DUBAI GEARS UP TO WELCOME THE WORLD
Take a sneak peek of what a day at world’s biggest event will be like right from the moment you step inside |
Nov. 27, 2013 was a game-changer for the UAE. Eight years ago, a constellation of fireworks were released from Burj Khalifa because Dubai had won its first successful World Expo campaign. The work had just begun. Expo 2020 Dubai is finally 11 days away, and it is most certainly a dream-come-true moment for everyone involved.
World Expos have been an international affair since the 1850s. Kicking off from London. Now, nearly two centuries later, the baton is in Dubai’s hand. It is the biggest event to date in the region, not to mention the first world fair in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia. Every visit is certified to be a unique experience with 191 countries and their pavilions staging daily performances, activities and events that cater to everyone, from nine-year-olds and teens to Zen-loving generations simply looking to spend some quality time with family.
The best part? University students, children aged six to 17, People of Determination and visitors aged 60 and above all get to enjoy Expo free of charge. A one-day ticket for all other visitors is priced at Dh95; a multi-day pass, this means you can enter for 30 consecutive days, is Dh195; a season pass lasting for the entire six-month affair will cost you Dh495. You can grab your tickets online on the official website (www.expo2020dubai.com) or offline through more than 2,500 Authorised Ticket Resellers.
Grand entrance
Here is a brief spoiler of what your day might look like at Expo 2020 Dubai. You enter through skeletal gates made of carbon fibre, about 21 metres high and 30 metres long, and these Entry Portals are so light that you alone can swing them open with ease. On your way in, you see a troupe of skilled street performers tumbling about, further ahead the Welcome Plaza stage is occupied by a group of folk dancers. A Thematic Pavilion is your first stop — either Sustainability, Opportunity or Mobility — where you will ride the world’s largest lift, take shade under giant etrees and even have a chat with Opti, your friendly robot pal.
Do stick around till nightfall because you are in for a visual treat. A light festival by the name of Kaleidoscope will paint pictures and forms on major architecture on site. Country pavilions such as Brazil, South Korea, Russia and Australia have head-turning facades that will look especially magical in the evening. The beating heart of Expo, Al Wasl Plaza, is a nonnegotiable stop — the 67.5-metre-high dome is the world’s largest 360-degree projection surface, after all. Two-hundredand-fifty-two lasers will stage stunning shows within that you can even watch from outside. Learn all about the Emirati poet who dreamt of swallowing the moon and other fascinating stories from the Arab region.
If the mood calls for latenight entertainment, stop by the Jubilee Park stage where Dubai-based bands will keep you company on the weekends till after midnight. And this does not even begin to cover what each pavilion has in store — from a voice-activated table made of Polish wood to a single-arm robot barista, the wonders of Expo 2020 Dubai are simply endless.
University students, children aged six to 17, People of Determination and visitors aged 60 and above all get to enjoy Expo free of charge.