Every year we are spoilt for choice when it comes to ringing in the New Year. From a beach barbeque to a 80s rooftop rave, we’ve rounded up the best ways to celebrate. Where will you be when the clock strikes 12?
Eat, drink and be merry
Fancy a sit down dinner and dance? Then here are our pick of the best
The Foundry
End your year in style at The Foundry, the steakhouse in Southern Sun Abu Dhabi. Guests will be served bubbly and canapés on arrival at 8pm. You can then tuck into a selection of dishes prepared at live cooking stations – we’re talking foie gras ice cream, five types of steak and oysters – as well as a cheese room.
When you’ve had your food fix, head to the rooftop party where a DJ will be spinning the decks in the lead up to midnight and all the way through to 3am. AED 650 with premium beverages at dinner, AED 850 with unlimited beverages at the after party. For more information contact: 02 818 4888 [email protected] www.tsogosunhotels.com
Ess Lounge
If you fancy a chilled out start to your New Year, Ess Lounge is the place to go. Nestled on the beach at Shangri-La Hotel Qaryat Al Beri, the al fresco lounge is offering guests an Arabic barbeque with grilled meat for AED 600 including unlimited bubbly and mixed drinks. After dinner, head to the neighbouring pool bar for the countdown party featuring a live band, DJ and dancers. Don’t miss the firework display over the canal where Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque will provide the ultimate backdrop. Bubbly reception from 6.30pm to 7.30pm, dinner 8pm to midnight, countdown party 10pm till late. For more information contact: 02 509 8888 restaurantreservations.[email protected] www.shangri-la.com
Chamas
Wrap up 2014 with a lively Brazilian carnival at InterContinental Abu Dhabi. Chef Guillerhme will be treating diners to authentic dishes, churrascaria style. Expect 15 cuts of meat including Wagyu, Angus beef and venison. Entertainment comes courtesy of a Latino band and a guest DJ, while samba dancers complete the party. AED 895 with premium mixed drinks. Guests are invited to a pre-dinner reception in Piano Lounge – the hotel’s lobby lounge – from 7.30pm to 9pm to enjoy canapés and bubbly. Dinner from 8pm to 3am. For more information contact: 02 666 6888 [email protected] www.ihg.com
Asia de Cuba
Get a sneak peek at the new Asia de Cuba in Nation Riviera Beach Club at The St. Regis Abu Dhabi, where you can enjoy a three-course meal a la carte. The seasonal Chino-Latino themed menu features the likes of black bean and plantain empanada, king crab and Asian pear salad, mojo duck confit and seven spice roasted chicken. Dine indoors before heading out onto the deck for a beach party with fireworks and tunes courtesy of Brazil’s DJ Marise Cardoso until 3am. A la carte from 6pm to 8pm. Three-course meal AED 850 from 9.30pm. For more information contact: 02 699 3333 www.asiadecuba.com www.nationrivierabeachclub.com
Saadiyat Beach Club
Start your night by the pool and beach with a five-course set menu at Safina, 6pm-10.30pm. Highlights include scallops handpicked by divers, flavoured with sweetcorn, sour cream and jalapeños; goats cheese gnocchi; lobster; pavlova, and feta cheesecake, honey and almond ice cream. There isn’t a special price for kids, but children are welcome. Tickets cost AED 699 with a glass of French bubbly and free entry to the club’s New Year bash. Over 21? Then dance from 9pm to 3am to beats by DJ Saif & Sound from Radio 1, supported on the decks by DJ A.L.L.A.D. If you get peckish, there will be a food stand, which is posher than it sounds – think yellow fin tuna tacos and grass-fed Wagyu beef sliders with smoked porcini aioli and homemade crisps. What else? Oh yes… Did we mention go-go dancers? AED 275 entry only, AED 550 with unlimited grape, premium drinks and 50 per cent off a day pass purchased on the night – which is valid until 31st January. De La Costa, Saadiyat Beach Club, Saadiyat Island. For more information contact: 02 656 3500 [email protected]
[email protected] www.saadiyatbeachclub.ae
Burlesque Restaurant & Lounge
Ladies, don your feather headdresses and flapper dresses and men put on your sharpest suit – because tonight you’ll be heading back to the 1920s. Burlesque is hosting a night inspired by the book and film The Great Gatsby, and that only means one thing, girls: pearls. The evening starts at 9.30pm with a welcome drink and three-course set menu, followed by a show. AED 650. Yas Viceroy Abu Dhabi, Yas Island. For more information contact: 056 498 7580 [email protected] www.burlesqueuae.com
Dance the night away
If you think a proper dinner wastes valuable dancing time, then these clubs are for you
Iris Yas Island
If the New Year means setting the mood for your 2015 social calendar, you should start as you mean to go on. Ring in the New Year al fresco at Iris Yas Island in Yas Marina. Start the night with nibbles from the restaurant washed down with a glass of bubbly, then continue the party with signature mixed drinks while you dance under the stars with the bar’s resident DJ. At midnight, you can enjoy a fireworks display. Tables AED 950 per person with food and premium beverages, standing AED 750 per person with food and premium beverages. From 7pm until late. For more information contact: 055 160 5636 [email protected] www.irisabudhabi.com
O1NE Yas Island
