Happy New Year: From drones, 53-minute fireworks to world records; how UAE ringed in 2025

Happy New Year 2025: UAE celebrated the arrival of 2025 with an impressive display of fireworks, setting multiple world records during the festivities. The skies over Al Raha Beach in Abu Dhabi were lit up with spectacular fireworks as residents celebrated the arrival of 2025, marking the beginning of a new year with joy and excitement. The skyline glittered and glowed, with crowds hooting and expressing their joy at the start of 2025.

Happy New Year 2025 LIVE

In Abu Dhabi, the Sheikh Zayed Festival's Supreme Organising Committee in Al Wathba showed a New Year's Eve programme featuring a 53-minute continuous fireworks and 6000 drones used to display several images to welcome New Year 2025.

At the festival, 100,000 ballons were released into the air. A travel and food content creator Safia Mansoor also posted a video on her social media handle saying Abu Dhabi broke Guinness World Record with 50+ minutes firework.

Ras Al Khaimah's two records

Ras Al Khaimah set two new Guinness World Records one is ‘Largest aerial display of a tree formed by multirotors/drones’ and the other is ‘Largest aerial image of a seashell with its drones and fireworks display’. Last year, Ras Al Khaimah had set two Guinness World Records during its New Year's Eve celebrations for the Longest Sequence of Floating Fireworks and the Longest Straight-Line Drone Show.

Various locations in Abu Dhabi, such as the Corniche, Yas Island, Al Hudayriyat Island, and others also hosted diverse and impressive fireworks shows. In addition to Abu Dhabi, other key locations in Dubai that displayed include Burj Khalifa, Dubai Frame, Expo City, Global Village, Jumeirah Beach Hotel (Jumeirah Group), Dubai Design District, Bluewaters (The Beach JBR), Al Seef, Dubai Festival City, Dubai Parks and Resorts, Hatta, and J1 La Mer Beach. In Dubai, thousands attended a fireworks show at the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest skyscraper.

(With inputs from Associated Press)