National Day is almost here and the UAE will celebrate its 49th birthday with three days of public holidays.
As always, official celebrations will be held in Abu Dhabi, bringing the country together and celebrating the nation’s achievements.
Ahead of the national holiday, more details have been shared about the official celebration which will be held virtually for the first time this year.
The official celebrations will be streamed live across the world on December 2.
During the show the UAE’s natural mangroves will take centre stage in this year’s show, celebrating the natural landscape of the country and the forest’s importance to the local ecosystem.
Mangroves are integral to the UAE’s ecosystem, protecting the coastline from erosion, provide a breeding ground for fish species and removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Plantation programmes were put in place by the UAE’s founding father Sheikh Zayed in the ’70s , a legacy that is continued today by the Mangrove Rehabilitation Programme that has planted 1.3 million mangrove saplings on the coasts of Al Gharbia, Saadiyat, Jubail and Habitat Island.
During the live stream, viewers will be able to learn more about the mangroves, enjoy a live performance in tribute to the UAE’s founding fathers and prepare for the 50th year celebrations to take place in December 2021.
“The mangroves are a big piece of our heritage and are part of our country’s natural beauty and it was decided that they would aesthetically be a wonderful inspiration for the visuals of the event,” said Khalfan Al Mazrouei, member of the organising committee of the Official 49th National Day Celebration.
“The title of the show is ‘Seeds of the Union’ and our mangroves represent the growth of the UAE – from a seed at the formation in 1971 into a full bloom we see 49 years later.
“We do not want to give away too much of the story, but we are extremely excited to share a truly beautiful production that reflects the UAE’s natural environment, history, values and hopes.”
“This year more than ever we have seen a spirit of togetherness in line with the UAE’s long-held values and we want to make sure everybody can be a part of National Day despite the challenges the world is currently facing.”
For more information visit www.uaenationalday.ae.
