Robe Helps Dubai Welcome 2026

	For the tightrope artist, 24 iFORTE LTXs were placed on the roof of the Dubai Mall to light the line. Photo: Whatever Live

As the world welcomed 2026, Dubai, UAE, once again staged one of the biggest mixed visual media extravaganzas, as lighting, video, lasers, and fireworks fired off the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa tower, in an event organized by the development company EMAAR and produced by Las Vegas-based Our Legacy Creations.

Robe was also part of it, with 86 iFORTE LTX units on the lighting rig for a spectacle staged on the Burj lake that led into the fireworks, lit by Dom Smith and Paul Johnson from UK-based design studio, NeonBlack.

The Burj Khalifa NYE event this year started with this dramatic, full-tilt, all-action 20-minute show staged across a 1,476' open performance space on a large section of the Burj lake in front of the 2,716'-high building that dominates the downtown Dubai skyline.

Twenty-five custom floats, boats, waterboards, and jet-skis were involved -- with a cast of 570, including a tightrope walker traversing a high-tension cable strung between points of the adjacent shopping mall -- in a slickly choreographed performance.

Smith and Johnson met the numerous challenges involved in lighting this epically proportioned show, creatively directed by Tiziana Pagliarulo (OLC), choosing Robe iFORTE LTX moving lights to provide all key lighting. The spectacle then led into the famous "traditional" 60-second NYE countdown that cued the firework grand finale on the Burj. This new pre-fireworks segment added an extra visual layer and great value to the annual event at the Burj Khalifa.

The main issue for Smith and Johnson's lighting design was getting enough key lighting rigged in the right places to illuminate the cast across this vast area, so the 36 broadcast cameras, directed by Marcus Viner, could get the best shots.

Additionally, for the tightrope artist, 24 iFORTE LTXs were placed on the roof of the Dubai Mall to light the line. The only available positioning for tracking followspots was on top of the souk market, around 492' away from the location of the wire.

"We were somewhat concerned about how much light we could get into this area," Johnson says, "and were pleasantly surprised when we opened out the iFORTE LTXs from that huge distance away; they proved absolutely perfect for the job, both creatively and practically!"

Smith adds, "Robe's iFORTE LTX was the only option to light the longest throw distances involved; the only luminaire that could give us the consistency and quality of lighting to make it look great on camera and for everyone watching live."

The 86 iFORTE LTXs were supplied by the event's technical equipment rental contractor Media Pro, based in Dubai, and were among approximately 3,000 other fixtures used for the show, including the Burj Khalifa's permanently installed lights.

Most of the iFORTE LTXs were positioned all around the lake, mainly on the permanent PA speaker towers, with some on custom truss towers fabricated by Media Pro.

The tightrope line itself was illuminated by 24 iFORTE LTXs on top of the souk; another two fixtures were positioned on the roof of the souk bazaar, used exclusively for tracking the artist as she deftly shimmied across the 1,476' span, which was nearly 197' high. These were controlled by a Robe RoboSpot control system positioned by the lights on the rooftop to help with accurate targeting.

Most of the 60 iFORTE LTXs around the lake were also on a remote follow system using multiple fixed cameras to cover the enormous field of view that was the stage.

"The iFORTES were absolutely solid," Smith notes. "Not only do they retain their intensity and flat beam field across these very long distances, once you dial in the desired colour temperature, this replicates that perfectly and consistently -- very impressive."

All the show's key and white lighting was programmed and directed by David Wolstenholme. The effects lighting was programmed by Eliot Jessep and Josh Musgrave in the UK, during pre-visualization, and Alex Douglas in Dubai.

In addition to the various water-based performance floats, the event also included large Rio-carnival style parade floats that drove down Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Boulevard at the start of the entertainment, which also had to be lit, together with the front of the Burj Khalifa facing onto the lake. The fireworks "conductor" was lifted up to 49.2' on a hydraulic platform and was also tracked by iFORTE LTXs.