WATCH LIVE NOW: Expo 2020 Dubai opening ceremony
World-famous classical, popular and regional musicians have been signed up to star at the opening ceremony of Expo 2020 Dubai.
Opera singer Andrea Bocelli, Golden Globe-winning actress, singer and songwriter Andra Day, platinum-selling British pop star Ellie Goulding, Chinese pianist Lang Lang and four-time Grammy winning singer-songwriter Angelique Kidjo will help to light up the event at Al Wasl Plaza.
An invited audience will also watch performances by regional artists including the ‘Artist of Arabs’ Mohamed Abdu, much-loved Emirati singing sensation Ahlam Alshamsi and Emirati artist and Expo 2020 Dubai ambassador Hussain Al Jassmi, a trendsetter on the Khaleeji music scene in the Middle East.
Rising UAE singer-songwriter Almas and Grammy-nominated Lebanese-American singer Mayssa Karaa also feature on the line-up announced so far.
TV audiences around the world are promised a visually striking light and dance show, on a similar scale to the opening of the Olympic Games, with elements from the creative minds behind Cirque du Soleil.
The event has been choreographed by Scott Givens, executive producer and chief executive of FiveCurrents, whose credits include 62 global events and more Olympic ceremonies than any other producer.
Tareq Ghosheh, chief event and entertainment officer for Expo 2020 Dubai, described the event, which will take place on Thursday, September 30, as a "big bang".
“As the global spotlight shines on the UAE, this incredible, unforgettable evening will celebrate the collaborative, creative and optimistic spirit of Expo 2020, demonstrating our commitment to hosting a mega-event that will delight the world," he said.
“Combining some of the most sought-after names in the world of music, live events and entertainment with the awe-inspiring, world-first technologies of the iconic Al Wasl Plaza, this is the ‘big bang’ that sets the scene for 182 days of visually striking and emotionally inspiring experiences, as we invite visitors from across the planet to join the making of a new world.”
The opening show will draw inspiration from Expo’s theme of ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’, and its sub-themes of opportunity, mobility and sustainability, and present the values of the UAE to the watching world.
It will be staged in Al Wasl Plaza, a vast, circular theatre which will house the largest immersive sound installation in the world and the world’s largest blended video projection installation.
Choreographers are placing the audience at the centre of the event and the revolving stage, light shows and immersive technology will come to life around them.
Organisers published a preview of the 90-minute ceremony, featuring hundreds of colourfully costumed performers over a weekend.
The 90-minute performance will set the scene for the six-month world fair with the show to be broadcast live on Expo TV, Virtual Expo and TV stations around the world.
Expo 2020 Dubai will open to the public on October 1 and run for six months until the end of March.
Take a look at the water feature at Expo 2020 Dubai
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
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MATCH INFO
Manchester City 2 (Mahrez 04', Ake 84')
Leicester City 5 (Vardy 37' pen, 54', 58' pen, Maddison 77', Tielemans 88' pen)
Man of the match: Jamie Vardy (Leicester City)
Results
5pm Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m
Winner No Riesgo Al Maury, Szczepan Mazur (jockey), Ibrahim Al Hadhrami (trainer)
5.30pm Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m
Winner Marwa W’Rsan, Sam Hitchcott, Jaci Wickham.
6pm Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m
Winner Dahess D’Arabie, Al Moatasem Al Balushi, Helal Al Alawi.
6.30pm Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 2,200m
Winner Safin Al Reef, Connor Beasley, Abdallah Al Hammadi.
7pm Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 2,200m
Winner Thulbaseera Al Jasra, Shakir Al Balushi, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami.
7.30pm Maiden (TB) Dh 80,000 2,200m
Winner Autumn Pride, Szczepan Mazur, Helal Al Alawi.
