The festivities would adhere to extensive Covid safety measures.
New Year’s Eve celebrations at Expo 2020 Dubai will begin nine hours before the clock strikes 12. And the festivities will go all the way till 4 am on January 1, 2022. Among the celebrations planned are “round-the-clock entertainment features a slate of world-class DJs”, two firework displays, and a midnight ‘ball drop’ at Al Wasl Plaza. Organizers said the celebrations would adhere to extensive Covid safety measures.
Aligned with global time zones across 13 hours of festivities, Expo’s site-wide New Year’s Eve celebrations will begin at 3 pm on December 31. DJ star Dimitri Vegas is set to thrill crowds at Expo’s Jubilee Park from 11.30 pm, while Armin Van Buuren will electrify revelers with his set at 1.30 am. Fireworks will light up the night at midnight and at 3 am.
Tareq Ghosheh, chief events and entertainment officer, Expo 2020 Dubai, said: “Celebrated by every country in the world, New Year’s Eve is a unique moment in time – celebrations made ever more poignant over these past two years as we address the pandemic together. As we continue to safely host 192 nations over 182 days, as the largest event ever held in the Arab world, we are thrilled to host a spectacular celebration of top-class entertainment and activations, welcoming 2022 with open arms and renewed optimism for a brighter future.”
The largest major global event to be held since the start of the pandemic, Expo’s latest Covid-19 measures include the expansion of the number of on-site PCR testing facilities to four and free testing for all Country Pavilion staff.
While all frontline workers and entertainers continue to be tested on a regular basis, some close contact events, such as parades and roving entertainers, have been temporarily suspended as a short-term precautionary measure. With more than 90 per cent of the UAE population fully vaccinated, Expo 2020 Dubai has required mandatory vaccination and boosters of all Expo and International Participant staff, volunteers, contractors and service providers. Visitors ages 18 and above are required to present proof of any vaccination or a negative PCR test taken within the previous 72 hours.