Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid unveils Expo City Dubai

Site of world's fair to welcome new residents and major company headquarters from October 2022

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  Expo City Dubai is set to open in phases from September 2022, with a full relaunch in October. All photos: Pawan Singh / The National

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  Visitors can take a trip on the Garden in the Sky from September 1 for Dh30.

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  Later, as residential sectors open, the district will become a '24-hour neighbourhood' in which people live and work, and can visit.

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  The Expo metro station in June 2022.

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  Dubai Exhibition Centre in June 2022.

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  Ahmed Al Khatib, chief development and delivery officer and Marjan Faraidooni, chief visitor experience officer at Expo 2020 Dubai, at a news conference in June 2022 to announce Expo City Dubai.

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  The entrance gates await new residents and businesses.

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  Ahmed Al Khatib said the district would be free of single plastics and was built with an emphasis on the environment.

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  Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed, chairman of Dubai Airports, speaking at a press conference welcoming the next chapter at Expo City Dubai.

Latest: Expo City Dubai - what will it be like to visit the legacy site?

The Expo 2020 site is to be transformed into Expo City Dubai and will soon welcome thousands of new residents and businesses, said Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, on Monday.

In a series of tweets, Sheikh Mohammed set out his vision for the legacy site.

Expo City Dubai will be a “hub of economic activity” and home to major companies and their headquarters.

The city will open up in phases from October.

It will be free to enter and explore but a paid-for attraction pass will be needed to enter the pavilions. More details on passes are expected soon.

With a focus on technology and the environment, it will serve as a destination in its own right, served by the nearby Dubai World Central airport and the metro link to the city centre.

“After the historical success of Expo 2020 Dubai, visited by more than 24 million visitors, left a mark in the 170-year history of world expositions, today we announce the transformation of the exhibition site into Expo City Dubai, a new city that represents the ambitions of Dubai,” Sheikh Mohammed wrote.

“Expo City Dubai will be an environmentally friendly city that caters to families and future generations.

“A city connected to a port and two airports, and also to beautiful memories in the hearts and minds of millions of people.”

Important buildings and some of the most popular attractions from Expo 2020 Dubai, which ran from October last year until late March, will remain.

These pavilions and attractions will stay: in pictures

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  Saudi Arabia's pavilion will form part of Dubai Expo City. The structure was among the most well-visited during the six-month world's fair. Chris Whiteoak / The National

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  Visitors outside the Egypt pavilion, which will also remain. Photo: Suneesh Sudhakaran / Expo 2020 Dubai

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  Morocco's impressive pavilion will be part of the new district. It sits on the crossroads of major streets. Photo: Suneesh Sudhakaran / Expo 2020 Dubai

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  The Expo waterfall, scene of countless family photos and Instagram shots, is also here to stay. EPA

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  The Garden in the Sky observation tower is among the permanent features of the new district. Photo: Dubai Expo 2020

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  The UAE pavilion, with its eye-catching retractive roof, will remain at the heart of the site. AFP

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  Alif, the Mobility pavilion, was always intended to remain once the world's fair came to an end. Photo: Suneesh Sudhakaran / Expo 2020 Dubai

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  Terra, the Sustainability pavilion, houses a science museum and learning tools for visitors of all ages. Photo: Dany Eid / Expo 2020 Dubai

“The magic of Expo will continue,” Sheikh Mohammed wrote.

“Al Wasl Dome will remain, the Expo waterfall will remain, and the pavilions will remain: the Emirates, Ali and Terra.

“This new city will be home to a new museum, a world-class exhibition centre and the headquarters of cutting-edge and fast-growing companies.

“It will continue to host the pavilions of Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Egypt and others.

“It will be a city that embodies the dreams of every city.”

No gates, no closing times

Reem Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Co-operation and managing director of Expo 2020 Dubai, said the public would be soon able to relive their best memories of the world's fair.

“While Expo 2020 Dubai closed its doors, Expo City Dubai never will," she said in a virtual briefing from Paris, where the Bureau International des Expositions held its General Assembly.

"Expo City Dubai will continue to provide a model for innovative urban districts geared towards collaboration, knowledge sharing and talent creation for the benefit of future generations.

"It will leverage into extraordinary infrastructure advantages to generate local and global economic value as a clean and green tech hub.

The city will be a "24-hour neighbourhood" that will feature unique art and world-class architecture, she said.

It will be built with environmental standards — as well as Dubai's plan to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030 — in mind.

"This was always the vision and commitment of Dubai and the UAE," said Ms Al Hashimy.

"We will always connect minds and create the future, then and now.

Officials have previously said the district would be ready for its first tenants by autumn 2020.

Among the first expected to move in are several dozen start-ups, while the staff village where thousands of workers lived is already being prepared for long-term residential tenants.

Behind the scenes at the closed Expo 2020 Dubai: in pictures

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  An empty Al Wasl Dome pictured in April 2022 shortly after the world's fair came to a close. Photo: Chris Tan

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  A view from outside the Singapore pavilion. For a time, visitors to the on-site Rove hotel were allowed to wander the empty streets of the site. Photo: Chris Tan

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  An uninterrupted view of Al Wasl Dome at the closed Expo 2020 Dubai site. Photo: Chris Tan

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  One of the water fountains at Expo 2020 Dubai. Photo: Chris Tan

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  Since these photos were taken in April 2022, the area has become a construction site as pavilions are pulled down and shipped abroad. Photo: Chris Tan

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  The famous Expo 2020 Dubai water feature remains covered for now. It is expected to form part of the legacy site when it reopens to the public. Photo: Chris Tan

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  Chris Tan checked in to the Rove Hotel at Expo and was able to tour the now closed site. Photo: Chris Tan

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  Rose Ibanez booked a room at Rove Hotel at Expo 2020 Dubai and ended up being taken on a tour of the now-closed site. Photo: Rose Ibanez

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  The site closed after six months spent hosting the world's fair. Photo: Rose Ibanez

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  She was able to appreciate the architecture. Photo: Rose Ibanez

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  Rose Ibanez says seeing Expo 2020 Dubai without the crowds was a unique experience. Photo: Rose Ibanez

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  She says walking through the gates of Expo for the first time since it closed was emotional. Photo: Rose Ibanez

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  Crowd take selfies as Expo Dubai 2020 was nearing its end. Ruel Pableo for The National

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  Crowds gather for the end of Expo 2020 Dubai. Ruel Pableo for The National

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  The site is packed on March 31. Antonie Robertson / The National

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  The last evening of Expo 2020. Antonie Robertson / The National