NeonBlack uses Wireless DMX for NYE spectacle in Dubai
For New Year’s Eve 2025, NeonBlack delivered a breathtaking large-scale lighting show on Burj Lake in front of the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, combining over 2,000 fixtures and a whole lot of wireless DMX.
The immersive lake show brought together live music, choreography and aerial performances and ran for a full 20 minutes before transitioning into a jaw-dropping fireworks and laser display which ushered in 2026. The whole show was preceded by a grand parade which rolled through Downtown Dubai.
Paul Johnson, Design Director at NeonBlack, a live design and creative production studio based in the UK, was responsible for leading the lighting design project for both the lake show and the parade route.
“This was a prestigious and rewarding project to be involved in,” explains Paul, “But it was not without its challenges. The lake itself is vast, around 30 acres in size, and we had multiple floating set pieces to control, each with localized LED elements. We also had to contend with high levels of competing wireless traffic from other systems onboard the crafts on the water.”
NeonBlack relied on LumenRadio wireless DMX technology, including Stardust and Galileo units, to deliver a robust and reliable lighting control system capable of operating across this large-scale, waterfront installation with dense RF traffic.
“Being able to shut down specific Wi-Fi channels on the Stardusts to help avoid interference with other wireless systems was a great help,” says Paul. “And since we had restricted physical access to the units after initial installation, having wireless control was a massive advantage here as well.”
Three Stardust transmitters were used to wirelessly deliver 12 DMX universes across the lake.
“We utilized the radio key pairing to allow us to pair and test the fixtures in the docks and then seamlessly transfer control to the Stardusts in the lake area with directional antennas,” says Paul.
Ten Galileos were also used to service the localized LED elements on the floating set pieces.
“We chose to operate the Galileo units in both receiver and repeater modes to connect LED drivers directly and extend coverage for other CRMX-enabled fixtures locally using external antennas,” he adds.
In addition, Luna transmitters were employed to manage lighting along the parade route and on several of the huge floats. The parade ran for around 2km along Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Boulevard, providing the lead-up to New Year’s extravaganza which took place in front of the Burj.
The result was a flawless lighting spectacle through Dubai and over Burj Lake which combined NeonBlack’s creative expertise with LumenRadio’s reliable wireless DMX tech.
“Sites and show like this are never easy,” summarizes Paul, “But having remote access and multiple LumenRadio wireless transmitters helped us to mitigate holdups, avoid pairing units in the field and adapt to last-minute production changes.”
Project Details
Over 2000 fixtures, 151 universes, +48,000 parameters
- 358x KVANT 600 Prestige Beam
- 345x Ayrton Dominos
- 120x Ayrton Cobras
- 89x Ayrton Kyalami
- 122x Chauvet Color STRIKE M
- 80x Robe LTX
- 76x Claypaky HV B-Eye K15
- 230x Underwater Pars
- 14x GLP X5 Bar
- 56x Astera Quikspots
- Plus many other scenic elements
LumenRadio Wireless DMX Products
- 3x Stardust transmitters delivering 12 DMX universes across the lake
- 10x Galileo supporting localized control on floating set pieces
- Luna transmitters for the parade route
Key Contributors
Lighting Vendor: Media Pro
AVL Managers: Jayden Sutherland and Joe Thomas for OLC
Show Programming: Alex Douglas
Key Light and Follow-Me: David Wolstenholme for Show Binary
Lighting Design: Dominic Smith and Paul Johnson for NeonBlack
