A choreographed show at the Dubai Fountain and a three-minute countdown projected onto the Burj Khalifa formed the climax of festivities on Saturday night as Expo 2020 Dubai passed its two-years-togo mark.
Dubai had in 2013 won the bid to host Expo 2020, which will start on October 20, 2020 and run for six months until April 10, 2021.
Millions of people – 70 per cent of them from outside the UAE – are expected to visit Expo 2020.
Public celebrations
On Saturday night, thousands of people enjoyed a free public celebration at Burj Park, Downtown Dubai to mark the countdown to Expo 2020.
The community event included five hours of interactive live music performances, illuminations, lessons in dance from around the world, artistic exhibitions and activities, global cuisines, and more.
Three flash-mob routines, synchronised to music inspired by the international cuisines created during a cooking show, were a surprise feature.
The milestone moment was projected onto the façade of the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, on 2020 – 20 minutes past 8pm.
Volunteer uptake Visitors also had the opportunity to sign up as an Expo 2020 Volunteer, joining more than 15,000 UAE nationals and expats who have already registered their interest in joining the Expo family.
Registration was open to anyone over the age of 18.
30,000 volunteers
Expo 2020 has an ambitious volunteer programme that aims to include, in total, more than 30,000 volunteers from a wide range of ages, nationalities, cultures and backgrounds.
The team is spreading awareness by targeting each sector of the community starting with students in public and private universities.
Through a portable recruitment stand, staff are able to reach out to students at universities, employees at government entities, and even housewives through stands at public places.
A portable Expo 2020 van is also moving across the emirates to reach out to communities. Regional debut Expo 2020 Dubai will be the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia.
It is expected to attract 200 participants, including nations, multilateral organisations, businesses
