DUBAI – A glittering performance by Eida Al Menhali rounded off Expo 2020 Dubai’s UAE Golden Jubilee celebrations in style on Thursday evening, with crowds gathering at the Jubilee Stage to enjoy the Emirati singer’s standout show to mark 50 years since the nation’s founding.
A highly-regarded composer and poet, Al Menhali – best known for his single ‘Motasoa’ – presented a mixture of songs old and new, and was keen to congratulate the crowd on this special occasion. “This country is not just for us, the Emiratis; it is the land of everyone who lives here or loves this country,” he told the Expo News Service earlier in the evening, adding that the Expo site is “an amazing place”.
UAE National Day is celebrated every year to commemorate 2 December 1971, when the UAE declared independence as a sovereign nation following the efforts of UAE Founding Father, the late His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, to unite the Emirates.
As announced by the UAE President, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, 2021 is known as ‘The Year of the 50th’. Commemorating 50 years since the founding of the UAE in 1971, it is a moment to reflect on the remarkable journey of its ‘Early Dreamers’ as the nation looks to the next 50 years with the same bold ambition.
Visitors of all ages and nationalities arrived in huge numbers throughout Thursday, with Expo opening its doors for free on UAE National Day to help as many people as possible enjoy the festivities inside.
Earlier in the evening, visitors also packed into Expo’s Dubai Millennium Amphitheatre and Jubilee Stage to watch a live-stream of the UAE Golden Jubilee celebrations from Hatta Dam in the Hajar mountains.
Immersive theatrical show ‘Journey of the 50’ followed shortly after at Al Wasl Plaza, the beating heart of the Expo 2020 site, for a second night in a row. At one point, and drawing gasps from those watching, the young actress that led the performance rode a huge falcon – the national bird of the UAE – as one of the numerous standout moments. Another saw an astronaut launch skywards towards the centre of the dome, a nod to the UAE’s achievements in space exploration, which includes astronaut Hazza Al Mansouri becoming the first Emirati to ever go into space.
Other National Day celebrations at Expo included a swarm of drones lighting up the night sky over the Sustainability Gate to form amazing shapes and designs. Visible from inside and outside the iconic structure, the flock created the shape of the Expo 2020 logo before emblazoning ‘50’ across the sky to signify 50 years since the UAE’s founding.
Latifa and Rashed, Expo 2020’s official mascots, also came out to celebrate. People lined up on both sides of the street at Al Ghaf Circle to catch a glimpse of the two loveable characters in the ‘Latifa and Rashid Parade’, which included a military band and Emirati singers, complete with drums and traditional instruments, as well as UAE flags and colours.
More culture was on show in the form of Ayyala, the traditional folk dance of the UAE and a symbol of the country’s national and cultural expression for decades – reflecting the spirit of chivalry and magnanimity that characterises the Bedouin tradition. Large crowds gathered to watch the Ayyala group members, dressed in the national colours, as they brought the dance form alive with traditional drums and rhythmically-waving canes.
Normal entry to Expo 2020 Dubai resumes from Friday onwards, with plenty to look forward to over the remainder of the long weekend and throughout the month. The best way to enjoy as much of Expo as possible is to purchase a Festive Pass for AED95, valid throughout December. More details of this and upcoming events are on the Expo app and website.
(Subcribe to Asianherald: Kaleidoscope Light Festival at Al Forsan Park)