ABU DHABI // Despite talk of record-breaking fireworks in recent years, the UAE has yet to establish a Guinness World Record, something that the Emirates Palace hopes to change this National Day.
The hotel is planning a "fireworks extravaganza" to celebrate the 38th UAE National Day tomorrow and set a record for the largest display.
The fireworks, which will reach up to 2,000m into the air, will be set off from 12 barges situated off the shores of the capital.
The display aims to "showcase the city of Abu Dhabi and all its glorious vision to a world audience", according to a statement from the Emirates Palace.
According to the Guinness World Records, the mark for "largest fireworks display" is 66,326 devices, set off on the Portuguese island of Madeira for a New Year's Eve display in 2006.
Those fireworks were fired from 37 locations, which were visited by Guinness inspectors prior to the show.
The opening of the Atlantis Hotel in November 2008 was punctuated by a US$14 million (Dh51m) fireworks display reportedly made up of more than a million devices.
However, Guinness said it had not "received evidence with regards to those claims". Organisers of New Year festivities in Dubai in 2008 also said they put on a record-breaking show.
A year ago, Emirates Palace claimed Abu Dhabi was set to take the world record, but no formal attempt was lodged, and the Portuguese record from 2006 still stands, Guinness said.
Justine Bourdariat, international marketing executive at Guinness World Records, said yesterday "there are no records officially registered held by Dubai and Abu Dhabi with regards to fireworks".
Janet Abrahams, executive director of sales and marketing at Emirates Palace, could not provide details on how many fireworks are to be set off this year. but said it would be a "breathtaking" show.
"We've got so many locations across the city, it's going to be like having 10 firework shows at the same time," she said. "It's something everybody will be able to see."
Guinness World Records said it had not been contacted by the Emirates Palace about the attempt, so a judge will not be present.
However, it is still possible for a record attempt to be lodged after the event if evidence and witness statements are submitted.
Displays will begin at 8.30pm and last for 45 minutes from three barges at Emirates Palace Marina Bay and from five more alongside the West Corniche.
Firework shows will be visible from the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, Sheikh Zayed Mosque and Al Bateen Marina, according to the Emirates Palace.
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The Sky Is Pink
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Three stars
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MEYDAN RESULTS
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Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
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ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
Sunday:
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Three-day coronation
Royal purification
The entire coronation ceremony extends over three days from May 4-6, but Saturday is the one to watch. At the time of 10:09am the royal purification ceremony begins. Wearing a white robe, the king will enter a pavilion at the Grand Palace, where he will be doused in sacred water from five rivers and four ponds in Thailand. In the distant past water was collected from specific rivers in India, reflecting the influential blend of Hindu and Buddhist cosmology on the coronation. Hindu Brahmins and the country's most senior Buddhist monks will be present. Coronation practices can be traced back thousands of years to ancient India.
The crown
Not long after royal purification rites, the king proceeds to the Baisal Daksin Throne Hall where he receives sacred water from eight directions. Symbolically that means he has received legitimacy from all directions of the kingdom. He ascends the Bhadrapitha Throne, where in regal robes he sits under a Nine-Tiered Umbrella of State. Brahmins will hand the monarch the royal regalia, including a wooden sceptre inlaid with gold, a precious stone-encrusted sword believed to have been found in a lake in northern Cambodia, slippers, and a whisk made from yak's hair.
The Great Crown of Victory is the centrepiece. Tiered, gold and weighing 7.3 kilograms, it has a diamond from India at the top. Vajiralongkorn will personally place the crown on his own head and then issues his first royal command.
The audience
On Saturday afternoon, the newly-crowned king is set to grant a "grand audience" to members of the royal family, the privy council, the cabinet and senior officials. Two hours later the king will visit the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, the most sacred space in Thailand, which on normal days is thronged with tourists. He then symbolically moves into the Royal Residence.
The procession
The main element of Sunday's ceremonies, streets across Bangkok's historic heart have been blocked off in preparation for this moment. The king will sit on a royal palanquin carried by soldiers dressed in colourful traditional garb. A 21-gun salute will start the procession. Some 200,000 people are expected to line the seven-kilometre route around the city.
Meet the people
On the last day of the ceremony Rama X will appear on the balcony of Suddhaisavarya Prasad Hall in the Grand Palace at 4:30pm "to receive the good wishes of the people". An hour later, diplomats will be given an audience at the Grand Palace. This is the only time during the ceremony that representatives of foreign governments will greet the king.
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