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I-04 Ceremony Oct – Apr

Union Day

An Emirati National Day celebration that is not a table of dates and a flag. Ayyala performers, a majlis build, a proper Emirati buffet and an MC who can host in both languages.

A team mid-programme on Union Day — Anywhere in the UAE, the client's own office atrium, or a hotel function room.
Illustrative
Duration
3.5 hrs
Ideal start time
12:30 — runs through lunch, so it costs the client half a day rather than an evening
Departure window
12:00–19:00
Group size
50 min — 400 max
Emirate / venue
Anywhere in the UAE — the client's own office atrium, or a hotel function room
Season
Late November to early December. UAE National Day is 2 December; the sellable window is 25 Nov – 5 Dec
Booking lead time
30 days — every performer and venue in the country is booked for this week

Why this is not the retail version

The version most companies run costs about AED 80 a person and it is a flag banner in the canteen, a tray of dates and an email. Everybody recognises it for what it is.

The gap this fills is specific. National Day is the one date in the UAE calendar where a company's Emirati and long-resident staff notice whether the effort was real. A hired Ayyala troupe, a majlis that people actually sit in, and machboos rather than a sandwich platter is the difference between a gesture and an acknowledgement — and it is read that way by exactly the people it matters to.

The practical argument is availability. Every performer, caterer and function room in the UAE is committed for the week of 2 December, most of them by early November. A company deciding on 20 November that it wants to do something is choosing between what is left. The thirty-day lead time on this package is not caution, it is the market.

It also runs at lunchtime, in the client's own building. No venue hire, no transport, half a working day. That is why it sells to companies that would never approve an evening event.

The day, minute by minute

Timeline

  1. 07:00 Build begins — majlis, decor, staging, gahwa station
  2. 12:30 Doors open. Gahwa and dates at the entrance, oud playing
  3. 12:45 Guests settle into the majlis setting. Henna and calligraphy stations open
  4. 13:15 Bilingual MC opens. Short address by the senior leader
  5. 13:30 Ayyala performance — the traditional stick dance, live drums, full troupe
  6. 14:15 Emirati buffet opens
  7. 15:00 Heritage stations — falcon display, Arabic coffee ceremony, traditional dress photo corner
  8. 15:45 Group photograph in national colours
  9. 16:00 Close

Included

  • Venue — client's own atrium, or a hotel function room, half day
  • Emirati themed decor and majlis setup — seating, carpets, sadu textiles, palm and flag detailing
  • Ayyala troupe, one hour
  • Henna, Arabic calligraphy and gahwa stations
  • Emirati buffet — machboos, harees, luqaimat, full dietary coverage
  • Bilingual MC for four hours
  • Sound and lighting
  • Branded gifting — flag pin, ghutra or equivalent, one per attendee
  • Full custom branding — entrance, stage, photo wall
  • Photographer, videographer and an edited 90-second reel within 5 working days
  • Two event coordinators on site

Not included

Stated up front so there is nothing to argue about at invoice time.

  • Alcohol — deliberately excluded; see delivery notes
  • Fireworks (permit-dependent, priced on request)
  • Transport
  • 5% VAT

Weather & backup plan

Trigger
None where it runs indoors, which is the default. Outdoor courtyard formats carry a wind and rain trigger.
Fallback
Indoor delivery at the client's premises is the standing fallback for any outdoor format — the whole build is modular by design. Performer availability is the real risk in this window, and a contracted backup troupe is booked from the point of sale, not sourced if the first one cancels.
You are told by
Immediate for any format change.

Customisation options

Falconry display AED 1,800
Traditional dress hire for photographs, per station AED 2,400/event
Upgrade gifting — engraved brass, dallah or perfume set AED 90–250/person
Emirati heritage speaker, 30 min AED 3,500
Camel arrival at the entrance AED 2,400/event
Live oud through the buffet AED 1,500
Fireworks or cold-spark finale Priced on request, permit-dependent
Full 5-minute film of the day AED 3,200
Combine with a Flag Day activation on 3 November AED 12,000/event

Questions about Union Day

How much does Union Day cost per person?
AED 450 per person for 50–99 people; AED 390 per person for 100–199 people; AED 350 per person for 200+ people. All figures exclude 5% VAT. Smaller groups are welcome and are billed at the band's minimum chargeable persons (96 for the 50–99 band, 121 for the 100–199 band).
How long does Union Day take, and when does it start?
3.5 hrs. 12:30 — runs through lunch, so it costs the client half a day rather than an evening Departure window: 12:00–19:00. The published timeline is door-to-door and already includes the transfer.
What is not included in Union Day?
Alcohol — deliberately excluded; see delivery notes; Fireworks (permit-dependent, priced on request); Transport; 5% VAT. These are stated before enquiry rather than raised at invoice time.
What happens to Union Day if the weather turns?
None where it runs indoors, which is the default. Outdoor courtyard formats carry a wind and rain trigger. The documented fallback is: Indoor delivery at the client's premises is the standing fallback for any outdoor format — the whole build is modular by design. Performer availability is the real risk in this window, and a contracted backup troupe is booked from the point of sale, not sourced if the first one cancels.. Immediate for any format change.
How far in advance do we need to book Union Day?
30 days — every performer and venue in the country is booked for this week. Ramadan and December dates book out first.

Who you are actually booking with

Written terms
Inclusions and exclusions on every package
Settled before signature, not at invoice
Contingency
Named fallback on every outdoor programme
Weather trigger and notification deadline on record

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