New Year Celebrity Bash goes Arab-style: Stars NYE parties reviewed!

For celebs the world over there is no better way to see in a New Year than to be center-stage with all eyes on them. So it came as no surprise to see star-studded celebrations popping up across the Middle East on 31 December. [1]Dressed to impress, microphone in hand and voices at the ready, Arab stars showed their wrinkle-free faces at only the biggest and most glamorous of the region’s events. [2]Using the night as an opportunity to entertain, flash some flesh and fill their wallets, the stars revelled in the last glimmer of spotlight 2012 had to offer. But this year it wasn’t just Arab stars entertaining the region’s revelers: western celebs got a slice of the action too. American superstar Snoop Dogg jumped at the chance to say "fo’ shizzle" to 'Dubbizle’s' Atelier Festival [3], while British pop sensation Rita Ora used Dubai’s Sandance Festival as the perfect excuse to enjoy a week in the UAE sunshine. [4]With stiff competition across the region and tickets selling for thousands of dollars, the stars knew they needed to put on an impressive show. And from the looks of things they didn’t disappoint the party! Here are some of the best New Year’s Eve concerts and sell-out parties the Middle East had to offer.

If you were at a celebrity bash this year for New Years, share your highs and lows in the space below! Snoop, Haifa or Amr Diab?-- dish up the gossip!

The New Year party in the Arab world was best enjoyed if you were attending a celebrity concert. Some of the region's hottest stars were spread across the music capitals so that as many lucky fans as had tickets could see in the year 2013 in glamorous star-studded style.

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Maya Diab might have been sharing the stage with Wael Kfoury at Lebanon’s Regency Palace Hotel but she made sure all eyes were on her. Flaunting her ample assets in a figure hugging barely-there dress, her admirers were desperate to welcome 2013 with a smooch from the sexy starlet.

Arab Gangsta: Tamer Hosny - the hippest Egyptian on the block - had his pick of venues this NYE. He plumped for Jordan where he rocked Le Royal hotel. Grinding the rumor mill all year with a marriage and collaborations with Snoop & Akon, and racking up YouTube views to give Psy a run for his money, he wished fans 'peace and prosperity’ for 2013.

Rola Saad lent an extra touch of beauty and breeze to the Dbaya shores of Lebanon and the NY fans flocked to Le Royal hotel for some luscious entertainment, Libnani-style. Her killer black backless dress trailed the stage floor as she showed off what new song surprises she had in store for 2013.

Fares Karam got the party started at home in Lebanon! Not 1 but 2 gigs, in a double whammy for the teeny nation that could furnish 2 Karam NYE performances: a solo stunt at the Phoenicia and a shared line-up to keep Rola Saad at Le Royal on her toes, saw the modern musician keen not to let anything spoil his show after a year of disruptions.

Viva la Gulf: Polemical Kuwaiti singer Shams hit the Dubai stage with Iraqi counterpart Waleed al-Shami at the GW Marriott Markiz, where performances blended Arab and Latin styles with Cuban band Maria Alta turning up the heat.

Give the dogg a microphone: Partiers welcomed in the New Year doggy-style in Dubai as Snoop treated over 15,000 fans to a headline performance at Atelier Festival, decked out in traditional Emirati dress.

Lebanese pop princess Haifa Wehbe made a couple of wardrobe changes, as well as a minor malfunction, when her slippery number slipped further than planned. Both typically revealing dresses were flashed during her NY sell-out show at Biel in Beirut. The songstress was met by showers of flowers & cheers from 2,000 fans in an ostentatious hit-show.

Opting for a sophisticated start to 2013, Amr Diab sung in the New Year for an exclusive crowd at Dubai’s Ritz-Carlton. With a little help from DJ Eric Kupper, the Egyptian superstar proved himself perfect after-dinner entertainment.