Blog: UAE welcomes new year with dazzling fireworks

The Khaleej Times team of journalists and photographers were spread all across the UAE, last night, to bring you minute-by-minute updates in the run up to the New Year celebrations.

Also read: Best New Year's Eve fireworks-watching spots in UAE
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Fireworks at Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah

Photos by Rahul Gajjar, Dhes Handumon, Ryan Lim, Neeraj Murali, M. Sajjad, Shihab











 
12.28 am

Fireworks at the Burj Al Arab
 

12.27 am
 

@BurjKhalifa we want more! pic.twitter.com/a0R5zPtSsD
- ? (@FatimaMustaphaA) December 31, 2015

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12.10 am
Fireworks at the Burj Al Arab



12.04 am (January 1)
The man who suffered a heart attack during the Address fire has passed away.
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10.45 pm
"New Year celebrations will continue as planned," said Mona Al Marri, Director-General of Dubai Media Office.
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9.12 pm
New year decorations at Al Majaz Waterfront in Sharjah. (M. Sajjad)


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8.57 pm
Thousands of people being entertained at Global Village (Neeraj Murali)

 

Thousands of people being entertained at Global VillageWatch: Thousands of people being entertained at Global VillageVideo: Neeraj Murali/Khaleej Times#HappyNewYear live blog: http://ktimes.co/34pfg
Posted by Khaleej Times on Thursday, 31 December 2015

 
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7.59 pm
RTA shuttle buses are parked near Dubai Mall to ferry passengers to and from nearby Metro stations (Kymberlee Fernandes)

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7.53 pm
The crowd at Dubai Mall, just four hours before the New Year fireworks at Burj Khalifa. (Dhes Handumon)

 

The crowd at Dubai Mall, just four hours before the New Year f...The crowd at Dubai Mall, just four hours before the New Year fireworks at #BurjKhalifa.Dhes Handumon/Khaleej Times#HappyNewYear live blog: http://ktimes.co/34pfg
Posted by Khaleej Times on Thursday, 31 December 2015

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7.47 pm
A crowded Dubai Mall, just hours before the New Year fireworks at Burj Khalifa. (Dhes Handumon)

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7.41 pm
Fountains at Burj Khalifa as thousands of spectators wait for the New Year fireworks (Rahul Gajjar)


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7.24 pm
A sound and light show for the kids at JBR started at 7 pm. Images of snowflakes and mystical woods have entranced the young audience seated on bean bags that have been provided. (Nivriti Butalia)
 

 

A sound and light show for the kids at JBR#NewYear LIVE BLOG: A sound and light show for the kids at JBR started at 7 pm. Images of snowflakes and mystical woods have entranced the young audience seated on bean bags that have been provided.http://ktimes.co/34pfg(Nivriti Butalia/Khaleej Times)#HappyNewYear #MyDubaiNewYear #BurjKhalifa
Posted by Khaleej Times on Thursday, 31 December 2015

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7.17 pm
People waiting for fireworks at Global Village (Neeraj Murali)

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7.10 pm
Cultural programme begins at a Global Village pavilion (Neeraj Murali)

 

Cultural programme begins at a Global Village pavilion#NewYear LIVE BLOG: Cultural programme begins at a Global Village pavilionhttp://ktimes.co/34pfg(Neeraj Murali/Khaleej Times)#HappyNewYear #MyDubaiNewYear #BurjKhalifa Global Village
Posted by Khaleej Times on Thursday, 31 December 2015

 
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7.01 pm
Bachelors who sneaked into family areas at Burj Khalifa are being asked to leave (Kymberlee Fernandes)

 

Bachelors who sneaked into family areas at Burj Khalifa are be...#NewYear LIVE BLOG: Bachelors who sneaked into family areas at Burj Khalifa are being asked to leavehttp://ktimes.co/34pfg(Kymberlee Fernandes/Khaleej Times)#HappyNewYear #MyDubaiNewYear #BurjKhalifa
Posted by Khaleej Times on Thursday, 31 December 2015

 
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6.57 pm
Families set up small tents for camping at Burj Al Arab (Shihab)


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6.61 pm
Traffic towards Burj Khalifa is getting heavier. (Suchitra Steven Samuel)

 

Traffic towards Burj Khalifa is getting heavier#NewYear LIVE BLOG: Watch: Traffic towards Burj Khalifa is getting heavierhttp://ktimes.co/34pfg(Suchitra Steven Samuel/Khaleej Times)#HappyNewYear #MyDubaiNewYear #BurjKhalifa
Posted by Khaleej Times on Thursday, 31 December 2015

 
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6.46 pm
Play To Win. 'Pyramid smash' can games at JBR. Who wants to win a stuffed toy? Lots of people, apparently. (Nivriti Butalia)

 

Play To Win. 'Pyramid smash' can games at JBR. Who wants to wi...#NewYear LIVE BLOG: Play To Win. 'Pyramid smash' can games at JBR. Who wants to win a stuffed toy? Lots of people, apparently.http://ktimes.co/34pfg(Nivriti Butalia/Khaleej Times)#HappyNewYear #MyDubaiNewYear #BurjKhalifa
Posted by Khaleej Times on Thursday, 31 December 2015

 
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6.34
Bike patrol at Downtown Dubai (Kymberlee Fernandes)
 

#MyDubaiNewYear LIVE BLOG: @DubaiPoliceHQ bike patrol at @MyDowntownDubai - https://t.co/rad7q0AUjb #HappyNewYear pic.twitter.com/3LlSfdjQ13
- Khaleej Times (@khaleejtimes) December 31, 2015

