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The Burj Khalifa New Year’s Eve fireworks display in Dubai, United Arab Emirates is titled “Eve of Wonder” this year.
The Burj Khalifa New Year’s Eve Fireworks Live Stream
According to the Emaar website, this year the fireworks also include a brand new laser show at the Dubai Fountains in front of the famous Burj Khalifa skyscraper. It will be broadcast live globally and live-streamed at mydubainewyear.com. Coverage begins at 8:30 p.m. local time, which is 11:30 a.m. Eastern and 8:30 a.m. Pacific in the United States.
The site reads:
Since 2010, the Emaar NYE celebrations have become among the most iconic in the world. Watched by an estimated audience of 1 billion worldwide, the display, which takes place in Downtown Dubai on 31 December, is a unique initiative by Emaar, the global property developer, reflecting the dynamism, creativity, and openness of the city.
In a sweeping expanse across the entire 500-acre Downtown Dubai neighborhood, the show expands in a spectacular visual display of pyrotechnics precisely choreographed to a content and light show and an eclectic soundtrack. The show brings artistic interpretations to life through Burj Khalifa’s massive LED façade, synched to The Dubai Fountain. The celebrations are televised nationally and globally.
The celebrations area is kept safe with valuable support from the Dubai Department of Tourism & Commerce, Roads & Transport Authority, Dubai Police, Dubai Civil Defence and Dubai Health Authority, among other governmental entities, as hundreds of thousands of people descend on Downtown Dubai to witness the event.
New Year’s Eve Fun Facts
New Year’s Eve is the celebration that marks the end of the Gregorian calendar year. The Gregorian calendar was first introduced by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582 and he is who the calendar is named for, though January 1 as the start of the year actually dates back to Julius Caesar and his eponymous calendar, according to the History Channel.
The annual celebration has many names across the globe, including Calennig in Wales, Hogmanay in Scotland, Baharu in Indonesia and Malaysia, Silvester in many European countries, Kanun Novadgo Goda in Russia, Omisoka in Japan, and Reveillon in France, Portugal, and Brazil.
According to Mental Floss, the first places to ring in the new year Tonga, Samoa and New Zealand, because they are located just west of the International Date Line. Howland Island and Baker Island of the United States are the very last places to celebrate because they are located just east of the International Date Line. What is interesting is that because the International Date Line zig-zags a bit, Kiritimati is actually east of Baker Island.
The United States is known for ringing in the new year with “drops,” i.e. when some large object descends during a countdown. The most famous one is, of course, the ball drop in Times Square in New York City, but there are a bunch of other drops held nationwide, including A peach drop in Atlanta, Georgia; an Indy car drop in Indianapolis, Indiana; a conch shell drop in Key West, Florida, a fleur-de-lis drop in New Orleans; a potato drop in Boise, Idaho; and a tortilla chip drop in Tempe, Arizona.
Fireworks displays are also very popular around the globe. Sydney, Australia famously holds a huge display in the harbor. Other cities that have notable fireworks displays include Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, London, England, Nashville, Las Vegas, and all across Canada.
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