Expo 2020 Dubai has closed its gates, concluding with a spectacular closing ceremony on 31 March after 182 days of welcoming visitors from around the world. Staged in a 438-hectare site in Dubai and gathering 192 countries, the first World Expo in the Middle East drew to a close as the total number of visits reached 24,102,967.

Expo 2020 Dubai's Closing Ceremony on 31 March 2022

　　Expo organisers, international participants, volunteers and visitors marked the ending of Expo 2020 Dubai with site-wide closing celebrations centered around Al Wasl Plaza. Featuring hundreds of children, the main ceremony looked towards future generations, and saw the BIE flag being passed on to Japan, host country of the next World Expo. Meanwhile all around the Expo site, visitors enjoyed multiple fireworks displays and performances from international stars including Cristina Aguilera, Norah Jones and Yo-Yo Ma.

Celebrations during the Closing Ceremony of Expo 2020 Dubai

　　H.E. Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, UAE Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence and Commissioner-General of Expo 2020 Dubai, stated: “We have learned a lot together, and we have proved that humans are of one essence, and one fate. We have come together at an extremely difficult time, the likes of which the world has not seen, embodying the strength of human will, at its finest, and made Expo 2020 Dubai a symbol of hope”.

　　H.E. Jai-chul Choi, the President of the General Assembly of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), speaking at the Closing Ceremony of Expo 2020 Dubai

　　H.E. Jai-chul Choi, the President of the General Assembly of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), stated: “Expo 2020 Dubai has shed light on the world of possibility that awaits future generations, and has helped give today’s children the tools to shape a better tomorrow. When the Expo ends and this site evolves into a new urban district, the enduring spirit of Expo 2020 Dubai will persist, adding new energy and ideas to the meaning of what a World Expo is.”

　　During the course of the ceremony, the BIE flag was handed from H.E. Sheikh Nahayan to H.E. Jai-chul Choi and Dimitri S. Kerkentzes, Secretary General of the BIE. The flag was then passed on, a sign of continuity, to Kenji Wakamiya, Japan’s Minister for Expo 2025 Osaka Kansai, and Hirofumi Yoshimura, Governor of Osaka, as representatives of the next World Expo.

      

The BIE flag is received by Kenji Wakamiya, Japan’s Minister for Expo 2025 Osaka Kansai, and Hirofumi Yoshimura, Governor of Osaka

　　Commenting on the conclusion of Expo 2020 Dubai, the Secretary General of the BIE, Dimitri S. Kerkentzes, indicated: “For the UAE and all participating countries, Expo 2020 Dubai has been a collective journey with a shared purpose: showing the way forward to a better tomorrow. This undeniable celebration of human progress is a demonstration that hope and cooperation together have the power to unleash the best of humanity.”

　　Expo 2020 Dubai now enters its legacy phase, in which the site will transform into ‘District 2020’, a vibrant new neighbourhood for Dubai. A total of 80 per cent of Expo-built infrastructure will be re-purposed for the new district, which will be the UAE’s first “15-minute city”, with smart-mobility solutions and accessible amenities for residents and businesses.

　　Organised under the theme “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future”, Expo 2020 Dubai was the first World Expo to take place in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region. Gathering 192 countries from around the world and receiving over 24 million visits between 1 October 2021 and 31 March 2022, it was the largest global gathering to take place since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.