DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, December 31, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

The iconic New Year's Eve Gala in Downtown Dubai, the most prestigious square kilometre on earth, set an impressive global milestone as one of the world's most attended single events, attracting over 1 million people from across the globe, with a 35-minute long spectacular countdown celebration.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121231/LT35378 )

Already ranked among the world's most-watched events, Downtown Dubai New Year's Eve Gala was telecast live over 1,000 television channels globally, and streamed live on http://www.mydowntowndubai.com and http://www.youtube.com/downtowndubai, reaching over 2 billion viewers. Thousands of tourists flew in to Dubai for the occasion, underlining Downtown Dubai, the 500-acre mega-development of Emaar Properties, as 'The Centre of Now.'

The Gala featured an unparalleled display of colourful fireworks from Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building, set for the first time to live orchestra. The fireworks created airborne shapes of flowers, crescents and stars, in several colour sets and sequences. In a fitting tribute to the UAE, which celebrated its 41st National Day recently, the fireworks enveloped Burj Khalifa in the colours of the national flag. This followed a dazzling water, fire and light show on Burj Lake; and the live performance of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra.

Mohamed Alabbar, Chairman of Emaar Properties and Dubai Events Council, said: "The Downtown Dubai New Year's Eve Gala is truly an audio-visual spectacle spread over the most prestigious square kilometre on earth. The event underlines the positive vision that Dubai upholds by serving as a beacon of hope for people across the world and highlighting the happiness, prosperity and robust outlook that the city brings. The event is now an iconic global New Year's Eve celebration on par with international cities such as New York, London, and Sydney, among others."

Downtown Dubai will continue the celebrations with the lake show, 'Water, Fire & Light,' throughout January. One of the city's most-visited attractions, Downtown Dubai hosted over 60 million visitors in 2012. The US$ 20 billion development's attractions include Burj Khalifa, which features the world's highest observation deck with an outdoor terrace; The Dubai Mall, the largest shopping and entertainment destination; The Dubai Fountain; world-class residences; offices and Mohammed Bin Rashid Boulevard with retail and F&B attractions. For details, visit: http://www.emaar.com