DUBAI, 18 November 2021 – As the UNICEF ambassador for the Middle East and North Africa, Lebanese singer Yara is the perfect choice to kick-start Expo 2020 Dubai’s World Children’s Day celebrations on Saturday 20 November. The star will appear during the close of the day’s flagship ‘Visions of the Future’ event on the Al Wasl Stage from 1430-1625, which features guest speakers and performers from around the world.
Expo has a packed schedule of World Children’s Day events, taking place across the site. This international celebration of children is a chance to highlight their potential, offering a platform for them to discuss education, climate change, mental health and youth leadership and giving young people – the leaders of tomorrow – a voice and an opportunity to advocate for their own future.
The ‘Visions of the Future’ kickstarts the cultural aspects in style, with parents and children invited to attend together. It begins with a performance from the Emirates Youth Symphony Orchestra, featuring dancers from Circus Zambia. This will be followed by speeches and performances, with UAE ministers and UNICEF representatives taking the stage. Eighteen-year-old Tanzanian singer Abby Chams and Mexican siblings Vazquez Sounds will appear, as will Time magazine’s Kid of the Year, 16-year-old scientist Gitanjali Rao. Yara will perform at the end.
Another treat will be the Italian puppet masters at Dubai Exhibition Centre (DEC) from 1430-1610. Here, the Figli D’arte Cuticchio company will display its age-old expertise and mastery of Sicilian ‘pupi’, with a marionette show depicting the love story of Ruggiero and Bradamante from Orlando Innamorato, one of the great Italian epics.
And be sure to catch the Firdaus Orchestra on the Jubilee Stage at 1500. This pioneering all-female ensemble, brought together for Expo under the guidance of Oscar-winning musician A. R. Rahman, will perform music from family movies, such as Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast, with guest appearances from A. R. Rahman’s daughter, Khatija, a talented singer in her own right, and 16-year-old musician Lydian Nadhaswaram, a student of the A. R. Rahman Foundation, and the 2019 winner of US talent show The World’s Best.
The Country Pavilions on the Expo site will also be joining in the fun. At the Poland Pavilion, there will be animations, competitions with prizes, games, and even a children’s fashion show, while the Maldives Pavilion has face-painting, games and giveaways.
