Watch as Expo 2020 celebrates the festival of lights with beautiful traditional décor and illuminating projection showcases. Diwali will be celebrated with a unique show created exclusively for Expo and performed in Al Wasl Plaza. A dynamic and uplifting performance, it’s presented on an extraordinary canvas of light, featuring dancers and cultural groups drawn from the rich and diverse Indian community of Dubai.

Diwali: Festival of Lights

DiwaliLightShow

A dynamic and uplifting performance celebrating India's festival of lights.

Inside Expo_New

Architecture II: Al Wasl Plaza

Exhibitor logo

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Al Wasl Plaza

Al Wasl 

Notice the Expo logo at the centre of Al Wasl Plaza's oculus.

Al Wasl Dome 3

Experience a towering structure under which the Leaning Tower of Pisa could fit.

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Al Wasl Plaza Images

The Opening Ceremony: A Story of Hope

Expo 2020 Dubai, the first Expo in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia region in the 170 years of World Expo history, opened with a celebration of global togetherness and optimism. Spectacular storytelling, performances, fireworks, and immersive projections on the dome of Al Wasl, the heart of Expo 2020, all told a story of collaboration and hope for the future, echoing Expo 2020 Dubai's theme of "Connecting Minds, Creating the Future". Global artists joining in the celebration included Andrea Bocelli, Ellie Goulding, Lang Lang and Mohammed Abdu.

Description 

General view of Al Wasl Plaza 

The first World Expo in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia region, Expo 2020 opened with a celebration of global connection and hope for the future.

Jaw-dropping immersive projections beginning with the fiery birth of our planet.

A celebration of the majesty of nature, both underwater and on land.

Incredible local and international performers.

Image Gallery

Expo 2020 Dubai Opening Ceremony

Long ago, travellers referred to Dubai as Al Wasl, or “the connection” – a name that reflects the area’s heritage as a meeting point. This spirit of coming together takes shape in Al Wasl Plaza, Expo 2020’s spectacular centrepiece and gathering ground for celebration and wonder. 

Situated at the meeting point of Expo’s three thematic districts, Al Wasl Plaza's dome is tall enough to fit the Leaning Tower of Pisa beneath it. By night, she transforms into a 360-degree projection screen, blanketed by more than 250 state-of-the-art projectors. Al Wasl Plaza is a hub for visitors and the vibrant heart of our Expo.

UAE flag

Daily performances, national day ceremonies and more

Al Wasl Dome Projections

Immersive 360-degree domed projection screen

Al Wasl exterior

Lush garden spaces for relaxation and connection

Al Wasl features

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Al Wasl Plaza 360

Al Wasl Plaza is 130 metres in diameter and more than 67 metres tall. Delicate-looking despite its titanic scale, her pattern is inspired by our Expo's logo, which is fully visible at the oculus.

and magical

Extraordinary

The life force of the Expo 2020 site, Al Wasl Plaza proudly carries the old name of Dubai.

The beating heart of Expo 2020

A series of immersive 360° videos of Al Wasl's projection shows that put you centre stage for each stunning performance. 

DUBAI, 12 October 2021. Underwater Harmony performance at Al Wasl, Expo 2020 Dubai. (Photo by Christopher Pike/Expo 2020 Dubai)


Underwater Harmony performance at Al Wasl

Al Wasl Plaza 360° Immersive Experiences

The Beating Heart of Expo 2020

The Beating Heart of Expo

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Diwali @ Al Wasl Plaza: Festival of Lights

MENASA, an Emirati Design Platform presented by Expo 2020 Dubai, aims to spark a new appreciation for Emirati crafts as contemporary and living expressions of Emirati cultural identity. By merging artisanal skills with innovation and technology, MENASA aims to cultivate a creative dialogue between designers and artisans from the UAE and around the world. Craft Stories is a series of seven unique curated design collaborations telling stories of today's UAE through a selection of its crafts and traditions. Merging the skills and rich heritage of Emirati artisans together with contemporary creativity and innovation in techniques and materials, each story is a multi-layered journey that reflects many facets of the UAE, its landscape, people, traditions, values and identity. Technology and Crafts: Interpretation of Crafts Through Technology will introduce one of the main craft story collections showcased at MENASA, the TEN to ONE capsule collection by Iwan Maktabi, Edouard Cabay and House of Artisans: a bespoke rug collection made from a sustainable material that is painted by Robot through AI.

Technology and Crafts: Interpretation of Crafts Through Technology

Menasa

A panel discussion organised by the Emirati design platform MENASA, in which distinguished designers from around the world contribute to engaging dialogue around the craft stories showcased at MENASA.

