Expo 2020 Dubai looks to the future with spectacular Closing Ceremony
The curtain of Expo 2020 Dubai comes down during a spectacular closing ceremony that looks to the future at Al Wasl Plaza, the beating heart of the region’s first World Expo and the same venue where an unforgettable opening ceremony was held 182 days ago.
Global music icons Christina Aguilera, Norah Jones and Yo-Yo Ma will sprinkle the stunning setting with stardust, while 20-plus giant screens throughout Expo 2020 Dubai, including the main stages, Festival Garden and various country pavilions, will allow everyone to experience the magic. The celebrations will continue into the night, with each artist performing on the Jubilee Stage and the Dubai Millennium Amphitheatre.
The evening kicked off at 7pm GST with the young Emirati girl from the Opening Ceremony taking the audience on another exciting journey. For 182 days she has grown, learned and interacted with people from all over the world – there is one last step left to take before she unleashes her full potential.
Expo has invited hundreds of children from across the UAE to witness the wonders the country will witness over the next 50 years, marking its Golden Jubilee during Expo 2020 Dubai.
Later in the evening, Grammy Award-winning cellist Yo-Yo Ma will perform a concert at the Dubai Millennium Amphitheatre from 8:45pm GST; celebrated Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter and pianist Norah Jones will entertain visitors with her own concert at the Jubilee Stage from 9pm GST; and pop legend Christina Aguilera will present an extended performance at the Jubilee Stage from 10:45pm GST.
The Closing Ceremony cast includes over 400 professionals and volunteers from 56 countries, with 745 costumes created for the culmination of Expo 2020 Dubai. Forty members of the UAE Children’s Choir will perform Isha Biladi, the UAE national anthem, accompanied by the Firdaus Orchestra conducted by Yasmina Sabbah.
Also taking to the stage will be Expo 2020 World String Ensemble, a group of 16 talented international musicians led by Maestro Harut Fazlian, and the talented Italian pianist Eleonora Constantini, familiar to many Expo 2020 Dubai visitors as a performer of the amazing ‘Flying Piano’ show in the Mission Possible pavilion.
The closing ceremony, broadcast live on Virtual Expo and Expo TV, will also remind viewers of some of Al Wasl Plaza’s iconic moments, including the poetry of calligraphy in the sky by Emirati poet Usha bint Khalifa Al Suwaidi; a falcon from the immersive theatrical show Journey of the 50s, which was presented during the UAE’s Golden Jubilee celebrations; and an incredible horse from The Boy and the Horse, dedicated to His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai.
As Expo 2020 Dubai looks to the future, Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence and Commissioner General of Expo 2020 Dubai, presents the BIE flag to Ambassador Jai Chul Choi, President of the International Bureau of Exhibitions (BIE) General Assembly, who will then present it to Expo 2025 Osaka Kansai representatives.
Celebrations will continue throughout the night, with stunning fireworks set off at midnight and 3:00 GMT.
The curtain comes down on @expo2020dubai with a spectacular Closing Ceremony at Al Wasl Plaza. pic.twitter.com/kdcT2pUw7Z
— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) March 31, 2022
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