Now is the ideal time to visit Dubai as there is so much to explore, both within the city and during Dubai Expo 2020 with an unparalleled offering of exceptional beach resorts, chic city break hotels, an action-packed calendar of events and plenty of sunshine, Dubai is the perfect winter break destination.
From 1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022, Dubai Expo 2020 will unite the world in one place providing a global experience dedicated to bringing together people, communities and nations to build bridges, inspire action and deliver real-life solutions to real-life challenges. The Expo site will come alive with hundreds of pavilions representing 192 nations, 60 live events each day, offering global cuisine at 200 Food & Beverage outlets, supported by inspiring arts, culture and musical programmes. ‘Join the making of a new world’ is the Expo’s theme and purpose, based on the belief that innovation and progress are the result of people from different fields and backgrounds coming together in new and unique ways to share ideas.
Take a culinary adventure
Get ready for a culinary extravaganza as Expo reveals award-winning chefs and brand-new dining concepts across 200+ eateries. Taste dishes from every corner of the world. Street food, haute cuisine, family friendly meals, sustainable dining and unique culinary journeys are just a handful of the options. Learn the skills of artisan baking, book your spot at London-based bakery and baking school ahead, where master teachers will guide you on creating expert level bakes in a domestic setting.
Experience unique Food Hall with Talabat kitchen. The two-storey Talabat Food Hall not only offers some 30 food concepts but it also uses cutting edge technology and robotics to deliver an efficient dining experience.
Also enjoy the continent’s vibrant culture via food, music, and art at the Alkebulan Food Hall, bringing together seven acclaimed African chefs. Alkebulan (pronounced al-kee-boulan) – translating to “Mother of Mankind” or “Garden of Eden” – is the brainchild of multi-talented chef Alexander Smalls, a classically trained opera singer-turned-restaurateur.
Explore the UAE’s heritage and culture
On the eve of the UAE’s Golden Jubilee, Expo invites visitors to learn about the country’s rich cultural heritage through an array of mediums across events, storytelling and interactive platforms.
Visit the MENASA – Emirati Design Hub, a cultural and creative platform, the design and crafts programme aim to push artistic boundaries and pioneer a new framework for collaboration on a local, regional and international scale, mixing the traditional with the new. The programme presents MENASA – Emirati Design Platform, which showcases more than 40 local and international designers, telling stories of the UAE through exclusive curated design collections including a wide range of contemporary design products, including bespoke craft pieces, homewares, fashion, jewellery, furniture and lifestyle products.
Tourist can also explore Sameem. Sameem is an open-air pavilion that takes you on a journey through time, where you can engage with Emirati storytellers, artists and artisans as things are built in real-time, right before your eyes.
Be enthralled by mesmerising art & entertainment
All the world’s a stage, with up to 60 events a day at Expo 2020. That means every day will be a unique experience, requiring multiple visits to fully enjoy. From daily parades to late-night laser shows, special effects and fireworks, Expo 2020 will have something for everyone.
The Public Art Programme: The programme brings together some of the best artists from the UAE and around the world. Led by Egyptian-born curator Tarek Abou El Fetouh, the Public Art Programme is a journey of 11 contemporary artworks by some of the best artists from the UAE and around the world around the public spaces of Expo 2020, and will live on for years to come as part of Expo 2020’s legacy.
Travel around the world through music, dance and culture during Expo Beats, a unique monthly festival that breaks geographical barriers and connects the world on stage through the sounds and rhythms that unite us.
Enjoy fun for all the family
Meet the Expo family with a total of 30,000 Expo 2020 volunteers, a diverse and inclusive mix of UAE residents and expats from a range of nationalities and backgrounds, will be the welcoming ‘face of Expo 2020 Dubai’, reflecting UAE’s inclusive and hospitable spirit.
Children will enjoy fun times at the Latifa’s Playground. More than just a playground, this is a fun-filled interactive space for kids. Bounce over nets in the ‘zero-gravity’ chamber, leap into orbit around swings and hop aboard a replica of the UAE’s Hope Probe.
Let Charles Pappas, the renowned world expo historian enchants you with his stories. Scan the QR codes found in Majlis structures to hear stories of UAE culture and fascinating World Expo facts. Rashid’s Playground Want to see a humpback whale? Then visit Rashid’s Playground, where you can clamber onto the back of one of these giant creatures.
