Expo 2020 Dubai is all set for a grand finale on Thursday after welcoming the world for an unforgettable six months.
Before the curtain comes down on the global spectacle, there is still time to squeeze in one more visit and fill in a few more countries on your pavilion passport.
Here is a look at the best sites to visit on a fantastic final day at the world's fair.
UAE’s winged falcon
Designed to resemble a falcon taking flight, the 28 movable wings of the UAE pavilion have a grid of photovoltaic panels placed underneath to harvest energy from the sun.
Located at the heart of the Expo site, the structure designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava brings to life the country’s rich history and culture.
The pavilion can be viewed and approached from all directions with several paths leading to the stark white structure.
The largest pavilion on the Expo site, it will serve as a cultural landmark after the world's fair ends.
A basement garden, pools of water and trees help lower the temperature even during the severe summer heat.
Called the Land of Dreamers, the pavilion encapsulates the history of the Emirates and tells its story through the voices of people who live and work in the UAE.
Surreal waterfall
Not strictly a pavilion but well worth seeing. Even before you see sheets of water pouring down towering black stone walls, you will hear the squeals and shouts of children playing in the Surreal water feature near Al Wasl dome.
Water shoots over the top of four-storey walls and gushes over large pebbles before it disappears at the feet of visitors standing below.
Excited children and adults slip off their shoes and try to climb the walls as the water cascades, dancing in time to the music.
At night, rainbow-coloured beams of light sweep across the walls and the water appears to flow upwards as part of a gravity-defying illusion.
A spiral sculpture at the centre of the ring of water spews fire at night with bright hydrogen flames.
The experience was designed by Wet Design, the Los Angeles-based team that created Dubai’s Burj Khalifa and the Bellagio fountains in Las Vegas.
The soundtrack was composed by Ramin Djawadi, the award-winning composer of the Game of Thrones score.
The spectacle of thousands of gallons of water tumbling down synchronised to the sound of music has been described as magical by visitors and will remain after the Expo ends in March.
Saudi Arabia's giant window
One of the largest structures on the Expo site, after the UAE pavilion, Saudi Arabia’s window to the world has visitors taking photographs long before they enter.
The pavilion’s giant LED display screen was recently lit up to celebrate reaching three million visits.
Visitors search for their reflection in the massive mirrors that open to the sky and have served as a screen to show Formula One races held in Jeddah.
The pavilion has set several Guinness World Records including one for the longest interactive water feature, at 32 metres.
A lift transports visitors to the country’s historical sites as Unesco world heritage locations come alive in multisensory displays when people move towards higher floors.
Spread over an area the size of two football fields, the pavilion aims to give visitors a glimpse into the kingdom’s future plans.
People can walk across the world’s largest interactive floor, with 8,000 embedded LED lights that move as you walk across.
An installation of more than 2,000 sparkling suspended crystals also has visitors furiously photographing in the hope of Instagram-friendly images.
Garden city Singapore
The sheer scale of greenery across the Singapore pavilion provides a welcome refuge from the heat during the day.
Lush greenery has been maintained through the Expo that began in October last year, with more than 80,000 plants covering tall cones.
Rows of trees shield visitors who ascend the winding walkways in a pavilion that has a sustainability message to deliver.
Designers aim to show that it is possible to use more than 500 solar panels, drip irrigation and desalination to nurture greenery in the desert.
Descriptions of desert plants and flowers replanted from Singapore can be found inside the pavilion.
Nature, nurture, future and respect of our natural heritage is a theme the organisers have highlighted as visitors congregate on the final level — the sky market.
The multipurpose open deck is cooled with fine mist and has some great views of the Expo site.
Immersive Japan
Stunning visuals, captivating animation and intriguing miniature art work is the draw of a pavilion that is among the most popular.
The hour-long tour is the longest on the site as organisers said the theme ‘where ideas meet’ required the sharing of many stories.
Visitors are handed smartphones as part of an individualised experience unique to each visitor and based on the specific sections in which the person spends time.
A collection of 128 pieces of miniature art captures life in Japan, and tells tales of innovation in space and business.
Visitors are invited to let their imagination take flight they pass quirky installations like one with a host of pink buttons strung together to symbolise Japan’s famous cherry blossom tree.
Anime and manga fans of Japanese animation — both adults and children — will hear the story of how the creator of the famous Gundam character studied robotics and learn about the building giant robots in Yokohama.
Japan is the host of Expo 2025 and the pavilion invites visitors to participate in the Osaka World Fair with suggestions and ideas.
