Your Ultimate Guide To Dubai Expo 2020
Dubai Expo 2020 is the most awaited event of the year. December might sound far away but the expo is definitely going to be every bit worth the wait. UAE is well-known for organizing expos and events that bring in hundreds of thousands of people from around the world. There is no doubt that this grand expo will definitely be the World’s Greatest Show as promised.
The best part about the Expo 2020 Dubai is that it will be the product of brilliance, the human mind and all it can achieve. It will be an amalgamation of culture, history, technology, innovation, art, science, invention, geography and a lot more. It is being speculated that this expo will be the stepping stone for the next 50 years of human progress. To those who have been to UAE, especially Dubai, know that this is no overstatement. The grandeur of the city and the escalation of its progress is the testament of the innovation strength UAE has.
The Expo 2020 Dubai will also mark UAE’s 50th anniversary in 2021, which means that everything that the event has to offer will be up to the mark with regards to the celebration. Now that you are intrigued and might be considering planning your vacations to Dubai near the expo, let’s discuss it at length.
WHAT IS WORLD EXPO AND HOW DOES IT WORK?
Before we start with the Dubai World Expo 2020, it is pertinent to know that it isn’t the first of its kind, in fact, the Expos have been the part of history since the first London Great Exhibition in 1851. Since then, the expos are organized all over the world with certain them to promote art, science, culture, and technology. These expos are organized every six years for a duration of six months each.
The Expos are run by the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), which is an intergovernmental organization responsible to look after and oversee World Expos. It has 170 member states. The last Expo was in 2015 in Milan, based on the theme ‘Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life’.
WHAT IS DUBAI EXPO 2020?
On 27th November 2013, the UAE won with 116 votes out of 164 and was elected as the host country during the 154th General Assembly of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE). Out of the 164 nation members only 47 voted for Russia, which stood the runner-up.
Dubai Expo 2020 is a World Expo by UAE, first to be hosted by an Arab nation, which will be held in Dubai. It will be a mega event because it is one of its kind with a huge audience, visitors, scale, size, and duration.
The aim of the festival is to bring people from all across the globe to meet each other, connect, share ideas, innovate, learn, and invent. Apart from all the learning and sharing experience, the Expo will also be bringing world-class entertainment and fun under one roof.
Dates & Times: The opening day is on October 20, 2020, and the closing day will be April 10, 2021. The opening hours for the site will be 9 am – 1 am on weekdays and 10 am – 2 am on weekends and special days.
THE DUBAI EXPO 2020 SITE
The Expo site is located in the Dubai South Districted, near Al Maktoum International Airport. It spans 4.38 square kilometers and can easily be accessed through Dubai International Airport, Abu Dhabi International Airport, and Dubai/ Abu Dhabi Cruise Terminals.
To reach the site, it will take nearly 40 minutes from Downtown Dubai on a private car. Those who want to take the Metro will be able to use the dedicated Expo 2020 Metro Station of the route 2020 line. The carriages will be able to take 40,000 visitors to and from the site within an hour.
THEME OF THE DUBAI EXPO 2020
The Dubai Expo 2020 is based on the theme UAE is majorly working on. It centers around creating a lasting impact on the path of human progress. The theme is ‘Connecting Minds – Creating the Future’. The sub-themes include Opportunity, Mobility, and Sustainability.
The Opportunity aims to unlock the potential of individuals and communities to shape the future. The aim of Mobility is to create a more productive and smarter movement of people, ideas and good, both virtually and physically. Finally, Sustainability is about living in balance with the world we live in and respecting it.
The logo was of the expo was also revealed in 2016 and is inspired by a ring found at the Saroug Al Hadeed archaeological site. Moreover, two Emirati kids called Rashid Latifa will be the main mascots alongside the trio of robots – Alif, Terra, and Opti.
EXPO SITE ASSETS AND VISITORS
Through the period of six months, the Expo will entertain 200 participants from 192 countries. There will be millions of visitors from all over the world coming in to visit the expo. There will be 192 country pavilions alongside a UAE pavilion as well. The work on creating the site and these pavilions already started back in March 2016.
Coming to the Expo site and the main assets, the heart will be the Al Wasl Plaza. Over the span of six months, it will be the main arena of celebrations. The history behind naming this area Al Wasl is that Dubai was historically known as Al Wasl, which means the ‘Connection’ that is the central theme and the idea that Dubai connects the people from across the globe. This is why the visitors will connect at the Plaza to celebrate and connect with 192 countries.
