CELEBRATE UAE NATIONAL DAY AT EXPO 2020

Fireworks, live performances and hourly surprises for visitors over four days is just some of what you will expect to experience if you are planning on celebrating the UAE 50th at Expo 2020 Dubai! 

There will be unmissable Emirati events, attractions, and performances, from calligraphy to pearl diving, the Bedouin lifestyle to the Dubai story, abayas to camel milk cafés and so much more! 

For the Golden Jubilee weekend, Dubai's Expo will be open from 9am to 2am from December 1 to 4.

The main show for UAE National Day, "Journey of the 50", will take place at Al Wasl Plaza twice daily, at 7.30pm and 10.15pm, and will be an “extension of the impressive opening ceremony”.

You will also be able to watch the offical celebrations in Hatta (on December 2 from 5.30pm) broadcasted on large screens at different stages across the Expo site. 

Don't forget to catch us there on December 2nd as well! ;) 

50TH NATIONAL HOLIDAY

The UAE's federal government will enjoy a four-day weekend!

Employees will be granted leave from Wednesday, December 1, to Friday, December 3.

Official working hours will resume on Sunday, December 5.

Don't miss out on the huge celebrations that will be held in all seven emirates to reflect on the birth of the nation and look ahead to its future.

The UAE's official 50th National Day celebrations will take place in Hatta on December 2.

A magical theatrical show will be broadcast live on December 2 at 5.30pm from a striking, natural location near the town. People will be able to watch it on the country’s National Day website and all local TV channels.

Afterwards, an event recognising the UAE's rich history will be open to the public from December 4 to 12.

NFT IS THE WORD OF THE YEAR!

The abbreviation NFT has been chosen as the ‘word of the year’ by Collins Dictionary, beating words like pingdemic and metaverse.

NFT - which means, non-fungible token, is basically any digital creation like a meme, gif or a digital painting that proves you own it.

The use of NFTs as an abbreviation has risen by 11,000% this year! So, safe to say that is why it’s been chosen as “word of the year.”

DUBAI'S ELECTRIC HYPERCAR FASTEST IN WORLD

The world’s fastest electric hypercar is on display at Expo 2020 Dubai at the moment, and it will surely impress with all its capabilities!

The stunning all-electric Rimac Nevera can produce 1,914 horsepower. Which is enough to get it from 0-60mph in just 1.85 seconds.

After being shown off at the Croatia stand at Expo 2020 Dubai, the electric hypercar will be put through its paces on the Yas Marina Circuit in February 2022.

We can’t wait to see it in action!

500 AED COIN TO MARK GOLDEN JUBILEE!

A special 500 AED coin has been crafted to mark the UAE’ Golden Jubilee.

This high value coin will feature an image of Qasr Al Watan, on the front, and the back features the Year of the 50th logo, and weighs 250g!

But unfortunately, the coin will not be available for sale at the Central Bank headquarters and its branches ☹

HARRY POTTER & THE RETURN TO HOGWARTS

Potterheads, this is not a drill...the reunion is on!

Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson & Rupert Grint, will reunite for 'Return To Hogwarts' - a retrospective special in honour of Harry Potter's 20th anniversary and to celebrate the 20 years since Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone first hit cinemas

Other confirmed favourites include Robbie Coltrane (Hagrid), Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy), Helena Bonham Carter (Bellatrix Lestrange), and Gary Oldman (Sirius Black)

Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return To Hogwarts will release on HBO Max at midnight on January 1, 2022.

STORMZY PERFORMING AT YASALAM AFTER-RACE CONCERTS

Stormzy will take the stage on December 10 at Etihad Park, Yas Island. He joins multi-award-winning US pop star Khalid and two-time Brit Award-winning Scot Lewis Capaldi, who willperform on December 9 and 11 also at Etihad Park.

Stormzy will be aiming to make up for lost time (due to the pandemic) with a blazing concert featuring hits such as Vossi Bop and Own It.

All ticket holders will now have access to Khalid’s Thursday concert, while single-day ticket holders can also attend that evening’s concert.

Those with two-day tickets will have access to the Saturday Capaldi gig and Sunday race day concert, as well as Thursday's Khalid show. Three-day ticket holders have access to all four after-race concerts.

For more info check out yasmarinacircuit.com

VISAS FOR RETIRED EXPATS

Great news!  The UAE cabinet approved amending the conditions for granting residency to retired foreigners.

A retiree needs to fulfil certain criteria to be eligible for the vias. Here's the criteria:

• Owning a single property or more than one property worth AED1 million (evaluation to be carried out by the related entity in each Emirate)
• a bank deposit of no less than AED1 million
• An active income of no less than AED180,000 per annum

In the same cabinet meeting held at Expo 2020 in Dubai, HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid granted a request submitted by the Ministry of Interior to start testing autonomous cars on UAE roads. 

The UAE will be the first country in the Middle East and the second globally to test self-driving cars on its streets! 

SQUID GAME SEASON 2 CONFIRMED

Squid Game, the Korean TV thriller, will return for season 2!

Creator and director, Hwang Dong-hyuk, confirmed the news, but did not disclose when the next season will be released. However, he did reveal, "it's all in my head; I have the basic storyline, the broad plan, so we're in the brainstorming stages". Dong-hyuk even eluded to Seong Gi-hun, the protagonist played by actor Lee Jung-jae, making a come back to "do something about this world". 

Dong-hyuk and the cast all attended a special Hollywood screening this week in celebration of the show's success. In fact, it has become the biggest series of all time on Netflix, generating an estimated $900 million in value for the streaming platform.  

TREVOR NOAH COMING TO SHARJAH INT'L BOOK FAIR

Trevor Noah will be attending as a guest speaker. He will be reflecting on his experiences as a comedian, writer, television personality and commentator.

Famously known for being the host of "The Daily Show", Trevor he will be appearing at 9.30 pm on November 12 at the Expo Centre Sharjah, where the fair is taking place.

His 2016 autobiographical comedy book Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood will be available to buy at the fair, giving fans the chance to obtain signed copies.

The fair is one of the first in the region to reprise a focused in-person programme in the wake of the pandemic, with this year's theme "There is always a right book". It brings together more than 1,600 publishers from 83 countries and 15 million books. This year’s event is the largest since the fair was established in 1982!