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19 March 2024

Dubai’s NYE world record: 6 minutes, 400 locations, 100km shoreline, 400,000 fireworks

Published
By Bindu Suresh Rai

Tucked away between Atlantis The Palm and Sofitel is Ground Zero, the central nucleus for the night that could go down in history as Dubai attempts to smash yet another Guinness World Record, this time, stealing the title away from Kuwait.

The frenzy on the ground is almost contagious, as tentacles of canisters stretch out into the calm Arabian Gulf waters, tiered to a gurgling tug boat; the carrier is poised to make yet another trip to the neighbouring World Islands, which, along with The Palm Jumeirah, will bear witness to the moment when Dubai could break the record for the world’s largest fireworks display.

As the countdown to the New Year’s Eve night has clocked down to the final three days, over 400,000 firework canisters are making their way to their anchoring points across 400 locations that have been earmarked to pepper 100 kilometres of shoreline over a six-minute spectacle.

The current Guinness World Record for the largest display of fireworks (link - https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/records-5000/largest-firework-display) was won last November in Kuwait City, and was set during the celebrations for the 50th anniversary of the country’s constitution, comprising 77,282 fireworks that were stretched over 5km of seafront and lasted 64 minutes.

Yet, even as Dubai’s 360-second extravaganza is mere days away from unfolding, the Guinness World Record itself will be broken within the first minute during Dubai’s attempt, with the additional time an added bonus that will light up the night sky like never before, and could very well be visible even from space.

The planning

According to Dubai World Record, the team behind the NYE fireworks display, the sea of nearly 50-odd trailers that have taken over key points on The Palm Jumeirah, have culminated from an idea that took root 10 months ago, or merely four months after Kuwait took home the title.

World-renowned fireworks technicians and pyrotechnic whizkids from Grucci have been employed for the grand display, with a site tour by Emirates 24|7 revealing the gamut of exactly how much power 400,000 worth of razzle dazzle can really pack.

At one end, while ground staff was busy anchoring some of the trailer beds into place, loaded with the canisters of fireworks, the other side saw floating platoons carrying its precious cargo and readied to be positioned around The Palm Crescent that will double as launch platforms on the night.

The World Islands will also boast its own sparklefest from each of the seven continents, with New York Island from the manmade archipelago transforming into the centre of command on the night, as 100 computers will narrow down the massive display to the final second.

The Dubai World Record picked New York Island as a fitting tribute to the fireworks itself, which have been largely manufactured in the US state itself, along with Spain.

Keep those eyes glued to the skies

While the schematics to unveil the final act of the night remain a closely-guarded secret, what we can reveal is the show will start a few seconds to midnight, with a dazzle of fireworks and pyrotechnics revealing a countdown of numbers in the sky – in both Arabic and English.

At the stroke of midnight, a ‘sunrise’ will be visible in the horizon where The World Islands lay.

A flying falcon, again created by the marriage of the two above-mentioned mediums, will soar upwards from the trunk of The Palm, before GrucciSkyEtching technology will reveal the colours of the UAE flag, presented at 225m wide x 130m high – using a patented PixelBurst technology that uses embedded computer chips for precision firing.

At 29,250 square meters, it will be the largest pyrotechnic flag ever presented.

Meanwhile, as fireworks will be setting off across the trunk, the fronds and the crescent, seven 24-inch shells will rise 600m above the seven World Island Continents, each spreading a canopy over 700m wide.

We can reveal, the fireworks will ‘perform’ and ‘choreographed’ to an instrumental piece that has specially been composed for the event.

As the final countdown commences for this attempt to go down in history, the Dubai World Record 2014 promises a night that global audiences around the world are least likely to forget.