DUBAI // The landmarks of Downtown Dubai will become spectacular illuminations when the Dubai Festival of Light launches next year.
The event, from March 20 to 29, is a collaboration between a developer, Emaar Properties, and the French city of Lyon, where the world renowned Lumieres de Lyon is held.
Held in December every year, the French city’s celebration of light has turned into a tourist attraction with more than 100 international artists invited to take part each year.
The Dubai Festival of Lights will aim to re-create the French event with energy-efficient lighting, used across the 120-hectare Downtown Dubai development.
Landmarks such as Burj Khalifa and the Dubai Mall will be given brilliant new facades of festive lighting.
Other landmarks to be lit up include the Mohammed bin Rashid Boulevard, the Dubai Fountain, Souk Al Bahar, The Address Downtown and The Palace Downtown hotels, as well as Burj Plaza and Emaar Square.
Several artists will be commissioned to design the lighting, with organisers promising “an extraordinary celebration of artistic creativity and light installations on a scale never experienced before in the region”.
“The city of Lyon has set a global benchmark in festive lighting and we are honoured to partner with them to bring the world’s finest lighting concepts to Dubai,” said Ahmad Al Matrooshi, the managing director of Emaar Properties.
“The celebratory lighting for each building and the Mohammed bin Rashid Boulevard in Downtown Dubai will be dramatically different, creating an unmatched visual splendour, adding to its appeal as the must-visit tourism destination.”
newsdesk@thenational.ae
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, first leg
Liverpool v Roma
When: April 24, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Anfield, Liverpool
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
Five famous companies founded by teens
There are numerous success stories of teen businesses that were created in college dorm rooms and other modest circumstances. Below are some of the most recognisable names in the industry:
- Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg and his friends started Facebook when he was a 19-year-old Harvard undergraduate.
- Dell: When Michael Dell was an undergraduate student at Texas University in 1984, he started upgrading computers for profit. He starting working full-time on his business when he was 19. Eventually, his company became the Dell Computer Corporation and then Dell Inc.
- Subway: Fred DeLuca opened the first Subway restaurant when he was 17. In 1965, Mr DeLuca needed extra money for college, so he decided to open his own business. Peter Buck, a family friend, lent him $1,000 and together, they opened Pete’s Super Submarines. A few years later, the company was rebranded and called Subway.
- Mashable: In 2005, Pete Cashmore created Mashable in Scotland when he was a teenager. The site was then a technology blog. Over the next few decades, Mr Cashmore has turned Mashable into a global media company.
- Oculus VR: Palmer Luckey founded Oculus VR in June 2012, when he was 19. In August that year, Oculus launched its Kickstarter campaign and raised more than $1 million in three days. Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion two years later.
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.