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Ras Al Khaimah Starts The Year of Zayed by Trumping Japan's Guinness World Record January 01,2018

Ras Al Khaimah's Al Marjan Island started the Year of Zayed by taking Japan's previous Guinness record for the Largest Aerial Firework Shell on New Year's Eve, thus enhancing RAK's position on the global map of New Year celebrations.

Abdullah Al Abdooli, Managing Director of Al Marjan Island, said: "Ras Al Khaimah has strongly joined the world map of festive New Year's celebrations, and enhanced the UAE's position as a global destination. This comes in line with the vision of our wise leadership to enhance happiness and welfare of all residents of the UAE. The Emirate bagged the record by launching a whopping 1.090 tons of fireworks, with the previous record set at Kounosu Fireworks Festival in Sitama, Japan, on October 2014,"

Al Abdooli highlighted that the event, which was orchestrated by Phil Grucci, CEO and creative director of Fireworks by Grucci, was implemented with the support of the Emirate's most prominent government bodies. The event was verified by an official Adjudicator from GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS, and thus the bid for the ‘Largest Aerial Firework Shell’ was officially recognized.

"The new record brings added joy as it highlights our commitment to offer a real extravaganza to UAE residents and visitors. The shell reached a colossal height of 1100 meters, 1.1 kilometers, from the ground to the top-end of the display and 650 meters from the ground to the center and  a 1 kilometer diameter when launched. On a comparative note, Kounosu's shell recorded a height of 907 meters to its top-end, 533 meters to the center and a diameter of 748 meters."

"The fireworks display was inspired by natural beauty of both RAK's and Al Marjan Island. The show was choreographed to seven chapters, and set to global music by 14 renowned composers. The show started with a 10-second pyrotechnical countdown to welcome the new year. Afterward, the first experience was that of a canopy of glittering chrysanthemums greeting visitors, followed by individually highlighting the four islands of the Al Marjan Islands in a monochromatic colour.

What followed was a majestic transition into the UAE national flag colors with glittering white, red and green comets illuminating the night sky. The session was then concluded with a cosmic burst of golden willows sprawling the 9Km linear length of Al Marjan Island followed by giant fans of comets and aerial shells shaped as swimming fish.

A Gold Horse Tails effect gave way to the fourth chapter where aerial shells in the shape of butterflies came to life from all four islands and joined with gold glitter chrysanthemums and low-level swimming comets and fish to symbolize the islands' interconnection  with nature.

Chapter Five displayed a series of rainbows racing from island to island even as fireworks patterns took on various red, orange, yellow, green and blue to purple hues, symbolizing the peace, harmony, serenity and community spirit that RAK and Al Marjan Islands represent.

Whereas the Sixth Chapter illuminated Al Marjan Island with a scintillating white strobe reflecting off the Waldorf Astoria hotel roof line before climaxing in a dazzling display of golden willows with bright green centers.

The grand finale then began with a rousing silver and gold canopy as a prelude to the Guinness World Record for the largest aerial firework shell, supported by the exclusive Grucci Sky Etching technique.

The record-setting feat, marking the launch of the 1,500mm aerial shell, saturated the night sky after reaching its apex in 15 seconds. The shell burst into a glorious flower with a canopy of silver descending comets changing into ruby red tips, making Ras Al Khaimah's Al Marjan Island one of the brightest spots on earth on New Year's Eve.