It should come as no surprise that the United Arab Emirates takes its New Year’s Eve celebrations seriously.
Every year, the country welcomes millions of tourists eager to watch some of the world’s greatest fireworks and light shows — including the ones held on Al Marjan Island, northeast of Dubai.
This year, organizers set the the Guinness World Record for “largest aerial firework shell,” launching the 2,397-pound pyrotechnic into the air.
READ MORE: 2018 New Year’s celebrations around the world
The record-setting firework was the highlight of a 10-minute show, with the rocket taking 15 seconds to reach its apex before bursting into a kaleidoscope of colour.
WATCH: Dazzling fireworks display rings in New Year in Dubai
The firework wasn’t the only record being set in the Middle Eastern nation on New Year’s Eve.
More than a million visitors attended Dubai’s massive “Light Up 2018” New Year’s party, with another 2.5 billion people around the globe viewing online, to watch as the party’s organizers used the Burj Khalifa — the world’s tallest building — to clinch the Guinness World Record for the “largest light and sound show on a single building.”
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