There will be three thematic districts based on the subthemes of Opportunity, Mobility, and Sustainability on the site as well. Each district will have thematic pavilion based on these subthemes. These pavilions will have interactive exhibitions and content revolving around the themes in an engaging way. There will be outdoor gardens, installations, galleries, and innovation centers as well.
HOW TO JOIN THE EXPO?
Those who live in Dubai have the chance to join the Expo 2020 in various roles and capacities. From Live pioneering social projects to the volunteer program, those who are on a search for Dubai Expo 2020 dates and jobs should know that there will be around 30,000 UAE residents and expats helping the main team set up the expo. If you are interested in the volunteer program and can help, you should apply at volunteers.ae/register.aspx.
There is also an Online Marketplace (OMP) that will help small and medium enterprises, home businesses, and sole proprietors to advertise their products & services and network for opportunities.
Above all, you can join the World’s Greatest Show by attending the event live and understanding the gist of it.
ACTIVITIES IN EXPO 2020 DUBAI
You must be wondering what to do in an event that is going to run for six months. The Expo might be one of the grandest and longest-running shows, but it is nowhere near going to be boring. There will be architecture to feast your eyes on, sumptuous food for tantalizing your bellies, art to behold, music to have fun on, technology to take your breath away, and entertainment you will never have witnessed before.
If you are interested in spending an entire day, you can start with the Al Wasl Plaza to see installations, artwork and both local & international pavilions. You can visit 192 countries’ pavilions and cherish their culture, architecture, history, and tradition in this one place. Moreover, there will be around 60 live shows every day including national day celebrations, sports events, flash mobs, pop-up theatres, operas and a lot more. The tech nerds will also have a chance to witness augmented reality, do space explorations and take a ride in autonomous vehicles.
For kids, there will be two parks – Al Forsan and Jubilee – to play in while adults have their own fun.
FOOD AND DRINKS
While there will be activities and entertainment, the Expo 2020 will have food and drinks to enjoy with as well. Not just the cuisine diversity of Dubai, but of the 190-plus participants will also be a part of this mega event. From lavish to cheap, from bite-sized to large platters, there will be food in every form. There will be more than 50 cuisines and 200 different restaurants.
The drinking water will also be easily available throughout the expo premises. There will be 45 free water fountains (sabeels) for clean, potable water for the visitors.
SOUVENIRS AT THE EXPO
Other than eating and having fun, there will be souvenirs to shop at the Expo site as well. The first licensed products by GCC-based SMEs will be available alongside camel soap by the Camel Soap Factory, Bateel dates, and Expo-inspired chocolate by Mirzam.
There is a sale on 5000 official licensed products from up to 70 official licensees through the Expo 2020 Dubai Merchandising and Licensing program. Safe to say, there will be a diverse variety to shop from.
ACCOMMODATION AND DRESS CODE
For the staff and participants, the Expo 2020 village will have hotels, retail, transport nodes, logistics, warehousing, and a public park as well.
There is no dress code for the event. You can choose to wear whatever you want to. However, it is necessary that you keep the local culture and customs in mind while deciding your dress. The weather will be a little cold in December and January, so jackets and hoodies might be required atop your regular dress.
Dubai Expo 2020 TICKETS
The tickets will be available through the Expo 2020 website and authorized ticket resellers as well. The visitors will only be allowed to enter once their tickets are checked and verified. The tickets will go on sale in April 2020.
A single ticket for an adult over 18 is priced at 33USD or 120Dh. A three-day pass for any three days during the six months will before 71USD or 260Dh. For children under 5 and the senior over 65, the entry will be free. Furthermore, students aged six to 17 will also get a 50% discount.
These tickets will get full access to more than 60 shows a day including the parades, shows by famous artists, breath-taking architecture, special celebrations and cuisines from around the world.
THE DISTRICT AFTER THE DUBAI 2020 EXPO
Most of the people wonder what will happen to the Expo location so carefully constructed over the years after the event is over? The answer is simple. More than 8-% of the district will be used even after the expo is over. It is practically designed and the infrastructure is supposed to last long.
The Al Wasl Plaza will remain the same. The sustainability pavilion will be transferred to Terra, the Children and Science Center. The mobility pavilion will become a commercial building. The UAE pavilion will be managed by the government and will remain the same.
The handover date of District 2020 will be October 2021, when it will become the city of innovation, artists, invention, futurists, and pioneers.
This was all you need to know about the Dubai Expo 2020 wherever you are in the world. Considering the history of UAE turning nothing into world-class architecture, desert into cutting-edge tech centers, we can expect this Expo to be a turning point of the world technology and among one of the bests as well. If you have any plans to visit Dubai, you now know when you should schedule them for.
