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New Year in UAE: Camping, fireworks, trekking; how residents are planning their celebrations

Some of them have an early start to the festivities while many are waiting till the last-minute to decide

Published: Fri 30 Dec 2022, 8:17 PM

Updated: Sat 31 Dec 2022, 1:22 PM

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Residents are all geared up to celebrate the New Year’s Eve in style but for many, plans are yet to be finalised.

Some of the residents have their celebration plans all set well in advance while many others are still planning. Some others have plans in their mind on what to do to add fervour to the celebrations, but the difficult thing for them is to choose from the many options available. The plans include watching fireworks at various places across the country or camping at remote spots while some have already started their celebration.

Aisha Siddique, a Dubai resident, has planned to go on camping with her family. “We love camping during winter and do not miss out on it if we get the chance,” said Aisha.

The family hasn’t decided on the camping spot yet, and it will be done based on the weather. “What is better than camping in the desert of Al Qudra or maybe the hills in Ras Al Khaimah. From the desert, we can watch multiple fireworks across Dubai at a distance; from the hills, the world’s biggest fire show can be watched from above,” added Aisha.

Aisha Siddique

Aisha Siddique

“Even though you have prepared everything, there is always a last-minute shopping, which is a must,” said Mallika Kuznetsov, a Russian expat managing an event in one of the luxury hotels in Jumeirah.

“I have been working all the while for the grand dinner and NYE party, which restricted me from Shopping. I will carry on with my shopping from now and be well prepared before the sunset,” said Kuznetsov.

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Natalie Bang is among those who have already started their party and she has embarked on a road trip to Oman. Working at a finance agency, she has taken many colleagues to Oman on a road trip. “We wanted to try something different this year and then decided to take a road trip to Musandam. However, we did not plan on anything and packed up our bags and left on Friday morning,” said Bang.

“We will be here until January 2, celebrating on shores engulfed in hills. We have got all our camping types of equipment, food, fire, etc,” said Bang, who had already started their camp in a remote place.

For Tamara Syed and Rizwan Taj, it was a spiritual vacation. They flew down to the holy city of Makkah. “We took off from Abu Dhabi airport, landed in Jeddah, and came straight from Jeddah airport to Makkah via the super-fast bullet train. It’s an amazing train journey.”

Tamara Syed and Rizwan Taj in Makkah.

Tamara Syed and Rizwan Taj in Makkah.

The couple performed their Umrah without any hassle owing to the new visas for the GCC residents. “Saudi government has done an amazing job as the e-visa took less than a minute. It’s a great way to end the year thanking the Lord and a great way to start the year by asking for peace,” said Taj.

ayaz@khaleejtimes.com



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