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Every December, towering Christmas trees light up Dubai’s malls, hotels and entertainment destinations, becoming festive landmarks for families and visitors from over 200 nationalities. While the final displays appear effortless, months of meticulous planning and preparation go on behind the scenes — with some venues starting as early as nine months in advance.
This year, Global Village installed two massive festive trees, each standing 21 metres tall — roughly the height of a seven-storey building. Dubai Festival City (DFC) unveiled a 15-metre tree built on a reinforced metal frame, decorated with 3,000 metres of warm LED lights, more than 3,200 decorative ornaments, illuminated snowflakes, deer figures and a 1.5-metre topper star.
A spokesperson from Global Village said that more than 75 people were involved in delivering the two trees. “A dedicated multidisciplinary team including designers, installation technicians, electricians, operations staff and safety specialists worked together to bring the trees to life,” he said.
Some venues opted for a creative twist. Dubai hotel The Lana collaborated with Spanish designer Manolo Blahnik to create a fashion-inspired Christmas tree, with preparations beginning around nine months in advance. The five-metre installation features custom-made baubles illustrated with the designer’s iconic shoes and wrapped in a signature pink ribbon.
Meanwhile, Accor Dubai Deira and Dubai Gold District Cluster installed a 4.5-metre tree styled in warm golden tones to reflect the district’s heritage. The unveiling included a festive parade, live bands, Santa Claus appearances, carol performances and a gala dinner.
Assembly Challenges
At Global Village, the assembly process took approximately four weeks. Managing the scale of the structures, transporting large components and coordinating work at height while maintaining safety standards were among the main challenges.
Dubai Festival City required about three weeks for installation, including site inspections and arranging power connections. Much of the work was carried out at night and required special permits, with weather conditions also affecting the lifting of large sections.
At Accor venues, installation took around four days with a six-member team, while The Lana carried out overnight assembly to surprise guests — a challenge given the hotel’s continuous guest movement.
Dismantling and Storage
Once the festive season ends, dismantling takes between a few hours and two days. Decorations and structures are carefully removed, stored and, where possible, reused or repurposed for future celebrations, in line with sustainability practices.
