A GLITTERING array of stars were outshone last night by a display of a MILLION fireworks at the £15million launch party for the worlds poshest resort.
The pyrotechnics at the £1.5billion Hotel Atlantis, on the man-made Palm Jumeirah Island resort in Dubai showed the worldwide credit crunch wasnt hurting everyone.
It was SEVEN times as big as the display that launched the Beijing Olympics in August and stretched along the 320 miles of Palm Jumeirah, illuminating the Arabian Gulf.
It followed a concert by KYLIE MINOGUE who was paid £1.5million for a 40-minute set.
Her audience included royalty, business tycoons, sports stars and a Whos Who of showbusiness.
Actors ROBERT DE NIRO, DENZEL WASHINGTON, WESLEY SNIPES, BEN AFFLECK and RHYS IFANS rubbed shoulders with Hollywood beauties CHARLIZE THERON, MISCHA BARTON and MARY-KATE OLSEN, singing stars DAME SHIRLEY BASSEY and supermodel AGYNESS DEYN.
Virgin boss SIR RICHARD BRANSON chatted to the Duchess of York, while the world of sport was represented by tennis legend BORIS BECKER and basketball superstar MICHAEL JORDAN.
OPRAH WINFREY had to cancel her stay in the £20,000-a-night Bridge Suite because her house was threatened by Californias wildfires. Her room went to Bollywoods TOM CRUISE, SHAHRUKH KHAN.
Dolphinarium
Actress LINDSAY LOHAN shared her Neptune suite with lover SAMANTHA RONSON, who was DJ at the after-dinner party in her biggest gig to date.
Their luxury room looked on to an 11million-litre open-air marine centre holding 65,000 types of sea life, including a whale shark.
The 2,000 guests feasted on nearly two tonnes of lobster, 300 kilos of smoked salmon and 4,000 oysters prepared by multi-Michelin starred chefs Santi Santamaria, Michel Rostang, Giorgio Locatelli, celebrity chef Nobu Matsuhisa and 500 cooks.
The 200 dinner tables decorated with 15,000 stems of carnations were lit by 3,000 candles.
Tight security surrounded the Dubai Royal family and other VIPs amid fears of a terrorist attack at what has been called the largest private party in history.
The Atlantis has more than 1,500 suites, 27 spa rooms, the biggest water park in the Middle East, a dolphinarium and 3,000 staff.
It was built from scratch including the island of sand on which it sits in just four years.
It was the brainchild of South African hotel magnate Sol Kerzner, 73. He already has six five-star resorts.
Last night he told The Sun: The scale of what we have seen here is appropriate. It cost me $20million for the party but people have to be aware of the scale of this project.
No famous people were paid to be here and we refused to provide private jets. They came because they wanted to.
