As Expo 2020 Dubai is in full swing, prepare for another packed month of events encompassing everything from concerts and film screenings to a chess competition.
Follow the latest updates on Expo 2020 Dubai here
When it comes to the beats, Expo 2020 Dubai will host an Afropop spectacular featuring Nigerian artist Yemi Alade.
The celebrated Irish dance troupe Riverdance will also premiere a new show designed for the Expo and cinephiles will enjoy a screening of Oscar-winning Italian film Cinema Paradiso.
Two other major events, the World Chess Championships and the International Chopin Piano Competition, will also be held next month.
Access to everyone comes free with an Expo 2020 Dubai pass.
Here's the best of what November has to offer:
1. Ahlan Rooftop
Country Pavilion: Portugal
What it is: Inspired by the pavilion's theme "a world in one country", this is an ongoing series of performances showcasing the eclectic Portuguese music scene with folk, acoustic, jazz and blues concerts.
Venue: Portugal Pavilion
Time: from 7pm
Date: Wednesdays, blackout dates apply.
2. Amirah Sackett
Country Pavilion: US
What it is: Amirah Sackett, the Muslim American hip-hop dancer and choreographer, will illustrate how her art form can build bridges and foster empathy between cultures and communities.
Venue: Earth Stage
Time: 5pm to 5.30pm
Date: Tuesday to Thursday, November 2 to 4
3. Airman by Another Kind of Blue
Country Pavilion: Netherlands
What it is: Having appeared in both America's Got Talent and Britain's Got Talent, the acrobatic Dutch troupe is garnering an international reputation for shows blending music, dance and drones.
Venue: Hall 2A South, Dubai Expedition Centre
Time: 3pm, 5pm, 8pm
Date: Wednesday, November 3
4. Riverdance at Expo
Country Pavilion: Ireland
What it is: The Arab world meets Riverdance in this new show at Expo 2020 Dubai. The November residency, featuring up to six shows a week, will have the troupe, renowned for its enthusiastic interpretation of Irish traditional and folk dances, incorporate Middle Eastern influences into their performance.
Venue: Jubilee Stage
Time: 9.30pm to 11pm
Date: Wednesday, November 3 to Saturday, November 27, blackout dates apply
5. Sondorgo
Country Pavilion: Hungary
What it is: From Budapest to Dubai, this Hungarian four-piece will present some of the traditional folk music of their homeland with an added dose of electrifying guitar riffs.
Venue: Jubilee Stage
Time: 7pm to 9pm
Date: Sunday, November 7
6. Miguel Trapaga: ‘The Spanish Guitar’
Country Pavilion: Spain
What it is: Here's an opportunity to see a master of classical guitar music. In addition to performing as a soloist with international orchestras, Trapaga also teaches the instrument at the Madrid Royal Conservatory.
Venue: Terra Auditorium
Time: 6pm to 7pm
Date: Friday, November 5
7. What's The Hype Concert
Country Pavilion: Nigeria
What it is: Prepare to party to jubilant sounds of Nigerian Afro-pop stars, including Tiwa Savage and Yemi Alade, as they bring the house down with back-to-back club hits.
Venue: Dubai Millennium Amphitheatre
Time: 8pm to 10pm
Date: Saturday, November 6
8. Jalsat Nights
What it is: Leading musicians from the Gulf and the wider Arab world will come together to play some of the best Emirati and regional music in a series of monthly shows running throughout Expo 2020 Dubai. Some of the artists scheduled to appear include Moroccan artist Asma Lmnawar, Bahraini singer Mohammed Al Bakri and Iraqi singer Majid A Mohandis.
Venue: Jubilee Stage
Time: 8.30pm to 10.30pm
Date: Monday, November 8
9. Forma Antiqua: ‘La Caramba’
Country Pavilion: Spain
What it is: Catch a performance by one of Spain's leading dance ensembles. Forma Antiqua will bring their La Caramba show to the Expo, seeing them meld dance with baroque instrumentation.
Venue: Dubai Millennium Amphitheatre
Time: 7pm to 8.30pm
Date: Tuesday, November 9
10. Chopin Competition Laureate Concert
What it is: Launched in 1927 and held every five years, the International Chopin Piano Competition is one of the classical world's most rigorous contests with international virtuosos competing by performing words dedicated to Polish composer Frederic Chopin. Experience that quality and poise with the winners performing a series of shows in the Expo.
