Dubai celebrates Saudi national day with concert, fireworks and family fun events

UAE’s Dubai is set to celebrate Saudi Arabia’s 88th National Day on Sunday with a grandiose set of events sprawling across the emirate. (File/AFP)
Updated 20 September 2018
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Dubai celebrates Saudi national day with concert, fireworks and family fun events

  • Visitors from Saudi Arabia will be welcomed with sweets, flowers and coffee upon arrival at the Dubai International Airport
  • Residents and visitors will be able to attend events and entertainment including a concert by regional stars and a firework show

DUBAI: UAE’s Dubai is set to celebrate Saudi Arabia’s 88th National Day on Sunday with a grandiose set of events sprawling across the emirate.

Visitors from Saudi Arabia will be welcomed with sweets, flowers and coffee upon arrival at the Dubai International Airport, while residents and visitors will be able to attend events and entertainment including a concert by regional stars and a firework show.

Amusement parks, hotels, malls, and landmarks will add to the excitement of the joyous occasion with special activities and numerous promotions. The strong relations between the UAE and the KSA have never been closer, where the residents of Dubai can expect to see some of the city’s most famous landmarks, Burj Khalifa, illuminated in the national flag of Saudi Arabia.

The line-up of events and activities to celebrate the National Day of Saudi Arabia in Dubai

Concerts

22 September, City Walk

For musical fun, head to City Walk in Dubai where two of the Gulf’s most popular singers will take to the stage as part of the Saudi National Day celebrations in Dubai. Saudi singer Dalia Mubarak and Emirati star Shamma Hamdan will perform some of their most popular hits in a special concert on the evening of September 22. With both artists enjoying huge popularity in the KSA and the UAE, the concert is sure to be a big hit, so don’t miss the fun!  The concert starts at 6.45pm.

Fireworks

23  September, La Mer

The urban beachfront development La Mer will celebrate the Saudi National Day with a host of activities, including a spectacular Saudi National Day-themed fireworks show on 23 September at 8.30pm.  Traditional Saudi folk dances and a display of supercars will also take place at this location from 20 to 23 September.

Events

Traditional band: 21 to 23 September

Saudi Arabian folk dancers will also perform at malls across the city, including The Dubai Mall, Mall of the Emirates, Dragon Mall, City Center Mirdif, Dubai Festival City Mall, and Al Seef.

Dubai Fountain: 21 to 23 September

The famous Dubai Fountain will ‘dance’ to songs by popular Saudi artists from 12 to 22 September, with a special display in tribute to the Saudi national anthem taking place on 23 September.

Dubai Mall: 20 – 23 September

Dubai Mall will roll out the red carpet during the Saudi National Day celebrations, offering visitors the opportunity to watch performances by a traditional band at the Souk Atrium,  Ground Floor and also enjoy Arabic coffee. There will also be give-aways to visitors including a booklet of vouchers, scarf and mementoes.

Dubai Festival City Mall: 20 to 23 September

Dubai Festival City Mall will host a Saudi National Day show at Festival Bay and an exclusive edition of IMAGINE, its record-breaking laser and light show.

The Beach: 20- 23 September

To celebrate the joyous occasion, The Beach will host a grand parade on 22 September at 6:00pm with horses marching along to Saudi national melodies. From 20 -23 September, the destination will screen a selection of award-winning short films by Saudi directors at Roxy Cinemas daily at 7pm and 8.30pm as part of the Saudi Cinema Weekend.

Dubai International Airport celebrations: 20 September

Dubai International Airport will accord a water salute to aircraft arriving from Saudi Arabia whilst flowers, Arabic sweets and coffee will be offered to Saudi visitors arriving in Dubai. Saudi national songs will also be played in the arrivals section of Terminals 1, 2 and 3.

Hotel offers

Hotels in Dubai are adding to the excitement of the joyous occasion of the Saudi National Day, as they prepare to welcome Saudi guests with promotions and discounts on room stays, as well as a variety of activities for children.

Address Hotels and Resorts: Enjoy additional complimentary nights from 23 to 30 September

Armani Hotel – Enjoy signature Italian hospitality in the heart of Downtown Dubai, from 23 to 30 September. Reserve an Armani guestroom or residence for 2, 3 or 5 nights to enjoy discounts of 10 %, 15% and 25%.

