Expo 2020 Dubai is ready to go out with a bang on Thursday as it gears up for a fantastic finale set to deliver the biggest crowds of the six-month mega event.
A spectacular closing ceremony will feature global music stars on stage and fireworks lighting up the night sky on the 182nd and final day of the world's fair.
Called the 'greatest show on earth', the global gathering has enthralled visitors from across the Emirates and around the world.
Expo has offered a platform for countries great and small to share their cultures, customs and traditions and exhibit their plans for the future.
The party atmosphere will continue into the early hours of Friday, with the sprawling Dubai South site remaining open for dazzling firework displays at midnight and 3am.
Among the headline acts will be singers Christina Aguilera and Norah Jones and cellist Yo-Yo Ma, with more than 20 giant screens to be set up across the Expo site to broadcast the shows.
Screens will be set up in areas such as the main stages, Festival Garden and various country pavilions.
Organisers said the screens would "enable everyone to experience the magic".
Metro trains will run around the clock on Thursday and Friday to handle crowds, with tens of thousands of people expected to visit the Expo site.
The celebrations are included in the price of a ticket that has allowed people to visit the event several times over the past month.
The evening's festivities will begin at 7pm with Mira Singh, the girl who starred in the opening ceremony, taking the audience on another compelling journey.
While details of the closing ceremony have been kept tightly under wraps, the Expo 2020 social media have shared teaser posters featuring Mira, promising a "spectacular" event.
"See global music icons, enjoy dazzling fireworks, and exciting performances unfold beneath the stunning Al Wasl Dome," Expo 2020's Instagram account posted on Sunday.
Nearly 23 million visits had been made to Expo by the start of this week after the more than one million visits recorded from Friday to Sunday.
Tourists and residents have lined up to be part of the largest global gathering since the start of the pandemic. A final tally of the number of visits will be released on April 1.
The impressive numbers were achieved despite the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Dubai will pass on the baton to Japan, which will host the next world's fair in Osaka in 2025.
Japan’s expo team has closely watched Dubai’s successful and safe handling of a global event during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Hiroyuki Ishige, Japan's Expo chief, told The National that Dubai presented a "new model" for future world expos and had attracted business interest with its diverse pavilion offerings.
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Singer Christina Aguilera performs during a World Aids Day concert in Inglewood, California, last year. Reuters -
Aguilera at the Latin Grammy Awards show in Las Vegas, Nevada, in November. Reuters -
The US musician will perform at the closing ceremony of Expo 2020 Dubai on Thursday. EPA -
Cellist Yo-Yo Ma performs at the John F Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts, in Washington. EPA -
Award winning cellist Yo-yo Ma, right, speaks to students at Al Rabeeh School in Abu Dhabi. Photo: Al Rabeeh school -
Ma will also perform at the Expo closing ceremony. The National -
Norah Jones performs during a tour in India to raise awareness and funds for breast cancer. AFP -
American singer Jones is another star expected to play at the world's fair. AP
