Expo 2020 readies for huge weekend of music featuring star-studded line-up of regional and global talent

Music fans visiting Expo 2020 Dubai this weekend will be spoilt for choice, with major local and international acts taking to the stage each night this weekend.

It all starts on Thursday 21 October, with hugely popular Pakistani singer-songwriter Ali Zafar on stage at Jubilee Park at 2045, before Late Nights @ Expo, featuring Syrian composing star Iyad Rimawi, takes over from 2200. Best known for his soundtracks to such TV series as Nadam and Godfather, Rimawi’s performance will be followed by Serbia’s Eyot, which blends Balkan jazz, classical music and art-rock.

Then for two nights, starting on Friday 22 October, British singer-songwriter Sami Yusuf performs at Al Wasl Plaza with his show, ‘Beyond the Stars’. This hour-long music extravaganza starts at 2030, with the chance to see it again the following evening at the same time. Yusuf leads an array of musicians from around the world, with a special show inspired by the themes of Expo, the legacy of the UAE and the Silk Road. Promising new material, the event features the talents of Guo Gan, master of the erhu, a traditional two-stringed Chinese instrument, and Indian sitarist Asad Khan, as well as Moroccan singer Nablya Maan and Azerbaijani vocalist Teyyar Bayramov.

Also this weekend, on Saturday 23 October, Expo 2020’s all-female Firdaus Orchestra performs a stellar space-themed repertoire comprising Western classical music and an original composition by Oscar-winning composer A.R. Rahman. On stage at Jubilee Park, the orchestra features musical talent from across the Arab world, with 50 women from 23 different nationalities. Their performance begins at 1900.