Five things to do at Expo 2020 this weekend


Anam Rizvi
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Read More: 'Packed schedule' at Expo 2020 Dubai for public holiday weekend

Expo 2020 has more than 190 country pavilions, exhibitions at the Opportunity, Mobility and Sustainability pavilions, hundreds of places at which to eat and many shows a day, so visitors have options galore to explore at the world's fair.

UAE residents and tourists are expected to visit the world’s greatest show more than once.

Walking around various pavilions, from hiking in the fog at the Swiss pavilion and soaking in the sights and sounds of old Jerusalem in the Palestine pavilion, there are experiences for every kind of taste at Expo 2020 Dubai.

Live Blog: Updates and live coverage from Expo 2020 Dubai

If you are thinking of heading down to the world’s fair, here are five of the cool experiences you can try out while you are there.

Cool down at the Expo 2020 Dubai's fire-spitting waterfall

The water feature at Expo 2020 Dubai with waves that cascade down stone walls is drawing crowds.

Visitors stopped off to dip their feet in the waterfall that crashes to the ground before disappearing into the stone. The water also dances to music as people frolic in the tumbling stream below.

The gravity-defying illusion is switched on at night, as the water appears to flow upwards and the stone is coloured with rainbow streaks.

The experience is set against a backdrop of specially composed music. An orchestra in London recorded the original score by well-known Game of Thrones music composer and two-time Emmy award winner Ramin Djawadi.

Read more: All you need to know about Expo 2020 Dubai's fire-spitting waterfall

Play games and make a pledge to help save the planet

Learn about how to save water, energy and food and pledge to contribute in a small or big way to saving the planet at the Opportunity pavilion.

The pavilion focuses on how every person can be an agent of change in helping to reach sustainable development goals.

Parallel "tracks" run through the pavilion, focusing on those themes of water, food and energy.

At the pavilion, visitors can play a game in which they help provide the right amount of sunshine and water to a plant to ensure it grows and blossoms.

The final area in the pavilion is the Pledge Room, which delivers a sensory experience giving visitors the illusion that they are in the clouds while looking at Earth and they can make pledges to work towards sustainable development goals.

These pledges are then displayed in panels across the ceiling.

Enjoy a light show at Al Wasl Dome

Al Wasl Dome, often called the beating heart of the Expo, truly comes to life at night.

People gather around the mammoth structure and watch the dazzling dance of lights and patterns as soothing music is played.

The Al Wasl Dome is at its most beautiful after night falls.

Visitors will remember the dome, it was used at the Expo's opening ceremony where its walls were lit with beautiful patterns.

Al Wasl Plaza’s dome is 130 metres in diameter and more than 67 metres tall.

Feel like you are in the Alps with a hike in the fog

If you want to forget the heat and humidity, there is nothing like a quick escape in the Alps.

At the Swiss pavilion, people can walk through a cloud of fog and feel like they are hiking in the Alps.

A hill was built from recycled stone, with high-tech sound and visuals added to recreate a panoramic view from the top of a mountain.

Deeksha Vasanthakumar, a Grade 7 pupil at Delhi Private School Dubai, was excited after her first trip on Wednesday.

Hiking through the fog in the Swiss pavilion was her favourite experience.

“I was in seventh heaven," said the 11-year-old Indian pupil.

Enjoy a kaleidoscope of colours at the Pakistan pavilion

Visitors at the Expo 2020 have been posting their share of photos of the colourful Pakistan pavilion.

Thousands of individual glass units of different sizes and colour were used to create the facade of the pavilion.

The result is an optical illusion for visitors as they walk past the unique structure.

The pavilion, which covers an area of 3,251 square metres in the Opportunity District, has a theme – The Hidden Treasure – intended to boost tourism, commerce and investment in Pakistan.

Prop idols

Girls full-contact rugby may be in its infancy in the Middle East, but there are already a number of role models for players to look up to.

Sophie Shams (Dubai Exiles mini, England sevens international)

An Emirati student who is blazing a trail in rugby. She first learnt the game at Dubai Exiles and captained her JESS Primary school team. After going to study geophysics at university in the UK, she scored a sensational try in a cup final at Twickenham. She has played for England sevens, and is now contracted to top Premiership club Saracens.

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Seren Gough-Walters (Sharjah Wanderers mini, Wales rugby league international)

Few players anywhere will have taken a more circuitous route to playing rugby on Sky Sports. Gough-Walters was born in Al Wasl Hospital in Dubai, raised in Sharjah, did not take up rugby seriously till she was 15, has a master’s in global governance and ethics, and once worked as an immigration officer at the British Embassy in Abu Dhabi. In the summer of 2021 she played for Wales against England in rugby league, in a match that was broadcast live on TV.

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Erin King (Dubai Hurricanes mini, Ireland sevens international)

Aged five, Australia-born King went to Dubai Hurricanes training at The Sevens with her brothers. She immediately struck up a deep affection for rugby. She returned to the city at the end of last year to play at the Dubai Rugby Sevens in the colours of Ireland in the Women’s World Series tournament on Pitch 1.

The biog

Occupation: Key marker and auto electrician

Hometown: Ghazala, Syria

Date of arrival in Abu Dhabi: May 15, 1978

Family: 11 siblings, a wife, three sons and one daughter

Favourite place in UAE: Abu Dhabi

Favourite hobby: I like to do a mix of things, like listening to poetry for example.

Favourite Syrian artist: Sabah Fakhri, a tenor from Aleppo

Favourite food: fresh fish

Simran

Director Hansal Mehta

Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Soham Shah, Esha Tiwari Pandey

Three stars

Profile of MoneyFellows

Founder: Ahmed Wadi

Launched: 2016

Employees: 76

Financing stage: Series A ($4 million)

Investors: Partech, Sawari Ventures, 500 Startups, Dubai Angel Investors, Phoenician Fund

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Updated: October 21, 2021, 5:06 AM