As the world welcomed 2026, Dubai, UAE, presented one of the largest and most spectacular multimedia visual shows, featuring lighting, video, lasers and fireworks deployed from the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa tower, in an event organized by EMAAR and produced by Our Legacy Creations.
Robe was also part of the event, with 86 iFORTE LTX fixtures in the lighting rig for a show staged on the Burj Lake that led into the fireworks finale, lit by Dom Smith and Paul Johnson from UK-based design studio NeonBlack.
This year’s Burj Khalifa New Year’s Eve event began with a dramatic and high-impact 20-minute show staged across a 450-metre open performance space on a large section of the Burj Lake, in front of the 828-metre tower that dominates downtown Dubai’s skyline.
The performance involved 25 custom floating platforms, boats, waterboards and jet skis, with a cast of 570, including a tightrope walker who crossed a high-tension wire stretched between points of the adjacent shopping mall in a precisely choreographed act.
Dom and Paul tackled the numerous challenges of lighting this epic-scale show, creatively directed by Tiziana Pagliarulo (OLC), choosing Robe iFORTE LTX moving heads to deliver the key lighting for the electrifying entertainment programme. The spectacle culminated in the traditional 60-second New Year’s Eve countdown leading into the grand fireworks finale on the Burj.
This new pre-fireworks segment added an extra visual layer and significant value to the annual pyrotechnic event at the Burj Khalifa, watched live by tens of thousands and streamed to billions more worldwide.
The main challenge in Dom and Paul’s lighting design was deploying sufficient powerful, high-quality key lighting in the correct positions to cover and illuminate the cast across this vast area, enabling the 36 broadcast cameras, directed by Marcus Viner, to capture optimal shots. In addition, for the tightrope walker, 24 iFORTE LTX fixtures were installed on the roof of the Dubai Mall to light the wire. The only available position for the follow spots was on top of the souk market, approximately 150 metres from the wire.
We were somewhat concerned about how much light we could project into that area, and we were pleasantly surprised when we opened up the iFORTE LTX fixtures from that huge distance… they proved perfect for the job, both creatively and technically, commented Paul.
Dom added: “Robe’s iFORTE LTX was the only option capable of covering the 150 to 200-metre throw distances involved; the only fixture able to deliver the consistency and quality of light required to look spectacular both on camera and for the live audience”, He added that over the last two years, the iFORTE LTX has become an essential key-lighting tool in their projects.
The 86 iFORTE LTX fixtures were supplied by Dubai-based technical equipment rental company Media Pro and formed part of an estimated 3,000 luminaires used for the show, including the permanently installed lighting on the Burj Khalifa.
Most of the iFORTE LTX units were positioned around the lake, primarily on the permanent PA towers, with others mounted on custom truss towers fabricated by Media Pro.
The tightrope wire was illuminated by the 24 iFORTE LTX fixtures installed on top of the souk, along with two additional units positioned on the roof of the bazaar, used exclusively to track the artist as she crossed the 450-metre span at a height of 60 metres. These were controlled via a Robe RoboSpot system located alongside the fixtures on the rooftop to ensure precise targeting. Most of the 60 iFORTE LTX units positioned around the lake also operated on a remote follow system using multiple fixed cameras to cover the enormous field of view that formed the stage.
The iFORTE fixtures were absolutely solid. Not only do they retain their intensity and flat beam field over these very long distances, but once you dial in the desired colour temperature, they replicate it perfectly and consistently — very impressive! noted Dom.
The show’s key and white lighting was programmed and directed by David Wolstenholme. Effects lighting was programmed by Eliot Jessep and Josh Musgrave in the UK during pre-visualisation, and by Alex Douglas in Dubai.
In addition to the water-based performance platforms, the event featured large Rio-style parade floats that travelled along Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Boulevard at the start of the show. All required dedicated lighting treatment, along with the façade of the Burj Khalifa facing the lake, which formed an integral part of the staging. The fireworks “conductor” was elevated up to 15 metres on a hydraulic platform and was continuously tracked using iFORTE LTX fixtures to ensure clear visibility.
Dom, Paul and their team worked alongside a large technical and creative crew to ensure that Dubai began the year with energy, style and ambition. The result was a world-class show even before the first firework was launched from the Burj Khalifa, adding another striking visual statement to welcome 2026.
Images: courtesy of Whatever Live
