The UAE set five world records at New Year’s Eve
The annual Sheikh Zayed Festival in the United Arab Emirates marked an unprecedented New Year's celebration. The 62-minute New Year's Eve show in Abu Dhabi featured the world's largest fireworks display, setting five new Guinness World Records.
Over 163,000 visitors attended the festival from the early morning of December 31, 2025, to welcome in 2026, while over half a million people watched the spectacular fireworks display from nearby public spaces.
These spectacular New Year's events captured the global media spotlight, with over 600 international television channels and news agencies broadcasting the celebrations live.
Record-breaking displays included the largest number of waterfall fireworks launched in 30 seconds, the largest number of whistle fireworks in 30 seconds, the largest number of thunderbolt fireworks in 30 seconds, and the largest number of ring fireworks in 30 seconds.
New Year's Eve also featured the world's largest drone show, with 6,500 drones flying simultaneously for 20 minutes, creating nine giant formations for the first time in history.
The festival also released 500,000 eco-friendly balloons. Each balloon contained seeds from local trees and plants, making the festival an eco-friendly event.
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