Carmelo Zappulla (C), Founder and Executive Director External Reference, Edouard Cabay (R), Architect and Founder and Principal of Appareil and Salama Al Shamsi (L), Director of Qasr Al Hosn during the Technology and Crafts Interpretation o

Mohamed Maktabi (L2), Co-founder and CEO of Iwan Maktabi, Carmelo Zappulla (R2), Founder and Executive Director External Reference, Edouard Cabay (R1), Architect and Founder and Principal of Appareil and Salama Al Shamsi (R3), Director of Qa (1)

Mohamed Maktabi (L2), Co-founder and CEO of Iwan Maktabi, Carmelo Zappulla (R2), Founder and Executive Director External Reference, Edouard Cabay (R1), Architect and Founder and Principal of Appareil and Salama Al Shamsi (R3), Director of Qa

Mohamed Maktabi, Co-founder and CEO of Iwan Maktabi during the Technology and Crafts Interpretation of Crafts through Technology at 2020 Club by Emaar m41102

Salama Al Shamsi, Director of Qasr Al Hosn during the Technology and Crafts Interpretation of Crafts through Technology at 2020 Club by Emaar m41099

MENASA | Technology and Crafts: Interpretation of Crafts Through Technology

Presented by MENASA, Emirati Design Platform, this question and answer session with Dr Ricardo Devesa, Editor in Chief of ACTAR Publishers, covers the newly-launched MENASA Publication as well as its valuable contribution to design content around the world.

Following the session is a private reception at MENASA and the official MENASA Publication launch. A testament to the incredible work presented at MENASA by local artisans, designers, organisations and international collaborators under the support of Expo 2020 Dubai, the MENASA publication represents a collective effort to present contemporary design and crafts from the UAE to the world.


MENASA Publication Official Launch with Dr. Ricardo Devesa

MENASA

A question and answer session with Dr Ricardo Devesa, Editor in Chief of ACTAR Publishers, covering the newly-launched MENASA Publication as well as its valuable contribution to design content around the world.

Technology is considered a science of craft, it is a development of skills that are used to produce tangible and intangible goods and services. Heritage crafts are systems that are created to produce an outcome or series of products that identify a society, preserving its culture. Some Emirati crafts include Talli and Safeefah weaving, which resulted into products used in multifunctional manners. This session will focus on the future of urban design, textiles, fashion, and architecture.

Irthi Contemporary Crafts Council, together with art and technology experts, developed a physical and virtual talk and workshop to showcase ways by which crafts and technology could coexist, and serve as great tools to sustaining one another and crafting the future. The session will include a series of Talli & Safeefah weaving workshops, led by Irthi, using tablet technology.

Join the event, and interact via https://zoom.us/j/93850568121

Panel Discussion & Workshop: Crafting the Future

Irthi: Crafting the Future

Irthi Contemporary Crafts Council presents an integrated talk and workshop session to discuss ways in which crafts and technology could coexist. Co-curated by NAMA Women Advancement.

Inside Expo: The Brave Women

Women's Pavilion - Audio Guide

Women's Pavilion 1

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Women's Pavilion Image gallery

Women make tremendous contributions to the world, yet many remain unknown or forgotten. The Women’s Pavilion in collaboration with Cartier at Expo 2020 challenges this imbalance by taking visitors on a journey through the remarkable achievements of women across the globe. Our showcase underscores the principle that “When women thrive, all of humanity thrives”.

The pavilion showcases the exceptional accomplishments of women, world-famous and unknown. Immerse yourself in the triumphs of women through history, discover the journeys women have taken to claim their equality and dive into the stories of the inspirational women shaping our future.


Globe-spanning tour of women’s achievements and ongoing challenges

Multisensory exhibition created by actor/artist Mélanie Laurent and Emirati artists

Majlis-inspired social space for live conversations and events

Women's 

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Reflecting the UAE’s commitment to women’s empowerment and gender equality, the Women’s Pavilion serves as a catalyst for social transformation, both in Dubai and far beyond. By championing exceptional women, it aims to inspire dialogue, shatter gender misconceptions, and leave a lasting legacy of positive change for women worldwide.

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inspiring change

Championing women, 

Women's Pavilion 

Crafting the Future

Under the title “New Perspectives”, the Women’s World Majlis programme invites you to recognise a fundamental principle: when women thrive, humanity thrives.

The programme highlights the impact women have made on society and shines a light on their often forgotten contributions. By shifting perspectives, we embrace the infinite approaches to a more balanced world.

A common vision for a unique collaboration; sustainable development goals and aspirations for a peaceful and prosperous world cannot be achieved without gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Sharing this vision, Expo 2020 Dubai and Cartier celebrate women changemakers around the globe, asserting our conviction that innovative collaboration between the private sector, civil society and committed individuals is the pathway to meaningful change.

Description

Women's Pavilion

When women thrive, humanity thrives. A common vision for a unique collaboration.