Yas Island’s graffiti-clad club is being transformed into a winter O1NEderland this New Year’s Eve for a masquerade ball. The entire club will undergo a white makeover while 3D mapping screens take partygoers on a winter adventure across snowy landscapes. So don white garb from top to toe and complete your winter wardrobe with a mask to ring in 2015 in style. O1NE Yas Island also offers exclusive hotel and restaurant rates and limousine services with its concierge service. Free entry for ladies, AED 300 for men including three drinks. 10.30pm till late. For more information contact: 052 788 8111 www.o1neyasisland.com [email protected]
Twelve
It was a decade that was defined by Queen, shoulder pads and sky-high ponytails. This New Year’s Eve, Twelve – the rooftop lounge at Aloft Abu Dhabi – pays tribute to the 80s
with a retro party. Don your leather pants, aviator jackets and leg warmers and get ready to dance all night to 80s mixed tunes care of DJ Tamer. Expect Asian-style tapas with small bites and sushi. There will also be prizes for the best dressed. AED 600 including tapas and unlimited drinks. 8pm to 3am. For more information contact: 02 654 5138 www.relaxat12.com
Eight
It’s time to break out the glow sticks and fluorescent paint for Illumin-Eight at Eight Abu Dhabi. The club is turning the lights down and the colour up for this neon-themed New Year’s Eve party soundtracked by the beats of DJ GOGOs. Expect luminous highlighter hues and surprise performances. AED 500 for men, AED 200 ladies. Entry fee includes an open bar and nibbles. Eight, Souk Qaryat Al Beri. 10pm to 3am. For more information contact: 050 144 6662 [email protected] www.facebook.com/EightAbuDhabi
A night to remember
For an evening with a difference, opt for one of these nights out
Qasr Al Sarab
Start your evening with an international and Emirati buffet in Liwa Ballroom 7pm-11pm, while a five-piece band entertains you with pop tunes. Once dinner’s settled, head into the courtyard for a performance by dancers throwing fire. At midnight, you can ooh and aah over fireworks with the dunes in the background. The price includes a glass of bubbly to welcome in the New Year. Later on, you can party to a DJ’s tunes till 3am. Unfortunately the hotel is fully booked so take a designated driver. AED 699 kids aged four-12, AED 1,199 with soft drinks, AED 1,399 with grape and hops. Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort by Anantara, 1 Qasr Al Sarab Road. For more information contact: 02 886 2088 [email protected] www.qasralsarab.anantara.com
Al Gharbia
In a few years time, how do you want to remember New Year’s Eve 2015? Stuck in front of the telly, in a non descript bar or horseriding across sanddunes? Al Badeyah Eyes Tourism promises the latter. The tour company will collect you from Al Wahda Mall, Carrefour on Airport Road, Etihad Plaza in Khalifa City A and Mazyad Mall in Mussafah, or Al Jimi Mall in Al Ain. You’ll be driven into the desert, where you’ll go dune bashing in a 4×4 Land Cruiser. After popping by a goat ranch, you can then have a go at camel riding, horse riding, quad biking and sand boarding. If that all sounds too much like hard work, get a henna tattoo or watch a falcon show instead, or dress up in traditional clothes and take a selfie – don’t forget to tweet us @AbuDhabiWeek. Little ones will be well catered for too, as they can have their photo taken with a falcon, get their faces painted or go mad on a trampoline or inflatable slide. A cartoon mascot will keep them entertained. Once you’re exhausted, flop on to cushions in a majlis while tucking into a barbeque dinner followed by Arabic coffee and dates. Later on snack on popcorn and stay cosy with a cuppa by a campfire. Drop off is included. AED 120 kids aged four-12, AED 150 adults. For more information contact: 02 445 2644 [email protected] [email protected]
www.abet-uae.com
Cruise the Corniche
For a memorable New Year, hop on board a traditional dhow boat for a cruise along the Corniche. You’ll board at 9.30pm and set sail at 10pm, after which you’ll enjoy a set menu made up of sushi and prawn cocktail, kebabs and Arabic salad. You can then celebrate the arrival of 2015 with a countdown by a DJ, cake and sparkling juice. There are no singers or dancers, but the DJ will play Arabic tunes and Western pop to keep you entertained. AED 550 with soft drinks only. Mina Port, near Al Dhafra restaurant and the fish market.
For more information contact: 055 594 1088 www.uaetour.ae [email protected]
The Galleria
It’s all go at The Galleria, and best of all the party is free. From 6pm to 1am on 31st December, a character from the cartoon Mansour will entertain little ones along the mall’s promenade, which is lined with a festive market. There will be three big screens – one behind the stage near Almaz by Momo, two in the centre of Sowwah Square – showing live feed from the night and live footage from New Year’s Eve countdowns from around the world, provided by Sky News Arabia. Lounge pods, or bean bags, will be provided in front of each of the screens. Singers will perform on stage and later DJ Trina will spin top 40 tunes mixed with classics and Arabic hits while you dance under the stars. At midnight, see in 2015 with musical fireworks. Al Maryah Island. For more information contact: 02 616 6999 www.almaryahisland.ae/celebrate
