Excitement for Expo 2020 Dubai reached new heights yesterday (October 20) as the UAE prepared to celebrate One Year to Go across all seven emirates.
Events around the country, including live performances in Dubai from global superstar Mariah Carey and acclaimed Emirati singer and Expo 2020 Ambassador Hussain Al Jassmi, will provide a taster of what visitors can expect when the World’s Greatest Show opens its doors on 20 October 2020.
Expo 2020 will bring the world together, including more than 200 international participants and millions of people, in a spirit of celebration, collaboration and optimism for the future. For six months, all eyes will be on the UAE as it delivers an exceptional Expo that entertains, enlightens and unites. It will be the ‘be there’ moment of our time.
Reem Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Cooperation and director-general, Expo 2020 Dubai, said: “As we mark One Year to Go until the UAE welcomes the world to Expo 2020, these spectacular nationwide celebrations will usher in the final leg of a historic journey and a major achievement not only for Dubai, but for the entire UAE.”
“So far, 2019 has been the year of delivery and the Expo 2020 site has been transformed by the completion of key construction milestones such as the Thematic Districts and the crowning of Al Wasl dome. The next 12 months will see us put the finishing touches to ensure an exceptional World Expo”.
“Our One Year to Go festivities offer a window into the once-in-a-lifetime celebration that waits from 20 October 2020. They are an opportunity for us to look forward to this momentous occasion for our young, dynamic nation as we prepare to see our leadership’s vision burst into life at Expo 2020 Dubai,” Al Hashimy added.
All the tickets to the One Year to Go event in Burj Park, Downtown Dubai, which will also feature a special appearance by leading Bollywood actress Shraddha Kapoor and an eye-catching countdown at 2020 on Burj Khalifa, were snapped up within two hours by people from 76 nationalities. Organisers stress that anyone without a ticket should not seek admittance at Burj Park. Thousands more people can still join the celebrations elsewhere in the UAE, however, with free festivities taking place simultaneously from 17:00 to 22:00 in the other six emirates at Louvre Abu Dhabi, Al Majaz Waterfront in Sharjah, Ajman Museum, Umm Al Quwain Corniche, Al Qawasim Corniche in Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah Fort.
One hundred performing artists from 26 nationalities will keep the whole family entertained, while also highlighting the universal language of art and the global appeal of the next World Expo.
Each event will feature a wealth of delicious cuisines to suit all tastes, a craft area for kids and the chance to meet the Expo 2020 Mascots for the first time, as well as more details about what to expect at Expo 2020.
A live broadcast of the headliners as they perform in Dubai and the countdown LED show on Burj Khalifa will be streamed to the festivities in the other six emirates.
In line with Expo 2020’s subtheme of Sustainability, single-use plastic water bottles will not be sold at any of the celebrations. Instead, Expo 2020 will provide free drinking water and 98 per cent biodegradable and compostable paper water bottles to all visitors, performers and staff. Visitors are also encouraged to bring their own reusable drinking bottles. Organisers expect these measures will save more than 100,000 plastic water bottles across all events. This initiative is part of the wider ‘Be Water Wise’ campaign – a collaboration between Expo 2020 and the UAE Water Aid Foundation, Suqia UAE, to combat water shortages in the region, keep the sea plastic-free and invest in innovative, sustainable solutions to help preserve the planet.
SOURCE: www.tradearabia.com