Experience a new world of luxury
With technology creating endless possibilities and opportunities, modern luxury is accessing something never been done before or having totally unique experiences and so Expo has brought together the most cutting-edge dining experiences.
The Future of Food: Epochal Banquet is a never-before-seen experience cooked up by UK-based multi-sensory experience design studio Bompas & Parr, in collaboration with Expo 2020. The ground-breaking foodie adventure will feature numerous world firsts, taking creativity, innovation and technology to a new level.
The pioneering culinary experience – inspired by space, microbiology, artificial intelligence and hyper-intelligence – will stir the senses of curious diners at Expo 2020 Dubai, in a new concept designed to challenge the future of dining.
The Jubilee Gastronomy Experience is a new dining concept exclusive to Expo 2020 Dubai that will welcome a rotating selection of chefs from Michelin-star restaurants and establishments featured in ‘The World’s 50 Best Restaurants’.
For the ultimate foodie experience, the limited-seating Chef’s Table experience includes limousine pick-up and drop-off, a skyline VIP welcome and a nine-course gastronomy tasting menu.
Explore new outdoor indoor natural experiences
Bringing the outdoors inside, Expo has curated a number of innovative natural and sporting experiences reconnecting visitors to nature. Combining technology and science Expo hopes to encourage visitors to acknowledge the importance of respecting and protecting our planet.
Expo 2020 Water Feature Experience giant sheets of water tumbling down 13-metre-high vertical walls that by day cascade into a mysterious, multi-hued circle of fire, and by night defy gravity by flowing upwards – accompanied by an orchestral score from the award-winning composer of the Game of Thrones theme music.
Landscapes and Parks enjoy an afternoon stroll, unwind for an evening of live performances, or sit on a picnic bench at one of the Food Truck Parks.
Watch and participate in sporting activities from all around the world as Expo 2020 Dubai and Dubai Sports Council (DSC) have teamed up to offer a diverse sporting programme packed with free activities, exhibition matches, big name sporting stars and an entire hub dedicated to fitness and wellness. Get your running gear on and run the world.
Learn how to make the world more sustainable
Through one of the key subthemes, Sustainability, Dubai Expo aims to teach its visitors the importance of respecting and living in balance with the world we inhabit to ensure a sustainable future for all.
Terra the Sustainability Pavilion, named Terra (meaning Planet Earth) will bring to life the UAE and Expo 2020’s commitment to sustainability, acting as a catalyst for change in the UAE, the region and globally.
Get an opportunity to discover how food is grown in a desert farm at the farm of the future, which uses salt water and fish to grow crops. The Desert Farm makes the most of the three natural resources that are plentiful in the UAE – sun, sea and sand. Also see water be created out of thin air at the Netherlands Pavilion. Venture inside the Netherlands Pavilion for a unique multi-sensory show that takes you on a journey through the closed-loop farm’s wonders, from the water harvested out of thin air to the mushrooms grown on the walls.
Seize the opportunity to shape the future
Under the Opportunity subtheme, Expo 2020 will examine how the potential of communities and individuals can be unlocked to help shape the future and create an equal playing field for everyone, encapsulating the belief that every action has an effect, not only in our own communities, but also across the world.
The Opportunity Pavilion, known as Mission Possible, is an interactive exhibition experience, showing how each and every one of us has the opportunity to contribute, how small steps can lead to big changes, and how unlocking opportunity at a local level can be used for the greater global good.
See how Nigeria aims to achieve zero hunger by becoming pioneers in exploring technological solutions to age-old agricultural challenges.
Learn How to Drive the World Forward with Mobility
Experience how the Mobility District creates connections to drive the world forward, breaking down the divide between the physical and digital worlds to build a harmonious, global society where information, ideas and goods are exchanged faster than ever before.
Learn, be inspired and make change with Expo’s events and programmes
Expo 2020 is already bringing people and communities together to build a better future for everyone but with its calendar of events, visitors can join an exchange of inspiring new perspectives that tackle the greatest challenges and opportunities of our time.
Experience Dubai Expo 2020; Virtually Watch the live Expo 2020 Opening Ceremony on 30th September at 7.30pm GST and plan your trip by exploring Expo 2020 online from 1st October at https://virtualexpo.world/
