Dubai's widely publicized New Year's Eve fireworks display in 2010 was hosted by Burj Khalifa.
The skyscraper officially opened on January 4, 2010, in Downtown Dubai. At 828 meters, it became the world's tallest building, and its opening celebration included a major fireworks and light presentation. Because the tower was still a new global landmark at the end of that year, its New Year's Eve display quickly became associated with Dubai's international celebrations.
Burj Khalifa is named after Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, then president of the United Arab Emirates and ruler of Abu Dhabi. The building was developed by Emaar Properties and designed by the architecture firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, with Adrian Smith serving as the chief architect. Its form was inspired in part by the flower Hymenocallis.
People sometimes attribute Dubai's most famous New Year's displays to the Burj Al Arab or Palm Jumeirah because those landmarks also appear in celebration broadcasts. The defining landmark for the 2010 opening-era spectacle, however, was Burj Khalifa. Later displays added synchronized lasers, projections, and fireworks.