Expo 2020 Dubai has announced a music programme tomatch the global nature of the event.
The centrepiece of the programme is the Expo Beats music festival, which will kick off alongside the exposition on October 1, running on a monthly basis until March 2022.
Each of the six events that comprise Expo Beats will be held under a distinct musical theme.
The festival will kick off with the World Beats event, bringing together disparate talents from around the world. November’s Jubilee Beats will be held in honour of the UAE’s Golden Jubilee and focus on artists with ties to the country. The Tribal Beats event in December will explore the music of dance from countries such as Tanzania and Bangladesh.
City Beats in January will celebrate artists from some of the most teeming metropolises including New York and New Delhi. February’s Desert Beats will focus on the Mena region and feature musicians from desert-dwelling communities. The concluding event, Island Beats, in March, will explore the island influences of Hawaii, the Philippines and the Caribbean.
The series will take place once a month at Expo 2020 Dubai's Jubilee Stage, typically running for eight hours.
The performances will blend genres and create fusions, allowing the exhibition’s visitors to experience traditional and contemporary sounds in novel ways. The festival programme will also include dance, visual, lyrical and narrative performances.
The line-up includes Indian dream pop duo Parekh & Singh, and the finalist of the Australian version of The X Factor, Jaymie Deville. Talents from around the country will also be featured in the festival, including Dubai singer-songwriter Rony Sarkis, indie outfit As Per Casper, as well as the three-piece band Noon, known for electronic sounds infused with funk, African and Indian grooves.
There will also be a weekly musical series, Late Nights @ Expo, held every Thursday and Friday on the Jubilee Stage throughout the exhibition. The aim of the series is to push artists from different parts of the world to collaborate and perform together.
Those performing include Syrian composer Iyad Rimawi, Jordanian songwriter Dina Stars, the funk rock act from Dubai Carl & The Reda Mafia, Chilean singer Sergio Catalan, Serbian songwriter Aleksandra Krstic, and Colombian singer Fatiniza, as well as Jaye & Foe, the six-piece Dubai band known for their jazz and reggae-infused sound.
The musical events of Expo 2020 Dubai will all be held in accordance with Covid-19 health and safety measures as mandated by the government.
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Citizenship-by-investment programmes
United Kingdom
The UK offers three programmes for residency. The UK Overseas Business Representative Visa lets you open an overseas branch office of your existing company in the country at no extra investment. For the UK Tier 1 Innovator Visa, you are required to invest £50,000 (Dh238,000) into a business. You can also get a UK Tier 1 Investor Visa if you invest £2 million, £5m or £10m (the higher the investment, the sooner you obtain your permanent residency).
All UK residency visas get approved in 90 to 120 days and are valid for 3 years. After 3 years, the applicant can apply for extension of another 2 years. Once they have lived in the UK for a minimum of 6 months every year, they are eligible to apply for permanent residency (called Indefinite Leave to Remain). After one year of ILR, the applicant can apply for UK passport.
The Caribbean
Depending on the country, the investment amount starts from $100,000 (Dh367,250) and can go up to $400,000 in real estate. From the date of purchase, it will take between four to five months to receive a passport.
Portugal
The investment amount ranges from €350,000 to €500,000 (Dh1.5m to Dh2.16m) in real estate. From the date of purchase, it will take a maximum of six months to receive a Golden Visa. Applicants can apply for permanent residency after five years and Portuguese citizenship after six years.
“Among European countries with residency programmes, Portugal has been the most popular because it offers the most cost-effective programme to eventually acquire citizenship of the European Union without ever residing in Portugal,” states Veronica Cotdemiey of Citizenship Invest.
Greece
The real estate investment threshold to acquire residency for Greece is €250,000, making it the cheapest real estate residency visa scheme in Europe. You can apply for residency in four months and citizenship after seven years.
Spain
The real estate investment threshold to acquire residency for Spain is €500,000. You can apply for permanent residency after five years and citizenship after 10 years. It is not necessary to live in Spain to retain and renew the residency visa permit.
Cyprus
Cyprus offers the quickest route to citizenship of a European country in only six months. An investment of €2m in real estate is required, making it the highest priced programme in Europe.
Malta
The Malta citizenship by investment programme is lengthy and investors are required to contribute sums as donations to the Maltese government. The applicant must either contribute at least €650,000 to the National Development & Social Fund. Spouses and children are required to contribute €25,000; unmarried children between 18 and 25 and dependent parents must contribute €50,000 each.
The second step is to make an investment in property of at least €350,000 or enter a property rental contract for at least €16,000 per annum for five years. The third step is to invest at least €150,000 in bonds or shares approved by the Maltese government to be kept for at least five years.
Candidates must commit to a minimum physical presence in Malta before citizenship is granted. While you get residency in two months, you can apply for citizenship after a year.
Egypt
A one-year residency permit can be bought if you purchase property in Egypt worth $100,000. A three-year residency is available for those who invest $200,000 in property, and five years for those who purchase property worth $400,000.
Source: Citizenship Invest and Aqua Properties
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
