The World’s Fair initially planned for 2020 in Dubai was postponed due to Covid until this year. We feel lucky that we happen to be in the UAE at the same time as EXPO. When we first heard about it, we weren’t really sure what to expect. We decided to check it out while my mom, Simon’s sister Bonnie and her husband Israel were in town visiting. We were blown away by how interactive and rich an experience we had. When our school offered discounted season passes, we jumped at the opportunity.

The theme of this year’s EXPO was “Connecting minds and creating the future” with three sub-categories: Mobility, Sustainability, and Opportunity. The pavillions highlighted aspects of a country or organization related to these themes. The scale was dazzling, spread over 4.38 kilometers and hosting over 24 million visitors. We visited 9 times, seeing 90 country pavilions, all of the main pavilions, and many more the attractions.

We don’t have photos of all the pavilions and performances we experienced, but hopefully, the photos give you a sense of the epic scale of EXPO. There are 195 country pavilions, and many of the buildings themselves are stunning architectural wonders. Visiting the country pavilions has been an engaging way for our kids (and the adults) to learn about different countries.

Mila was particularly inspired by the Mexico pavilion, handwoven out of recycled bags. We were all impressed with the luscious construction of the Singapore pavilion, made out of 80,000 plants.  One of our favorite pavilions was that of Saudia Arabia which had fun, interactive floors inside and some of the most interesting and delicious ice cream creations. At night, we loved the courtyard of the Saudi pavilion which had an interactive floor powered by kids’ running feet. It would start black and as the kids ran, the floor squares would light up, revealing a pattern that reflected on the mirrored surface of the pavilion. Once the pattern was complete, it would turn dark once more, a blank canvas until little runners revealed the next design.

Here are photos of some of the impressive architecture at EXPO- The feathery wings of the UAE pavilion, South Korea’s rotating blocks, the rainbow mirrors of Pakistan, the laser light show of China, the latticework of the Kazakhstan Pavilion, the indoor waterfall of the DP World Pavilion, and the interaction of inside and outside space in Morocco and Sweden.

The insides of most pavilions were so interactive and fun. In Austria’s pavilion, we saw a sand mandala, created by a magnetic ball steered by a hidden robotic arm that was coded to create a design. In the Czech pavilion, the kids helped add 3D-printed snowflakes to an art tree. In the Hungary pavilion, we bathed in a glowing ball pit meant to help you imagine the rejuvenating experience of a Hungarian spa. At the Sustainability Pavillion, Mila designed a home paper recycling machine which she submitted to have a prototype 3D printed. In Luxembourg, we loved the long slide that whizzed you to the exit at the end. We played instruments and tried on clothes from around the world and interacted with robots.

There were lots of fun lights and displays for selfies and photography fun.

We ate our way through Expo, sampling food from around the world at some of the many restaurants, cafes, and food carts. We had Texas and Philippino Barbeque, amazing Saudi ice cream at Sard, Belgian waffles, a Thai 3-course meal at Long Chim, frosty coffee drinks from Colombia, Taiwanese Boba Tea, Kopi Luwak (coffee harvested from civet cat poop) from Timur Leste, tasty bites from the Alkebulan African Dining hall, Vietnamese appetizers and noodles, french sweets and coffee drinks, and a delicious Afghani feast. We even sampled 3D printed food bites in the Lithuanian Pavilion.

We caught some fun shows at the different stages, some that we intended to see, like Pickathon faves Tank and the Bangas. Others we stumbled upon, like the quirky rock show by a Serbian artist who was a bit too loud for Mila but enjoyed by the rest of us. Mila loved rocking out to the Indian artist, DJ Nucleya — recommended by Emily and enjoyed by all. Walking around we came across parades, drumming sessions, and weird performance art acts like the glowing horse dancers.

Around Christmas, there were lots of decorations including a huge tree in Al Wasl Dome.

Art was everywhere. Many pavilions had sculptures, paintings, rugs, films, ceramics, and more. Some of my favorites were the miniature sculptures in the Japan pavilion- I didn’t take any photos and they are really too remarkable to explain with words- Google it! You should also see if you can come across Spain’s short film titled August Moon. It was really strange, inspiring, and fun. Mila loved the penguins outside the Portugal pavilion crafted from Recycled materials. Alden liked posing with statues. Mila wasn’t a fan of the “creepy” giant head sculptures in the Mobility pavilion depicting explorers from the region (made by the same folks who worked on Lord Of The Rings) but the rest of us were impressed. We all enjoyed exploring the giant inflatable labyrinth- Dodecalis Luminarium.

In March I tried to convince the family for a few more visits, holding on to my aspirations to visit all the country pavilions before EXPO ended. Between a heatwave, a “close contact” quarantine, and perhaps a bit of expo burnout, I didn’t succeed in my mission. Alas, we had a memorable time and made it to all of the pavilions on our must-see list. We deeply appreciate all the workers who helped build EXPO and guided us through the experience. It was such a neat opportunity to connect with people from around the world and to take time to reflect and envision what the future might hold.