Dubai ended Expo 2020 with a colourful closing ceremony marked by fireworks on Thursday night.
The ceremony also saw the baton for World Expo being handed over to Osaka, Japan, which will host the next Expo in 2025.
In an audio message delivered at the closing ceremony of the mega global event, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid said: “During the Expo 2020 Dubai journey, we portrayed to the world a different version of ingenuity that touched the hearts and minds of every member of society. Our sons and daughters have proven their ability to overcome unprecedented difficulties and challenges. And in every moment of this journey, we reflected the values of the UAE – values of affection and hospitality. Today is not the end of Expo 2020, but a new beginning.”
182 days ago, the heart of Expo 2020 Dubai beat with the opening ceremony of the region’s first-ever World Expo and today, the same magical Dome awakened in an unforgettable closing ceremony. pic.twitter.com/H7RUm7xLWv
— Expo 2020 Dubai (@expo2020dubai) March 31, 2022
“The UAE and Dubai will continue, God willing, to be graceful and strong – and able, to Connect Minds and Create the Future with this exceptional government, and the leadership of my brother Mohamed bin Zayed,” Sheikh Mohammed added.
The closing ceremony had started with the UAE national anthem, followed by an address by Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence and Commissioner-General of Expo 2020 Dubai.
This is our time, this is our planet!
Joined together by a shared hope and belief in creating a better future, this is the Sea of Nations, where each country is unique and different in their own way. #Expo2020 #Dubai pic.twitter.com/XC5PucDBmy
— Expo 2020 Dubai (@expo2020dubai) March 31, 2022
Millions of people had flocked to Expo’s 192 country pavilions in its final days, pushing visit numbers over 23 million — not far off the 25 million targeted, despite the ongoing pandemic.
Christina Aguilera, Nora Jones and cellist Yo-Yo Ma had performed at the LCD-lit Al Wasl Dome, Expo’s centrepiece, as pyrotechnics lit up the sprawling site.
The global event that opened in October 2021 made history as the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region and the first to be hosted by an Arab nation.
As the flag lowers on this World Expo and the mantle is passed to Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan, we must look to the horizon for the promise of what tomorrow may hold!#Expo2020 #Dubai pic.twitter.com/cRfkVbLIvS
— Expo 2020 Dubai (@expo2020dubai) March 31, 2022
