Expo 2020 Dubai UAE

Words by Bailey de Vries

Greetings from the World Expo!

I arrived in Dubai late at night after a lengthy 16 hours of traveling. I had never attended a World’s Fair and hadn’t the slightest idea what to expect amidst the exotic cultural landscape of the UAE. Waking up the following morning, rather early, due to the stubbornness of jet lag, I took the opportunity to greet the rising sun over the distant desert from the rooftop pool. Deciding to stay at the Rove Hotel directly centered at the Expo meant an expansive view of almost the entirety of the grounds, which happens to be larger than Disneyland. To say the least, it was a moment of breathlessness and suspense as the collective world of adjoined nations stretched outward along the desert.

 Connectivity, a delicate theme that has been a means of both worldwide solidarity and synchronicity throughout the global pandemic, forges 192 nations together at the Expo 2020 Dubai. Expos, also known as ‘world’s fairs,’ have existed in various forms for more than two centuries as an opportunity for nations to showcase advancements in technology, products, architecture and ideas. This year the Expo rises up in the middle of the desert, ‘Connecting Minds and Creating the Future’ with the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia (MEASA) region. After having to reschedule the anticipated opening in 2020 to October of 2021 due to COVID-19, the purpose of collective humanity feels as if it resonates even more strongly as the world rebuilds.

 The Expo 2020 Dubai will live long after its doors close in March through what will become District 2020, a sustainable, human-centric smart city that plans to use 80% of the Expo-built infrastructure. Echoing the Expo’s founding vision, it will continue to drive an ecosystem to connect, create, and innovate, united and suspended in the desert.

Learn more about the World Expo here.

Photo Cred – Dany Eid