Flowers aplenty, floating baskets - Expo 2020 at its colourful best

Dubai: Floating baskets, flowers aplenty, live dance and musical shows – Expo 2020 is at its colourful best.

While the Colombia Pavilion kicked off the Flowers Week on November 7, the Thailand Pavilion is marking the famed Loy Krathong Festival from November 13 to 19.

During the Loy Krathong Festival, it is customary for families and friends to make and float their own artistic and decorative Krathong, which translated means “to float a basket”. Loy Krathong is traditionally used as a way of saying goodbye to misfortune and the problems of the past year and making wishes for the coming year ahead. Thailand Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai is inviting visitors from across the globe to join them in marking this precious tradition.

Beautiful blooms

Colombia, known for its rich biodiversity, celebrated Flowers Week at Expo 2020 Dubai to showcase the thousand distinct species of flowers it is home to, so tourists could enjoy their beauty and diversity.

What makes Columbia’s flowers stand out are their shapes, vibrant colours, quality and appearance. Their roses, carnations and chrysanthemums are the most distinct and are given an ‘Origin Seal’, a certification given guaranteeing their unique variety, color and quality.

The country, also dubbed as the second largest flower exporter, supplies to nearly 100 countries and is leveraging Expo 2020 as a platform to expand its market reach. In 2020, cut flower exports from Colombia to the UAE, reached over $1.8 million comprising of various kinds of roses, hydrangea, alstroemeria, carnation, chrysanthemum and other flowers.

From January to August this year, Colombia’s flower exports reached more than $2 million and has recorded a strong increase of more than 100 per cent, both in value and volume compared to 2020.

The country’s geographical location and climate conditions make it ideal for the cultivation and production of high-quality flowers and supported by a well-established network of growers, suppliers, and government initiatives.

Colombia is also home to over 4,000 variety of orchids, including its national flower, Cattleya. Commonly known as ‘May Flower’, this orchid variety is native to Colombia and is considered as one of the most beautiful flowers in the world.

Full of wonder

At the Thaliand pavilion, visitors can experience the full wonder of Thailand’s magical floating basket festival starting Saturday. The week-long celebration will feature Loy Krathong demonstrations, live dance and musical shows, digital Krathong making, giveaways, competitions and more.

The Loy Krathong showcase will demonstrate how these intricate and delicate baskets are handcrafted with immense care and skill. Guests can then have a go at creating their own digital version through the ultra-immersive E-Krathong station and get to keep a gorgeous coconut-shell krathong that they can then keep as a souvenir.

Already renowned for having some of the most spectacular live performances of any of the pavilions at Expo 2020 Dubai, Thailand will present another dance display with the vibrant and moving Krathong Sai Show. Meanwhile, music lovers can watch the pavilion’s top musical talents join forces with the Vietnam Pavilion’s players, and take to the stage for a special Cultural Exchange Programme performance on Saturday.

At the Thai Photo Booth, visitors can do some fun dressing up in traditional Thai costumes, while the Miss Thailand Noppamas Contest on November 19 will shine a light on the clever, creative and strong women who have helped make Expo 2020 Dubai such an awe-inspiring and fabulous success.

Access to the Loy Krathong Festival is included in tickets to Expo 2020 Dubai.