One of the trees at the sprawling Al Bidda Park – the venue of the Lantern Festival, spanning 55,000sq m – is decorated with hundreds of small light bulbs and a handful of lanterns, providing joy and excitement to children and their families. The festival, which features more than 400 lanterns of different shapes and sizes, as well as other immersive sections, will run until March 28, 2026.

UAE airport authorities cancelled or delayed dozens of flights and roads were flooded in major cities as the heaviest rainstorm in months lashed the desert nation yesterday.Dubai’s Emirates airline axed 13 flights yesterday and there were also delays and cancellations at neighbouring Sharjah’s airport after the overnight downpour, which woke residents with lightning flashes and loud cracks of thunder. Sharjah’s main street was completely flooded early yesterday, with residents seen wading through it in bare feet. One man rode his bicycle through the water, which reached the top of its wheels. The scenes evoked memories of April 2024, when record rains caused widespread flooding and forced the cancellation of more than 2,000 flights at Dubai’s major international air hub. On Thursday, Dubai police had urged residents to stay in unless “absolutely necessary” as the rainstorm approached. Early yesterday, water-pumping trucks were seen around Dubai clearing blocked roads and large puddles in the streets.The Dubai Airports website showed dozens of flights had been delayed yesterday, and some cancelled. “Some flights... are cancelled or delayed due to adverse weather,” a Dubai Airports spokesperson said.The National Center of Meteorology had warned of rainfall across the country from Thursday to yesterday, including in Dubai and the capital Abu Dhabi. Other Gulf states also experienced heavy rain, including Qatar where the Arab Cup football’s third-place play-off between Saudi Arabia and UAE was cancelled on Thursday. Last year’s downpours in the UAE, the heaviest since records began 76 years ago, killed at least four people and brought Dubai to a standstill for days.A study published by the World Weather Attribution group found that global warming caused by fossil fuel emissions “most likely” exacerbated the intense rains that lashed the UAE and Oman last year.

The Public Works Authority Ashghal announced that its field teams successfully dealt with the heavy rainfall that the country experienced on Dec. 18, confirming that traffic flow was restored back to normal on most roads and tunnels within a few hours.Eng. Mohammed Al Kubaissi from the Authority's Sewerage treatment plans explained that Ashghal had implemented all advance preparedness plans from the moment the weather conditions were first monitored. He noted that field teams worked around the clock, in coordination with municipalities and the General Directorate of Traffic, to ensure smooth traffic flow and rapid response to water accumulation.He pointed out that, according to meteorological reports, the highest accumulated rainfall was recorded at approximately 90.4 millimeters in the Al Kiranah area, 80.1 millimeters in Al Wakrah, and 71.5 millimeters in Abu Samra.Al Kubaissi said that more than 371 water tanker trucks were deployed to remove water, along with more than 44 mobile pumps dedicated to rapid response teams, in addition to the deployment of dozens of technicians and workers in the most affected areas.Rapid response teams were also stationed in the areas surrounding Lusail Stadium and Khalifa International Stadium, which hosted the finals of the FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2025, in order to secure traffic movement.Ashghal confirmed that it monitors 111 tunnels across the country, none of which were affected by the rainfall. It explained that it received 414 reports related to water accumulation, all of which were addressed within no more than six hours. The most affected areas included Muither, the Industrial Area, Mebaireek, and Al Wakrah.The Authority called on the public to exercise caution while driving during rainfall and to contact the Customer Service Center via 88 to report any emergency cases, affirming that Ashghal's teams continue to work in the field around the clock.