From the Editors: Expo 2020 Grand Finale is here

EXPO 2020 GRAND FINALE IS HERE: It’s hard to believe that the grand finale of Expo 2020 Dubai is being marked today. It seems like only yesterday that the world’s greatest show opened. Its hugely successful run over the last six months, in the middle of a global pandemic, is testament not just to the ability of those managing the show, but also the vision of the UAE’s leadership and their confidence in making an event of such scale such a smooth reality. When the curtains come down on Expo this evening, it will establish how the UAE keeps outdoing itself in making the impossible possible. [COMMENT BY: Sharmila Dhal, UAE Editor]

POWER OF THE ISLAMIC ECONOMY: Consumers following the Islamic faith spent a hefty $2 trillion last year on halal-based products and lifestyle choices – and those in the UAE were right in the thick of that spending blitz. Notably, UAE shoppers topped the world when it comes to backing ‘modest fashion’, suggesting there are more opportunities for home-grown and regional clothing and accessories brands to stitch up a global presence. Opportunities within the many tiered Islamic economy shows there are more categories that could go through the same process of discovery and going big. The payoffs for these local brands from making the cut will help a new cohort of labels to emerge. The possibilities are only starting to take shape in that $2 trillion plus marketplace. [COMMENT BY: Manoj Nair, Business Editor]

LAS VEGAS TO HOST FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX NEXT YEAR: From next year the USA will have a third Formula 1 race after a deal was secured for a Las Vegas Grand Prix with the track including a portion of the famous strip. Las Vegas joins the US Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, and the new Miami event, which makes its debut in May this year. A race in LA had been proposed for over three decades and has finally come to fruition as F1 owners Liberty Media made expanding the sport’s American reach key. The night race will be 50 laps long and the circuit will have three main straights and 14 corners, including a high-speed cornering sequence and a single chicane section. Having a race there is bound to exceptionally exciting and there may be no better place for it than the global entertainment capital of the world. [COMMENT BY: Imran Malik, Assistant Sports Editor]

As Christina Aguilera and Norah Jones take to the Expo 2020 Dubai stage tonight in a final swansong before the world’s greatest show comes to a close, it will be through the collective efforts of the city and its people who gave six months of their lives to ensure the success of this global event. While Expo 2020 Dubai was a lot of things, for an entertainment-starved audience coming off a pandemic, the event was a true celebration of art, music and culture that set a benchmark for how live shows should be conducted on a mammoth scale. Expo 2020 Dubai may be drawing to a close tonight, but the memories of talents such as Coldplay, the Black Eyed Peas, Junoon and AR Rahman performing with enthusiasm will live on forever as a true celebration for Dubai and its resilience. [COMMENT BY: Bindu Rai, Entertainment Editor]