Groundbreaking celebrations heralded in 2022 across the GCC

Another world record has been broken in Dubai as tourists joined residents for the festive season

Groundbreaking celebrations to mark the start of the 2022 took place across the GCC.

Never one to disappoint, the world’s tallest building, Burj Khalifa, put on a dazzling display of fireworks, adding elements of light, water and sound to the annual spectacle.

Meanwhile, in Saudi Arabia, fireworks lit up the capital’s skyline for only the second time in the country’s history. Revellers gathered at the newly opened Riyadh City Boulevard to watch the display, which was shared across social media.

Watch: Fireworks light up the sky above #Riyadh on New Year’s Eve for only the second time in the Saudi Arabia’s history after COVID-19 halted celebrations in 2020. https://t.co/oOBPYJ5wnR pic.twitter.com/ci0F7UFXQY

— Al Arabiya English (@AlArabiya_Eng) January 1, 2022

Back in Dubai, Atlantis, The Palm and Moët & Chandon joined forces to break the Guinness World Record for the world’s largest drinking glass pyramid at a special event at White Beach.

Guests bore witness to the unveiling of the world’s largest drinking glass pyramid, officially verified on the night by Guinness World Records. 

The 54,740 glass coupes towering at more than 8.23 metres high were filled from a jeroboam of Moët & Chandon

Beating the previous Guinness World Record set in Madrid in 2017 with 50,116 glasses, a team of six from Dutch company Luuk Broos Events spent five days meticulously stacking the tower of coupes ahead of the grand unveiling. 

The record-breaking attempt was conceived as part of Moët & Chandon’s Effervescence celebrations, a series of events in more than 20 cities, including London, Hong Kong, Toronto, Madrid, Moscow, Johannesburg and Mexico City taking place throughout 2021 and 2022. 

Atlantis Resorts and Residences executive vice president and managing director Timothy Kelly said: “Following what has been a challenging year for us all, it’s a pleasure to stand here today toasting to the dawn of 2022. Tonight, we join our valued partner and fellow masters of celebration Moët & Chandon in creating a moment in history, born from our mutual vision of celebrating togetherness. The champagne tower is traditionally a beacon of greatness and generosity, and we’d like to toast to a new year filled with both in abundance.”

Moët & Chandon has perfected the practice of creating ever-taller champagne pyramids, breaking records in the process

Moët Hennessy Middle-East general manager Laurent Dominguez said: “In 1983, to mark its 240th anniversary, Moët & Chandon established the first world record for the highest champagne pyramid with 2,757 crystal glasses. Almost 40 years later and alongside our valued partner and iconic destination resort, Atlantis, The Palm, we’re thrilled to perpetuate this heritage and create a new milestone with this daring attempt.”

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Guinness World Records’ official adjudicator Pravin Patel said: “It takes considerable planning and organisation to pull off a feat of this magnitude. The strict guidelines provided by Guinness World Records has been observed to the letter, and it was a pleasure to witness such a dedicated team at work.”

The glass tower remained in place until 1 January at the resort’s annual New Year’s Eve Gala Dinner, featuring a guest performance by international singer Robbie Williams.

Following the event, and in support of Atlantis, The Palm’s sustainability initiative, The Atlantis Atlas Project, all 54,740 coupe glasses were sent to a local glassblower to be recycled and transformed into refillable glassware for the property’s 1,548 rooms and suites.