Expo 2020 Dubai postponed due to Covid-19

It has been announced that Expo 2020 Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been postponed by a year due to the impact of Covid-19 and will officially take place between 1 October 2021 and 31 March 2022.

The decision was ratified by the General Assembly of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) in Paris, France, which had met to approve the one-year postponement of Expo 2020 Dubai.

Separately, The Big 5 construction exhibition, also in Dubai and scheduled for 23-26 November this year, has been postponed to 12-15 September 2021.

Expo 2020 was scheduled to run for six months, between 20 October 2020 and 10 April 2021 and expected to welcome 25 million people, with 70% of visitors projected to come from outside the UAE.

When the event takes place it will be the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia region. The event will keep the name ‘Expo 2020 Dubai’.

The Government of the UAE had requested a change in dates of following a meeting of the Expo 2020 Dubai Steering Committee in which participating countries had requested a postponement due to the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Dimitri Kerkentzes, secretary general of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), said, “The difficulties raised by the Covid-19 pandemic illustrate the importance of sharing solutions and co-ordinating our actions.

“The time we spend apart leads us to reflect on the importance of being together, and reminds us that even in the digital age, shared experiences are the essence of our humanity. The world is now more than ever looking forward to Expo 2020 Dubai to connect, reflect and celebrate the future.”

With The Big 5 construction show, the new dates in September 2021 also apply to the specialised events that are co-located: The Big 5 Heavy, Middle East Concrete, HVAC R Expo, Middle East Stone, The Big 5 Solar, and the Urban Design & Landscape Expo.

The decision to postpone this year’s event is said to have come after a thorough consultation with key stakeholders in the wake of the effect of the coronavirus pandemic.