Twenty concerts to attend before Expo 2020 Dubai ends: in pictures
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PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Saturday
West Ham United v Tottenham Hotspur (3.30pm)
Burnley v Huddersfield Town (7pm)
Everton v Bournemouth (7pm)
Manchester City v Crystal Palace (7pm)
Southampton v Manchester United (7pm)
Stoke City v Chelsea (7pm)
Swansea City v Watford (7pm)
Leicester City v Liverpool (8.30pm)
Sunday
Brighton and Hove Albion v Newcastle United (7pm)
Monday
Arsenal v West Bromwich Albion (11pm)
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
more from Janine di Giovanni
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
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Ziina users can donate to relief efforts in Beirut
Ziina users will be able to use the app to help relief efforts in Beirut, which has been left reeling after an August blast caused an estimated $15 billion in damage and left thousands homeless. Ziina has partnered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to raise money for the Lebanese capital, co-founder Faisal Toukan says. “As of October 1, the UNHCR has the first certified badge on Ziina and is automatically part of user's top friends' list during this campaign. Users can now donate any amount to the Beirut relief with two clicks. The money raised will go towards rebuilding houses for the families that were impacted by the explosion.”
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Day 5, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance
Moment of the day When Dilruwan Perera dismissed Yasir Shah to end Pakistan’s limp resistance, the Sri Lankans charged around the field with the fevered delirium of a side not used to winning. Trouble was, they had not. The delivery was deemed a no ball. Sri Lanka had a nervy wait, but it was merely a stay of execution for the beleaguered hosts.
Stat of the day – 5 Pakistan have lost all 10 wickets on the fifth day of a Test five times since the start of 2016. It is an alarming departure for a side who had apparently erased regular collapses from their resume. “The only thing I can say, it’s not a mitigating excuse at all, but that’s a young batting line up, obviously trying to find their way,” said Mickey Arthur, Pakistan’s coach.
The verdict Test matches in the UAE are known for speeding up on the last two days, but this was extreme. The first two innings of this Test took 11 sessions to complete. The remaining two were done in less than four. The nature of Pakistan’s capitulation at the end showed just how difficult the transition is going to be in the post Misbah-ul-Haq era.
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5.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,400m
6.05pm: Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (T) 1,400m
6.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
7.15pm: Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (T) 1,200m
7.50pm: Longines Stakes – Conditions (TB) Dh120,00 (D) 1,900m
8.25pm: Zabeel Trophy – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh120,000 (T) 1,600m
9pm: Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (T) 2,410m
9.35pm: Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (T) 2,000m
The Porpoise
By Mark Haddon
(Penguin Random House)
WHAT FANS WILL LOVE ABOUT RUSSIA
FANS WILL LOVE
Uber is ridiculously cheap and, as Diego Saez discovered, mush safer. A 45-minute taxi from Pulova airport to Saint Petersburg’s Nevsky Prospect can cost as little as 500 roubles (Dh30).
FANS WILL LOATHE
Uber policy in Russia is that they can start the fare as soon as they arrive at the pick-up point — and oftentimes they start it even before arriving, or worse never arrive yet charge you anyway.
FANS WILL LOVE
It’s amazing how active Russians are on social media and your accounts will surge should you post while in the country. Throw in a few Cyrillic hashtags and watch your account numbers rocket.
FANS WILL LOATHE
With cold soups, bland dumplings and dried fish, Russian cuisine is not to everybody’s tastebuds. Fortunately, there are plenty Georgian restaurants to choose from, which are both excellent and economical.
FANS WILL LOVE
The World Cup will take place during St Petersburg's White Nights Festival, which means perpetual daylight in a city that genuinely never sleeps. (Think toddlers walking the streets with their grandmothers at 4am.)
FANS WILL LOATHE
The walk from Krestovsky Ostrov metro station to Saint Petersburg Arena on a rainy day makes you wonder why some of the $1.7 billion was not spent on a weather-protected walkway.
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Last 10 NBA champions
2017: Golden State bt Cleveland 4-1
2016: Cleveland bt Golden State 4-3
2015: Golden State bt Cleveland 4-2
2014: San Antonio bt Miami 4-1
2013: Miami bt San Antonio 4-3
2012: Miami bt Oklahoma City 4-1
2011: Dallas bt Miami 4-2
2010: Los Angeles Lakers bt Boston 4-3
2009: Los Angeles Lakers bt Orlando 4-1
2008: Boston bt Los Angeles Lakers 4-2
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Essentials
The flights
Emirates, Etihad and Malaysia Airlines all fly direct from the UAE to Kuala Lumpur and on to Penang from about Dh2,300 return, including taxes.
Where to stay
In Kuala Lumpur, Element is a recently opened, futuristic hotel high up in a Norman Foster-designed skyscraper. Rooms cost from Dh400 per night, including taxes. Hotel Stripes, also in KL, is a great value design hotel, with an infinity rooftop pool. Rooms cost from Dh310, including taxes.
In Penang, Ren i Tang is a boutique b&b in what was once an ancient Chinese Medicine Hall in the centre of Little India. Rooms cost from Dh220, including taxes.
23 Love Lane in Penang is a luxury boutique heritage hotel in a converted mansion, with private tropical gardens. Rooms cost from Dh400, including taxes.
In Langkawi, Temple Tree is a unique architectural villa hotel consisting of antique houses from all across Malaysia. Rooms cost from Dh350, including taxes.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, last-16 second leg
Paris Saint-Germain (1) v Borussia Dortmund (2)
Kick-off: Midnight, Thursday, March 12
Stadium: Parc des Princes
Live: On beIN Sports HD
