The opening of Dubai’s hottest luxury resort, The Atlantis turned out to be the most expensive launch party in history. Hollywood celebrities and business tycoons attended the ceremony with a performance by Kylie Minogue.

One million fireworks – almost 10 times the scale of the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony – lit up the Palm.

More than 2,000 guests attended the £15 million extravaganza on the man-made Palm Jumeirah Island in the Persian Gulf.

The guest list included names like Robert De Niro, Janet Jackson, Denzel Washington, Lindsay Lohan, Duchess of York, Sir Richard Branson, Dame Shirley Bassey, retail boss Sir Philip Green, television presenter Trinny Woodall and the singer Lily Allen.

“We built something that’s quite extraordinary. We’ve got to tell the world about it,” the Telegraph quoted Sol Kerzner, South African billionaire hotelier and casino tycoon.