Renaissance Downtown Hotel – Avail a special ‘Sunday Night is On Us’ offer from 19 to 24 September. To redeem this promotion, a Saturday night must be included and the length of stay of the booking is for a minimum of 3 nights.

Vida Hotels & Resorts – A special offer from 23 to 30 September allows guests to enjoy additional complimentary nights with U By Emaar members earning additional U points for every stay.

Manzil Downtown - A special offer from 23 to 30 September allows guests to enjoy additional complimentary nights with U By Emaar members earning additional U points for every stay.

Aloft City Centre Deira – From 20 to 23 September, Saudi guests can enjoy complimentary upgrade to the next room type and also avail themselves of pre-loaded Magic Planet cards and Kabsa bowls for AED 40.

Sheraton Mall of the Emirates – From 20 to 23 September, Saudi guests can enjoy complimentary upgrade to the next room type and also avail themselves of tickets for Ski Dubai and Magic Planet.

Al Habtoor City - Guests staying at the V, Habtoor Palace and Hilton hotels at Al Habtoor City will receive 50% off their bill at any of the complex’s F&B outlets and spas. The great deal also extends to the La Perle by Dragone show, with those staying at the V, Habtoor Palace or Hilton hotel able to buy tickets to the award-winning spectacle for half price.

Full details of this year’s jam-packed calendar of events over KSA National Day can be found at www.dubaicalendar.com or follow @Dubai_Calendar, and #KSANationalDay for the latest information.


Parrots rescued as landslide-hit Sicilian town saves pets

Updated 29 January 2026
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Parrots rescued as landslide-hit Sicilian town saves pets

  • Residents queued up at a fire service command point just outside the high-risk, evacuated “red zone” to be accompanied inside to rescue pets
  • Some locals feed their animals but leave them where they are, because they have no place to take them

NISCEMI, Italy: Pino Terzo Di Dio was in tears as firefighters carried his beloved parrots out of his home, which has been cordoned off as his town teeters on a cliff edge.
They were the latest pets to be saved by firefighters from hundreds of homes that were evacuated in the Sicilian town of Niscemi after a four-kilometer (2.5-mile) long stretch of hillside collapsed.
“They are scared,” Di Dio told AFP, his voice breaking as the emergency workers carried the parrots — four cockatiels and a parakeet — out of his house in two cages, buffeted by the wind.
The town, built on unstable terrain, was battered by a powerful storm which hit southern Italy last week.
There were no deaths or injuries from Sunday’s landslide, but experts say the gulf could extend when it rains again.

- ‘Lost everything’ -

Residents queued up at a fire service command point just outside the high-risk, evacuated “red zone” to be accompanied inside to rescue pets or gather belongings from important documents to clean underwear.
Some locals feed their animals but leave them where they are, because they have no place to take them.
Di Dio said his bird feeders were full but one of the parrots “tends to knock the water onto the floor,” and feared they may have been without water for days.
The 53-year-old said he had been moving between friends’ houses since the disaster.
“It’s been four days that I’ve barely washed. I smell like a goat, but that’s fine,” he said.
All his attention was on the yellow and grey birds, aged between seven and 13, and where they will go now.
“Let’s hope that someone with a kind heart will take care of them. The important thing is that they treat them well,” he said.
“I don’t have a home, I’ve lost everything.”

- ‘Help us’ -

Firefighter Franco Turco said emergency workers had rescued “quite a few dogs, cats — and now parrots.”
The team was working out how to rescue horses in fields below the baroque town, where deep fissures caused by the landslide were complicating access.
In the meantime, some 24 firefighters have carried out 80 missions to recover belongings in the red zone, which extends 150 meters from the cliff face.
But not even they enter the 50 meters buffer zone before the edge.
Some residents “have cried, have hugged us,” he said.
In the same building as Di Dio’s parrots, a woman who did not want to be named pulled a shopping trolley and black plastic bags full of belongings out of the house and onto the street.
In her arms she carried a ceramic statue of the Madonna, which had once stood at the foot of her stairs.
“May the Madonna help us,” she said.