Highlights of the Expo 2020 Opening Ceremony

The wait is officially over. Yes, the star-studded opening ceremony of Expo 2020 was attended by only a select few VIPs. But the celebration was live-streamed across the nation in more than 430 locations which enabled the public to join together and welcome the beginning of our future.

If you’ve missed the live event, here we have listed the selected highlights of the Expo 2020 opening ceremony.

Highlights of the Opening Ceremony

It is to be noted that to broadcast the ceremony around the World, never-seen-before technologies were incorporated at an ever before capacity and intensity. 

• Before the opening ceremony at around 6 pm, Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister, and Minister of Finance, shared a video teaser and glimpsed how the nation is bringing the future to the World.
• At 7.30 pm, the World’s Greatest Show began with the sound of the Azan, the divine Islamic call to prayer.
• The 37-metre-high Nasdaq screen and the Thomson Reuters display at New York’s Time Square live-streamed the opening ceremony.
• Al Wasl Plaza, dubbed as the focal point of Expo 2020, welcomed the guests and VIPs into the majestic dome. The plaza is home to the World’s largest 360-degree projection dome.
• The trio, Hussain Jassmi, Mayssa Karaa, and Almas who gave life to the Expo anthem – ‘This is our time’ took the centre stage and recreated the soul rendition which brought the plaza alive.
• Around 8.30 pm, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Crown Prince of Dubai took the centre stage and declared Expo 2020 officially open to the world.

Performances

After the official announcement, the incredible performances by the celebrities began. During the performances, the dome took the visitors to different worlds visually – from the Milky Way Galaxy to an underwater realm.

• Andra Day, the American singer-songwriter raised the dome roof with her single Rise Up. The Chinese pianist Lang Lang followed her performance and mesmerized the crowd.  
• Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Ellie Goulding sang her hit track Anything Could Happen.
• The crowd was bedazzled when the Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli sang The Prayer under a ‘tree of hope’ and the Al Wasl plaza transformed into a magical forest during his performance.

After a captivating 90 minutes, the star-studded opening ceremony ended with all the stars taking the centre stage and took a bow from the viewers all over the world. 

What a night it was, wasn’t it? What is your favourite moment? Share your moments with us in the comment section below. Let’s all relish those moments again, together.