
Developer Emaar said the illumination of Burj Khalifa’s facade earned it two Guinness World Records, for the largest and tallest LED-illuminated facade.
Yesterday morning, the task of cleaning up Downtown Dubai was under way after hundreds of thousands of revellers partied well into night.
Cleaners swept the streets early and boats collected debris from the downtown lake after the fireworks performance and party.
Ras Al Khaimah entered Guinness World Records with an fireworks display that spanned 13 kilometres.
RAK now holds two records – for the longest straight line and the longest chain of fireworks. The display, a tribute to the end of the Year of Zayed, used 11,284 fireworks for the 4.6 kilometre chain on Al Marjan Island.
The record was set in little over 12 minutes and there were seven themed chapters for the show, which was set to music. It also featured a performance by 200 drones, which displayed images including a falcon spreading its wings.
About the same time, the UAE welcomed its first baby of 2019.
Baby Omar, weighing 3.53 kilograms, was born to Mohammed and Sajeda Joha at Bareen International Hospital in Mohammed bin Zayed City, Abu Dhabi. Omar arrived a day early after an emergency Caesarean section.
Dr Mohammed Embabi, a paediatrician at Bareen, was on call that night and was one of the team that delivered Omar.
“Fifteen minutes before the delivery, they called me and I came from home to attend,” Dr Embabi said.
The Johas, from Syria, have lived in the UAE for the past seven years with another son, Farzad, aged seven. Mr Joha, 35, said his family was grateful to the medical team for ensuring baby Omar’s safe arrival.
“Both my wife and our baby are in great health and are now resting,” he said. “This is the best New Year’s gift to our family.”
Dr Hala Hassan, a specialist in obstetrics and gynaecology who led the medical team, said bringing a child into the world was momentous enough, but giving birth to the first baby of 2019 was “truly extra special”.
“We wish the new family healthy years ahead, happiness and prosperity on the birth of their new child,” she said.
Cleaners swept the streets early and boats collected debris from the downtown lake after the fireworks performance and party