Expo 2020’s Golden Jubilee festivities to ‎showcase UAE’s meteoric rise since 1971‎

A four-day line-up of events and immersive Emirati experiences at Expo 2020 Dubai is set to mark 50 years since the founding of the UAE as the country readies to celebrate its Golden Jubilee.

Running from December 1-4, the site-wide celebration will include fireworks, a flypast, aerial stunts, celebratory ceremonies, musical showcases, cross-cultural conversations, cultural performances and exhibits.

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As announced by the UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan, 2021 is known as ‘The Year of the 50th’.

Highlights at Expo 2020 include UAE National Day, celebrated every year to commemorate December 2, 1971 when the UAE declared independence as a sovereign nation following the efforts of UAE Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahyan, to unite the emirates.

From 10.15am on Thursday December 2, visitors are invited to Expo 2020’s UAE National Day Ceremony at al-Wasl Plaza, including the raising of the flag, high-level speeches and anthem performances by a children’s choir, concluding with an Al Azi Performance by al-Wasmi.

This will also feature alongside horses of the Dubai Police and the UAE Ministry of Interior Marching Band in the ‘colors of the World Parade’ between 12.45pm and 1.15p.

Simultaneously, a performance of ‘Al Azi’, where an Arabic poet leads a chorus that ‘answers’ his call, will take place at 1pm at al-Wasl Plaza.

A gravity-defying aerial performance by Dubai Police will follow shortly after, alongside a 30-minute musical showcase by Emirati singer Fatma Zahrat Al Ain, and a flyover display by the UAE Air Force aerobatics team ‘Al Fursan’.

Visitors are also invited to Expo’s Jubilee Stage and Dubai Millennium Amphitheater to watch a live broadcast of the UAE National Day Ceremony, broadcast from Hatta, from 5.30pm.

DMA will host ‘Journey of a Thread’, a live performance of Emirati craftsmanship that dives into the heart of Emirati culture, followed by a fireworks display at 8pm and headline concert by Emirati singing star Eida Al Menhali at Jubilee Stage from 8.30pm

A key part of the celebrations will be al-Wasl Plaza’s immersive theatrical show, ‘Journey of the 50th’.

Set to take place from December 1-4, the show will feature a blend of human performance, theatrics and the unique capabilities of the venue in a never-before-seen way.

Over 200 hundred performers including particpating countries will take part in the theatrical show.

Amna Abulhoul, executive creative director, events and entertainment at Expo 2020 Dubai, said: “In the spirit of Expo 2020 Dubai, the story of ‘Journey of the 50th’ embodies the meaning of the quote ‘We are not a country in a world - we are world in a country’ by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.”

“As the show unfolds, we will learn about the origins of the Emirati people, the people of this land, who follow the current of the sea, know the language of the stars and hear the wind as it speaks. Their true connection to the earth and how the values of our forefathers still continue to push us forward today.”

In addition, December 2021 at Expo 2020 is packed full with unmissable Emirati events, attractions, and performances in celebration of the UAE Golden Jubilee, from calligraphy to pearl diving, the Bedouin lifestyle to the Dubai story, abayas to camel milk cafés.

Public sector employees in the UAE will be given a holiday from Wednesday December 1 to Friday December 3 to celebrate the country’s 50th National Day, state news agency WAM reported this week.

Read more:

National Day holidays for UAE public sector workers announced

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