Visit to Downtown Dubai - Lights, Water and Wanderland

What a better way to celebrate the new year in Dubai than watching the fireworks and Laser show in Downtown Dubai, but hours before the start of new year celebrations, the Address Hotel in Downtown Dubai caught fire. The reason for it was some electrical fault and probably the cladding lining the exterior of the hotel that probably didn't meet the fire safety standards. Whatever the reason maybe, it had dampened our plans and for many more, I assume.

We (especially my daughter) were eager to see the fireworks and the LED show but since we had seen the Lights rehearsal on the internet the evening before, we consoled ourselves that we had seen at least the crux of it. Later on, I read somewhere that the LED lights display would continue till the end of January '16, so we could see it anytime before the end of the month.

Finally, it was during the last weekend, that we headed to Downtown Dubai to view the LED lights display. The otherwise tall building, which had twinkling lights all over the facade, looked beautifully different as several patterns were displayed during the show. Only one thing that was missing was the audio effects. Had the laser show been combined with some audio effects it would have been more interesting. The show started from 6:15 pm in the evening and was repeated after every one-hour interval with the last one being at 11:15 pm.

Here are some snapshots of the majestic Burj Khalifa with its facade illuminated with colourful and multiple patterns.

Burj Khalifa - Laser Show

Thereafter we waited for the Dancing Fountain show which is scheduled daily in the evening at regular 30-minute intervals. While we waited on a bridge across the Burj Lake, we enjoyed watching the abra (the traditional boat) that passed by. Though it would be fun to watch the entire show sitting in the abra, it would turn out to be a costly affair. A cheaper alternative is to enjoy the same from across the promenade.

Being a weekend, the place was crowded with thousands of tourists and visitors, and everyone enjoyed the musical fountain show uninterrupted, in awe and amazement. It is said that the fountain features the jet that goes as high as 140 metres (equivalent to a building of around 45 storeys) and is built with the most advanced incandescent fountain lights available today. It is also recognised as the world's largest dancing fountain with 1.5 million lumens of projected light. With the lights of Burj Khalifa twinkling at the backdrop, it was nice to watch the musical fountain show. The fountain is around 275.0 metres long with five different sized circles and two central arches. Here's a snapshot that shows only one circle of the fountain that we viewed from across the gold souk bridge with the twinkling lights of the Burj Khalifa at the backdrop.

The Dubai Fountains

On the way back a poster with 'Wanderland' caught our attention, and we decided to wander in as we walked onto the walkway that was suspended over the water. The exhibition was a curation of the French Hermes collection from the fashion world. There are around 9 rooms connected to each other with corridors, starting from the flaner, walking sticks, the wardrobe, the square, after the rain, the cafe, the street artist, the passage, and the eye spies, each with unique art installations. Each room offered a rare peek into the unique collection. Later I gathered that 'Wanderland' is an homage by Emelie - the grandson of the founder Thierry Hermes. The curation is based on two main concepts - the notion of dreams and the inquisitive impulse thereby creating a surrealist imagery. Although, we are not much aware of the fashion world and its whims, the exhibition looked quite intriguing. Presenting below are some pictures I took which doesn't do complete justice to the curation and I am sure a personal visit to the venue would be more worthwhile. 

Entrance to the Wanderland

The Wardrobe - A woman's dressing room shows obsession with bags

The Square - an upside down world

The cafe with forgotten objects -
The display here is a gilded brass lorgnette from the early 19th C, France

From the watches section

The cufflinks collection

Eye Spies - A secret world behind the window where strange things happen

All in all, it was an amazing weekend where we witnessed it all - the lights, the music and water, and then a journey into the unknown land where dreams and reality meet. We wondered and wandered truly.

References: 
www.thedubaimall.com