Jamil Khan, Senior reporter

Scores of children with determination have attended an evening full of entertainment and celebrated the season of festival. The evening was organised by the Jumeira Rotana Dubai with kicking off the holiday season with its traditional Christmas Tree lighting. The annual tree lighting ceremony has grown enormously year on year with the presence of special children invited every year. This year the celebration was attended by 60 children of which the majority joined from the SNF Children with Determination organisation. Entertainment was provided by Babyshop and the Hotel’s Team Choir sang famous Christmas Carols. The annual event also featured Santa Claus arriving with his goodies and gifts for the kids.

Ulrich Hoffmeister, General Manager of Jumeira Rotana commenting on the event, “this is our traditional event that we all eagerly await to happen every year. And we are proud of the growing presence of our special guests from different non-government organizations.”

“I am really pleased that a such big crowd has participated and to see the happy faces of each kid. I would like to take this opportunity to personally thank our supporter Babyshop for their continuous support of our activities,” Ulrich added.

The Christmas Tree became brighter after Santa Claus light it up with the decorated gift boxes under the tree adding to the festive air.

The event was concluded by the gift giving of Santa Claus to all children at the hotel.

This festive season, Legoland Dubai is set to transform into a winter wonderland for the entire family, with its Christmas Bricktacular celebrations taking from 12 December 2019 – 7 January 2020. Families can revel in the festive spirit with a special Elves Workshop and an Elf Bootcamp for little ones, along with themed treats and decorations to set the holiday mood.

The Bricktacular fun takes over Legoland Dubai’s Factory Street, which will feature the return of its iconic 10-meter-tall Lego Christmas tree, which was built using 364,481 Duplo bricks, along with a giant Lego sleigh to make for the perfect family holiday portrait. The festive spirit continues as you make your way to Lego City which houses the theme park’s Elves Workshop. This year, the workshop includes an Elf Bootcamp – where aspiring elves will be tasked to complete a series of awesome activities to receive a certificate from Lego Santa himself!