All roads lead to the Expo 2020 Dubai this February 11 with the highly anticipated Philippines National Day set to take place in a full day of cultural performances, festive ceremonies, and month-long activations at the Philippines Pavilion ‘Bangkóta’.
Numbering nearly a million in the UAE, thousands of Filipinos are expected to take part in their country’s official day of celebrations – here are the events you shouldn’t miss on February 11.
Philippines Food Fiesta (open and free to the public)
10:00 am to 10:00 pm at Philippines Pavilion, Expo 2020 Dubai
The day-long public and free ‘Food Fiesta’ event, which will offer some of the Philippines’ most distinctive and savory specialties, will give visitors to the Bangkóta a taste of their favorite food at the Philippines Pavilion.
Philippines Country Business Briefing (by invitation only)
10:00 am at Kempinski Hotel, Dubai
The Philippines’ official country business briefing will converge investors, economic sector decision makers, and entrepreneurs from the Philippines and the UAE to explore opportunities that both countries can tap and collaborate together in aspects such as exports, investments, and trade.
Spearheaded by the Philippines’ Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the event will highlight the growth potential of industries such as agriculture, infrastructure, energy, as well as public-private partnerships (PPP) to forge mutually beneficial linkages that are expected to bring forth billions of pesos in investments, and thousands of job opportunities.
Philippines National Day Flag Raising (open and free to the public)
12:00 pm at Philippines Pavilion, Expo 2020 Dubai
Celebrations of the Philippines National Day begin with a Philippine flag raising ceremony at the ‘Bangkóta’ Philippines Pavilion, to be led by Philippine Consulate officials, with the presence of the Philippines Pavilion Commissioner General and business officials.
Philippines National Day Parade (open and free to the public)
12:45 pm at Avenue of Nations, Al Wasl Plaza, Expo 2020 Dubai
Expo 2020 Dubai’s streets will be filled with colorful costumes, exciting performances, and multicultural presentations from the Philippines in a fun-filled Parade, where the country will take the festivities from the Philippines’ 7,641 islands in an afternoon of festival vibes for audiences of all ages to enjoy.
Official Ceremony and Cultural Performance
(free viewing from Al Wasl’s open space)
4:15 pm at Al Wasl Plaza, Expo 2020 Dubai
Watch the livestream via virtualexpodubai.com, @phexpo2020dubai, @rtvmalacanang, @pcoogov
Witness the Philippine flag hoisted at the Al Wasl Plaza, the beating heart of Expo 2020 Dubai, while the national anthems of the Philippines and the UAE are played in succession. Led by the Philippine Minister of Trade and Industry and Chairman of the Philippines Organizing Committee for Expo 2020 Dubai Ramon Lopez, together with his UAE counterparts, the ceremony will highlight the strong relations and keen friendship between the countries that have persisted for nearly five decades at the centre of the world’s most connected show.
A 20-minute cultural performance of vibrant imagery, colorful costumes, music and dance will provide a sneak peek of the Gala Presentation “Tides of our Soul”.
Philippines Flag Projection and Soundscape Experience
(open and free to the public)
6:45 pm – 6:50 pm at Al Wasl Plaza, Expo 2020 Dubai
Colors of the Philippine Flag will illuminate the world’s largest 360 projection dome – the Al Wasl Plaza at Expo 2020 Dubai this February 11.
The Philippine flag’s colors symbolize values that Filipinos worldwide represent such as peace, justice, and truth for blue; valor and patriotism for red, equality and fraternity for white. The three stars represent the Philippines’ main islands of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, while the eight rays of the sun represent each of the provinces that played a huge role in the 1896 Philippine Revolution.
Dubbed as the “Global Awakening” during National Day celebrations at Expo 2020 Dubai, a soundscape experience will fill the Al Wasl dome to take visitors to the tides of the “Filipino’s soul.”
“Tides of our Soul”: Philippines Gala Presentation (open and free to the public)
7:00 pm at Jubilee Park, Sustainability District, Expo 2020 Dubai
Watch the livestream via virtualexpodubai.com, @phexpo2020dubai, @rtvmalacanang, @pcoogov
The Philippines culminates its festive day of celebrations with an original production with exceptional content created to complement the essence and design of the Philippines Pavilion.
Titled “Tides of our Soul,” or “Daluyong ng Diwa,” the Gala presentation of the Philippines Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai will impart the importance of traditional Filipino values of perseverance and resilience, as well as our origins and shared vision for the future.
Other activities this February:
Bangkóta Talks: The Filipino as Austronesian
February 12, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Mangrove Café, Philippines Pavilion
Watch the livestream via virtualexpodubai.com, @phexpo2020dubai, @rtvmalacanang, @pcoogov
In a lecture hosted by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, public historians Ambeth Ocampo and Xiao Chua, as well as independent curator and critic Marian Pastor Roces, will impart scientific data about the identity of Filipino as Austronesians to reinforce the pavilion overall message about Filipino emergence having taken place over thousands of years.
Run The World Philippines
February 12, 9:00am – 11:00 am
Ghaf Circle, Expo 2020 Dubai
Filipinos and participants who wish to take part in a morning of intense cardio can participate in the upcoming marathon titled “Run the World Philippines” spearheaded by the United Architects of the Philippines – Dubai Chapter (UAP-Dubai) in collaboration with the Filipino International Triathletes club. The marathon will take place on the 13th along Ghaf Circle at Expo 2020 Dubai.
Philippines’ Participation @ Gulfood
February 13-17, 2022
Dubai World Trade Center
The Philippines’ Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM) marks another year of its official week-long participation in the UAE’s Gulfood from the 13th to 17th, with another business-to-business matching event for the country’s exhibitors.
Month-long activations
In addition, the Philippines Pavilion ‘Bangkóta’ will host ‘Harana Nights’ to serenade all visitors to the pavilion during weekends starting on the 19th.
The Philippines Food Festival will also present delectable, world-class delicacies called the ‘Bangkóta Meals’ – each dish having a new, modern twist to traditional recipes in participating branches of Filipino-owned restaurants around the UAE.