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6.30 pm
A man taking selfies during the last sunset of 2015 at Al Khan beach in Sharjah (M. Sajjad)

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6.17 pm
The sun has set at Global Village and people are looking for the best locations to view the fireworks. (Neeraj Murali)


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6.00 pm
FOUR MORE HOURS TO GO FOR THE NEW YEAR FIREWORKS
Confetti and party hats between Dh20 and Dh40 being sold at The Market at The Beach (Nivriti Butalia)


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5.57 pm
Snakes and ladders on the boardwalk, JBR (Nivriti Butalia)

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5.46 pm
The last sunset of 2015 at Burj Khalifa (Kymberlee Fernandes)

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5.41 pm
'Snow Globe' at the beach for kids to bounce around in (Nivriti Butalia)

 

'Snow Globe' at the beach for kids to bounce around in#NewYear LIVE BLOG: 'Snow Globe' at the beach for kids to bounce around inhttp://ktimes.co/34pfg(Nivriti Butalia/Khaleej Times)#HappyNewYear #MyDubaiNewYear #BurjKhalifa
Posted by Khaleej Times on Thursday, 31 December 2015

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5.26 pm
Sound check near the waves: The DJ at the du booth on the beach warming up the console (Nivriti Butalia)

 

Sound check near the waves: The DJ at the du booth on the beac...#NewYear LIVE BLOG: Sound check near the waves: The DJ at the du booth on the beach warming up the consolehttp://ktimes.co/34pfg(Nivriti Butalia/Khaleej Times)#HappyNewYear #MyDubaiNewYear
Posted by Khaleej Times on Thursday, 31 December 2015

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5.17 pm
Crowd starts coming in at Global Village (Neeraj Murli)

 

Crowd starts coming in at Global Village#NewYear LIVE BLOG: Crowd starts coming in at Global Villagehttp://ktimes.co/34pfg(Neeraj Murali/Khaleej Times)#HappyNewYear #MyDubaiNewYear
Posted by Khaleej Times on Thursday, 31 December 2015

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4.44 pm
It's getting extremely crowded at the Dubai Mall Metro station (Dhes Handumon)



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4.39 pm
No strollers allowed (Kymberlee Fernandes)


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4.32 pm

Ladies and families being segregated at the entrance of Dubai Mall (Dhes Handumon)

 

Ladies and families being segregated at the entrance of Dubai ...Watch: Ladies and families being segregated at the entrance of Dubai MallCourtesy: Dhes Handumon/Khaleej TimesFollow our live coverage: http://ktimes.co/34pfg#HappyNewYear #MyDubaiNewYear
Posted by Khaleej Times on Thursday, 31 December 2015

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4.22 pm
A projector screen has installed for the New Year countdown at Al Qasba in Sharjah (M. Sajjad)

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4.14 pm
The crowd at JBR, The Beach for New Year celebrations (Leslie Pableo)

 

The crowd at JBR, The Beach for New Year celebrationsThe crowd at JBR, The Beach for New Year celebrationsCourtesy: Leslie Pableo/Khaleej TimesFollow our live coverage: http://ktimes.co/34pfg#HappyNewYear #MyDubaiNewYear
Posted by Khaleej Times on Thursday, 31 December 2015

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4.10 pm

 

Amit Rasul, who is at #Dubai mall to see the fireworks for the first time, got a reservation at Red Lobster for...
Posted by Khaleej Times on Thursday, 31 December 2015

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3.58 pm
Eight more hours to go for the spectacular fireworks in Dubai (Dhes Handumon)

 

WATCH: More than 8 hours to go for the spectacular fireworks - people rapidly flock inside #Dubai mall Video by Dhes Handumon /Khaleej TimesFollow our live coverage: http://ktimes.co/34pfg#HappyNewYear #MyDubaiNewYear
Posted by Khaleej Times on Thursday, 31 December 2015

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3.20 pm
Ambulances parked outside Dubai Mall (Kymberlee Fernandes)

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3.13 pm
A refreshments stall outside Burj Khalifa (Kymberlee Fernandes)



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3.08 pm
"I've been watching on the news for the last four years. I parked at Rashidiya Metro station. I left home in Sharjah at 12 pm and I'm hoping to get home by 3.30 am", says Riyas. (Kymberlee Fernandes)

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2.57 pm
Area around the Burj Khalifa is being cordoned off. (Rahul Gajjar)

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2.48 pm
Timelapse video of people going in and out of the Dubai Mall from the Dubai Metro (Dhes Handumon)
 

 

Timelapse video of people going in and out of Dubai MallWatch: Timelapse video of people going in and out of Dubai Mall from the Dubai Metro. #MyDubaiNewYearCourtesy: Dhes Handumon/Khaleej TimesRead live blog on the run up to New Year celebrations in Dubaihttp://ktimes.co/34pfg
Posted by Khaleej Times on Thursday, 31 December 2015

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2.43 pm
"This is the first time we are seeing the fireworks. We watched it on TV last year," friends from Abu Dhabi. (Kymberlee Fernandes)

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2.34 pm
Dubai Mall is getting crowded (Dhes Handumon)

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2.32 pm
Hannan Shaik says: "These fireworks are amazing. Seeing it first time from the inside. Last year we stood outside. Really excited."
(Kymberlee Fernandes)

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2.02 pm: Dubai Mall begins to fill up (By Kymberlee Fernandes)


Blog curated by Sunita Menon, Anupam Varma, and Yousuf Saifuddin/Khaleej Times

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