Expo 2020 Dubai – Everything You Need to Know

Posted By Jon Nickel-D'Andrea on Oct 30, 2021 | 2 comments

The time has come! The Expo 2020 Dubai (now technically 2021) is upon us, and we’re going to be there next month. This every-five-year event last took place in Milan in 2015 and now it’s Dubai’s turn. Despite a small setback from Covid-19, the city is open and ready to accept tourists to the world’s largest event spanning six months.

If you’ve never been to Dubai, then from now until March 2022 you have the ability to experience an event unlike any other in the world. Let’s cover a little about the Expo 2020 Dubai, what is is, WHERE it is, how you get there, and what to expect. 

Dubai Expo 2020 Aerial

What is the Expo 2020 Dubai?

According to the Expo website, “world Expos are one of the oldest and largest international events on the planet, taking place every five years and lasting six months. It is a festival for all, where everyone can experience, explore, innovate and have fun by sharing ideas and working together.”

This will be the first time that the World Expo is being held in the Middle East/Africa/SE Asia district and Dubai is pulling out all the stops. 192 countries and many multinational and global organizations will be in attendance, showcasing their efforts towards collaboration, innovations, and cooperation.

For the first time ever, all 192 countries will have their own pavilion, allowing them to showcase all what makes them unique and special.

When is the Expo 2020 Dubai?

The expo is already underway as it started in October. The event runs from October 1st, 2021 until March 31st, 2022. Surprisingly, the expo opens up at 10 am every day and will run to 10pm on the weekends and 0200AM during the week. Spectacular!

Where is the Expo 2020 Dubai?

While it may look far away from the DXB Dubai Airport, because of the amazing highway and public transit system in Dubai, it’s not terribly hard to get around. The three main entrances are only 20 minutes away from the Dubai Marina and they’ve built a dedicated Metro line (Dubai Expo 2020 line) to get directly to the location.

Driving? Parking is free of charge, and shuttles will take you from the parking lot to the main entrance during the entirety of the hours of operations.

Bussing? There’s a free bus that will take you from many points all over Dubai directly to the event.

For more information including bus routes, parking maps, metro stations, and more, access the “Visiting the Expo” site for more information

What does it Cost?

The cost for the Expo 2020 Dubai is SO affordable, and for many people, it might even be free!

There are three types of tickets, Single Day, Multi Day, or Season Pass

Single Day Passes:

A one day ticket is AED 95 or $27 USD. You get 10 “smart booking” accesses, which are like a Fast Pass at Disney allowing you a quick access to many pavilions and areas throughout the park

Multi Day Pass:

The best deal, a 30 day pass is AED 195 or $56. You’ll get the same 10 smart booking access for each day that you attend, and if you pay with a Mastercard you’ll save a further 25% on the ticket price.

Season Pass:

If you’re planning on going more than once in the six month period or you visit often, you can get an entire Season Pass for AED 495. That’s about $142 for the entire six month stretch.

How to Get in for Free

In what could be described as the best deal in the travel space right now, many people get can into the entirety of the expo for $0, absolutely free, with no cost, whatsoever, period.

Your cost to visit the Expo 2020 Dubai is zero if you are:

• Under the age of 17
• Over the age of 60
• A student
• Person of Determination (think handicapped access)

Simply choose the ticket you want and voila. You’ll get in for no cost at all!

If you decide to fly Emirates, you can get a free day pass simply by showing your Emirates boarding pass. More information can be found about that program here.

What can you Expect as a Visitor?

While we’ve never been to a World Expo or World’s Fair, from seeing the videos and pictures, I’m expecting one heck of a good time. Imagine walking through an enormous pavilion where each of the 192 participating countries have their own building and space to showcase what makes them amazing. 

Sample foods from all over the world. Learn about cultures, people, and see what it would be like to travel to all the places in the world, without leaving Dubai.

Sustainability Pavilion

In the sustainability area, you’ll see what it takes to live in harmony with the world around us. In Brazil you can walk through waterfalls, Czechia will show you how to create fertlie land from barren conditions, and Singapore will have a hanging garden that you can wander through to escape the desert heat.

Opportunity Pavilion

Unlock what you can do as one person to help the over eight billion in our world community. Malawi showcases how one child can make huge changes in the world, if given the tools and the opportunity to thrive. The UK will take you on a journey through AI and see how computer can help shape the world around us, and the Ukraine will show us how smart technologies can make the world around us easier and more convenient.

Mobility District

Mobility isn’t just physical, it’s also digital. What does it look like when we exchanges goods and ideas faster than ever before? Australia and the UAE partner together to show how space is the next frontier for humans, and we’re doing to harness the power that we haven’t tapped yet. Ride around in autonomous cars and see in the Korea exhibit how technology brings us closer together.

Who is Flying to Dubai for the Expo?

Emirates, of course! Actually, most major European carriers have started their flights back to Dubai including KLM, Air France, British Airways, Lufthansa and more, but Emirates is still the only airline to get you right to Dubai direct and nonstop from the USA. 

Alternatively, you can fly Etihad Airlines from a few US gateways as well to get you to Abu Dhabi, the other close major airport to Dubai.

Where to Stay?

Since the event is so close to the Palm, we’re going to be staying on the Palm itself, a quick twenty minute drive through a major highway gets you right to the entrance of the Expo itself. Truly there’s no need to worry about staying anywhere too special. Make sure you’re on the metro line if you’re not driving as the new metro will take you straight there!

Bottom Line

The world expo in 2025 will be held in Osaka, Japan, but I can’t imagine they’ll even be able to come anywhere near what Dubai is doing for the Expo 2020. If you’ve never been to Dubai, plan to go now in the next few months. A spectacle like this only comes along some many times in your life, so take advantage now.

The entry prices are cheap, the transportation options are plentiful, and the experiences will last a lifetime. We’ll see you there!