Venue: Dubai Millennium Amphitheatre
Time: Rounds take place from 8am to 2pm, 7.30pm to 11pm, and 11pm to midnight
Date: Thursday, November 11
11. Infinite Nights: Nancy Ajram and Ragheb Alama
What it is: After wowing fans on the ground and a global audience, the Infinite Nights concert series returns with Lebanese superstars Nancy Ajram and Ragheb Alama. Both acts will perform a livestreamed show featuring three decades worth of Arabic pop hits.
Venue: Al Wasl Plaza
Time: 10pm to midnight
Date: Friday, November 12
12. Francesco De Gregori
Country Pavilion: Italy
What it is: A singer, songwriter, poet and artist, De Gregori is a true renaissance man and viewed as music royalty in Italy. He will perform a two-hour set spanning his five-decade career.
Venue: Dubai Millennium Amphitheatre
Time: 9.30pm to 11.30pm
Date: Sunday, November 14
13. World Majlis: Art for Good
What it is: As part of the Expo’s series of public forums, a high-powered panel of visual creatives, including Tunisian artist eL Seed and Kirsha Kaechele, curator of Australia's Museum of Old and New Art, will discuss the function of art and how it can be a catalyst for change in society.
Venue: Italy Pavilion
Time: 4pm to 6pm
Date: Sunday, November 14
14. 'Al Wasl Opera'
What it is: Produced in collaboration with the Welsh National Opera, the first Emirati opera has been created under Expo 2020 Dubai’s theme of “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future” and will feature more than 100 artists and musicians from around the world.
Composed and co-written by the UAE's Mohammed Fairouz and Maha Gargash respectively, the opera is called Al Wasl after the old name for Dubai. It also translates as “the connection” in English, fittingly for Expo 2020’s theme.
Venue: Dubai Opera
Time: 8pm
Date: Tuesday to Friday, November 16 to 19
15. Cairo Symphony Orchestra concert
Country Pavilion: Egypt
What it is: The celebrated ensemble returns to the UAE to perform classic Arabic music masterpieces from the past 50 years.
Venue: Jubilee Stage
Time: 4pm to 6pm; 7.30pm to 9.30pm
Date: Sunday and Monday, November 21 and 22
16. Jesus Carmona: El Salto
Country Pavilion: Spain
What it is: Flamenco meets ballet in a show featuring Carmano, principle dancer of the Spanish National Ballet. The performance revolves around the question: "if dance has a gender?".
Venue: Dubai Millennium Amphitheatre
Time: 8pm-9.30pm; 5pm-6.30pm
Date: Saturday and Sunday, November 20 and 21
17. Film screening: Cinema Paradiso
Country Pavilion: Italy
What it is: As part of Italy Pavilion's film series, prepare to be enchanted by this movie from Italian director Giuseppe Tornatore. The winner of the 1989 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and starring Philippe Noiret and Antonella Attili, the romantic drama centres on a filmmaker's recollection of falling in love with movies at the cinema of his local Sicilian village.
Venue: Italy Pavilion
Time: 8pm
Date: Monday, November 22
18. Late Nights at Expo
What it is: Discovery is the aim of this weekly series of concerts featuring local and Mena acts. Expect performers from various genres and cultures and be intrigued by surprising collaborations.
Venue: Jubilee Stage
Time: 10.30pm to 1am
Date: Thursday, November 25
19. World Chess Championship
What it is: A match-up for the ages. In addition to a full day's worth of competitions, the event will culminate with an anticipated match between reigning Norwegian world chess champion Magnus Carlsen and Russian challenger Ian Nepomniachtchi.
Venue: Dubai Exhibition Centre
Time: 9am to midnight
Date: Wednesday to Saturday, November 24 to 27
20. Saudi Arabia Poetry series
Country Pavilion: Saudi Arabia
What it is: Arabic music and poetry will come together in an evening featuring renowned and emerging poets from the Gulf and Mena.
Venue: Dubai Millennium Amphitheatre
Time: 8pm to 10pm
Date: Saturday, November 27
21. Manuel Linan: 'Convivencias'
Country Pavilion: Spain
What it is: Manuel Linan, one of the world's leading flamenco dancers, pushes the boundaries of an art form in this conceptual show. Joined by fellow Andalusian dancer David Carpio, the show marries the traditional with the avant-garde while maintaining flamenco's signature passion.
Venue: Earth Stage
Time: 6.30pm to 7pm
Date: Tuesday, November 30
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21 October events at Expo 2020 Dubai worth putting in your diary
