Overview
- President Sheikh Mohamed wished people a prosperous 2026 on X and sent greetings to world leaders, with similar messages from Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid and Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed.
- Fireworks in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah drew large crowds as concerts by John Legend at Emirates Palace and Maroon 5 at Atlantis The Palm headlined the evening, with forecasts calling for breezy but largely dry conditions.
- Dubai enacted its New Year’s Eve operations with early road closures, longer Metro hours and a field hospital near Burj Khalifa supported by seven medical sites.
- Authorities deployed 9,884 police officers, 1,900 medical staff, 1,754 firefighters and 635 ambulance workers to manage the festivities.
- Public services for the holiday period include a January 1 national day off, a January 2 remote-work day for federal employees and a shift of Friday prayers to 12:45pm.