Stars out in force for Atlantis Hotel party

It was arguably the largest gathering of celebrities outside of the Oscars and it took place in Dubai on Thursday night.

The likes of actors Robert De Niro, Charlize Theron and sporting legend Michael Jordan gathered at the Atlantis Hotel on Palm Jumeirah to join the $1.5 billion resort's owner Sol Kerzner for the grand opening.

One big name expected but not at the event was US talk show host Oprah Winfrey as the wildfires in California threaten one of her homes. Actor Ben Affleck was also slated to be attending but was not present.

Bollywood superstar Priyanka Chopra played the role of the 'Goddess of Atlantis' as part of a money-no-object opening party for the Dubai hotel.

The night at the Atlantis, which is rumoured to be costing $20 million to stage, began earlier on Thursday evening with a royal reception hosted by party planner to the stars, Colin Cowie.

A sumptuous meal, known as the Atlantean Feast, was prepared for guests by celebrity chefs Nobu Matsuhisa, Santi Santamaria, Michael Rostang and Giorgio Locatelli before pop star Kylie Minogue took to the stage and sang hits including Spinning Around, Better The Devil You Know and I Can't Get You Out Of My Head.

The night was rounded off by a fireworks display rumoured to be three times the size of the display at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics in China this summer. All over Dubai, people in apartments were out on their balconies to witness the spectacular event.

The resort opened to guests on Sept. 24, despite a fire on Sept. 2 that destroyed the hotel lobby roof and caused smoke damage to the outside of the main hotel building.

The 1,539-room resort encompasses a 46-hectare site with 17 hectares of water-themed amusement parks, an open air marine habitat, beaches, boutiques and restaurants.

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