In September 2020, Dubai-based YouTube creators Anas Marwah and his wife Azala, popularly known online as the Anazala Family, grabbed worldwide attention by using the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building on Earth, to reveal the gender of their second child. The couple, who had close to eight million subscribers at the time, billed it as one of the biggest gender reveal events ever staged.
The reveal itself was simple but visually striking. The tower flashed pink and blue lights before a countdown appeared on its facade. When the countdown ended, the entire building glowed blue, spelling out that the couple was expecting a baby boy. The whole process, including the preparation behind the scenes, was documented in a fifteen-minute video the couple posted to their channel, which quickly went viral.
Although no official price tag was ever confirmed, multiple reports estimated the cost at around 95,000 dollars, close to the widely cited figure of 100,000 dollars often mentioned online. Local media noted that lighting up the Burj Khalifa for private events generally costs tens of thousands of dollars depending on the time of day and duration of the display. Some observers also speculated that the couple may have received a discount or free promotion in exchange for showcasing the building, though this was never officially verified.
The stunt did not go without criticism. Many followers congratulated the family, but others felt the extravagant spending was inappropriate, especially since it coincided with a wildfire in California that had been sparked by a different gender reveal party gone wrong. Critics argued the money could have supported charitable causes instead. Even so, the event cemented itself as one of the most talked-about celebrity-style gender reveals in social media history.
