UAE-wide celebrations to mark One Year to Go until Expo 2020 Dubai

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DUBAI - Excitement for Expo 2020 Dubai is reaching new heights as the UAE prepares to celebrate One Year to Go across all seven emirates on Sunday, 20th October, with everyone invited to join in this jubilant moment with the nation.

Events around the country, including live performances in Dubai from global superstar Mariah Carey and acclaimed Emirati singer and Expo 2020 Ambassador Hussain Al Jassmi, will provide a taster of what visitors can expect when the show opens its doors on 20th October, 2020.

Expo 2020 will bring the world together, including more than 200 international participants and millions of people, in a spirit of celebration, collaboration and optimism for the future.

Speaking on the occasion, Reem bint Ibrahim Al Hashemy, Minister of State for International Cooperation and Director-General of Expo 2020 Dubai, said, "As we mark One Year to Go until the UAE welcomes the world to Expo 2020, these spectacular nationwide celebrations will usher in the final leg of a historic journey and a major achievement not only for Dubai, but for the entire UAE.

"So far, 2019 has been the year of delivery and the Expo 2020 site has been transformed by the completion of key construction milestones such as the Thematic Districts and the crowning of Al Wasl dome. The next 12 months will see us put the finishing touches to ensure an exceptional World Expo.

All the tickets to the One Year to Go event in Burj Park, Downtown Dubai, which will also feature a special appearance by Bollywood actress Shraddha Kapoor and an eye-catching countdown at 20:20 (8.20pm) on Burj Khalifa, were snapped up within two hours by people from 76 nationalities.

Thousands more people can still join the celebrations elsewhere in the UAE, however, with free festivities taking place simultaneously from 17:00 to 22:00 in the other six emirates at Louvre Abu Dhabi, Al Majaz Waterfront in Sharjah, Ajman Museum, Umm Al Qaiwain Corniche, Al Qawasim Corniche in Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah Fort.

One hundred performing artists from 26 nationalities will keep the whole family entertained, while also highlighting the universal language of art and the global appeal of the next World Expo.

Each event will feature various cuisines, a craft area for kids and the chance to meet the Expo 2020 Mascots for the first time, as well as more details about what to expect at Expo 2020.

A live broadcast of the headliners as they perform in Dubai and the countdown LED show on Burj Khalifa will be streamed to the festivities in the other six emirates.

In line with Expo 2020’s subtheme of Sustainability, single-use plastic water bottles will not be sold at any of the celebrations. Instead, Expo 2020 will provide free drinking water and 98 percent biodegradable and compostable paper water bottles to all visitors, performers and staff. Visitors are also encouraged to bring their own reusable drinking bottles.

Organisers expect these measures will save more than 100,000 plastic water bottles across all events. This initiative is part of the wider ‘Be Water Wise’ campaign – a collaboration between Expo 2020 and the UAE Water Aid Foundation, Suqia UAE, to combat water shortages in the region, keep the sea plastic-free and invest in innovative, sustainable solutions to help preserve the planet.