Expo 2020 Dubai: Opening ceremony to feature 910 artists on rotating stage

The stage is all set for the glittering opening ceremony at the Expo 2020 Dubai — literally.

The star-studded ceremony will be streamed live to more than 430 locations across the UAE.

Among those slated to perform are world-famous tenor Andrea Bocelli; Grammy-nominated, Golden-Globe-winning actress, singer and songwriter Andra Day; platinum-selling British singer-songwriter Ellie Goulding; international mega-star pianist Lang Lang; and four-time Grammy winner Angelique Kidjo.

Here is how the stunning show will be brought to life:

>> 360-degree rotating stage has a performance diameter of 16 metres.

>> Outer circumference of the stage rotates at a speed of 100 millimetres per second.

>> Secondary staging areas nestled within Al Wasl’s garden provide up-close viewing experiences for the audience.

>> The powerful stage lift has a weight loading of 250kg per square metre.

>> The stage and ramps are composed of 28 structural parts.

>> A total of 910 cast members, representing 64 nations including the UAE, are participating in the opening ceremony.

>> The cast appearing in the ‘Arrival of the Participants’ consists largely of Expo 2020 volunteers and workforce — otherwise known as the ‘Expo Tribe’.

ALSO READ:

>> Expo 2020 Live: How the UAE story will be told

Tareq Ghosheh, chief events and entertainment officer at Expo 2020, said: “To create an opening ceremony to the standard of Dubai, we began with a sincere passion to tell an authentic story of this land and its people — capturing its principles and beliefs and presenting it at the highest calibre of creativity and technology.

“It is also fitting that we tell this story in Al Wasl Plaza venue that emotionally personifies the story of Dubai in a single place. We wanted to emphasise the historical moments of this nation, capturing its unique spirit and conveying it to a global audience in a way that is meaningful to people of all backgrounds and cultures.”

Anjana Sankar

Anjana Sankar is a UAE-based journalist chasing global stories of conflict, migration and human rights. She has reported from the frontlines of the wars in Yemen and Syria and has extensively written on the refugee crisis in Bangladesh, Iraq and Europe. From interviewing Daesh militants to embedding with the UAE army in Yemen, and covering earthquakes, floods, terrorist attacks and elections, she has come out scathe-free from the most dangerous conflict zones of the world. Riding on over 14 years of experience, Anjana currently is an Assistant Editor with Khaleej Times and leads the reporting team. She often speaks about women empowerment on her Facebook page that has 40,000 plus followers.