Expo 2020 Dubai: Four million visits crossed in November

The Expo 2020 Dubai visitor numbers have crossed four million in November, since the mega event kicked off on October 1, 2021.

In the last one-and-a-half months, 4,156,985 have visited the world fair; with the introduction of the November Weekday Pass being a key driver for soaring numbers, along with a raft of sport, music and cultural events enthralling visitors at Expo 2020.

With more than 120,000 visitors taking advantage of the Dhs45 November Weekday Pass offer, visit numbers are expected to keep growing strongly.

The final week of the month also promises another varied and exciting line-up of talent and events.

Boosting the figures were the sold-out Expo Run on November 19 – which saw 10,000 runners of all ages and abilities line up behind six Kenyan world champions for 3km, 5km and 10km runs around the Expo site – and two performances by the popular all-female Firdaus Orchestra.

Pakistani playback singer, songwriter, composer and actor Atif Aslam thrilled audiences with his hit songs on November 17, while Expo’s Tolerance & Inclusivity Week featured more than two dozen events.

The Expo School Programme, which has been welcoming school visits for 31 days, has attracted more than 200,000 pupils from private and public schools across the UAE. As part of the programme, students have enjoyed four dedicated school journeys around the Expo 2020 site, including themes such as The Legacy of the UAE, World of Opportunities, The Universe in Motion and The Sustainable Planet.

Ahead of World Children’s Day, 400 students representing the Emirates Schools Establishment formed a ‘100K’ sign near Terra – The Sustainability Pavilion to celebrate 100,000 public-school visits to Expo 2020.

50 lucky students, comprising 20 nationalities, opened the Expo gates on World Children’s Day on 20 November.

The Expo Young Stars programme staged five performances at Al Wasl Stage, showcasing the best talent from performers from schools such as Jazz Rockers institute of Dance, The Philippine School, Just Dance Fine Art Training Center and The Indian High School.

Expo 2020 also joined forces with UNICEF and the UAE Ministry of Community Development to celebrate World Children’s Day with a slate of youth-led festivities that culminated in a spectacular concert at Al Wasl Plaza, which included Lebanese singer Yara, UNICEF Regional Ambassador for the Middle East and North Africa, who debuted We Want to Live, a new song about children.

Topping the list of upcoming crowd-pleasers are two of the GCC’s biggest music stars: veteran Kuwaiti singer Abdulla Al Ruwaished and Egyptian singer, composer and poet Mohamed Hamaki.

The championship, which will be the highlight of the world chess calendar, will see Magnus Carlsen, the reigning world champion from Norway, defend his title against the winner of the Candidates Tournament, Russia's Ian Nepomniachtchi, at Dubai Exhibition Centre.