Plans for the day: As the sun sets on National Day itself, 2 December, the sky will light up with fireworks at The Beach from 8:30pm. For the late nigh party revellers there will be an exclusive party at Dubai World Trade Centre at 9:30pm.
Food is in the fun too
Building decor: All over the country, buildings were lit up in the red, white, black and green colours of the UAE's flag.
Additionally, throughout the UAE, people began gearing up for the weekend's impressive line-up of National Day events, with souvenirs, flags, scarves and other National Day-themed items selling at a steady pace at stores in every emirate, many of them bearing the faces of the country's leadership.
The Indian message: In a message to Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the President said India deeply values its close, friendly and warm relations with the United Arab Emirates, "which are firmly rooted in our age-old trade and cultural links, nourished by people-to-people contacts and regular exchange of high-level visits".
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