About Expo

World exhibitions, which first emerged in 1851 as ‘World Fairs’ (the term ‘Expo’ was introduced in the 1960s) played an important role in bringing the world together at regular intervals to gaze into the future of industry, technology, and material progress.

World Fairs hosted the first demonstration of a telephone and the first live television broadcast. They have produced iconic buildings such as the Eiffel Tower in Paris and The Crystal Palace in London. The governing body for World Expos is The Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), headquartered in Paris.

Expo 2020

Expo 2020 Dubai takes place from 1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022 and the theme is ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’. It is the first ever World Expo to take place in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region and is by some distance the largest ever World Expo in terms of geographical scale and the number of participating nations. Ireland is one of 85 of the 191 participating countries that has designed and built its own pavilion.

Expo 2020 is taking place in the Expo Village in the Dubai South district, on a 438-hectare site. The master plan is organised around a central plaza enclosed by three sub-thematic districts – Opportunity, Mobility and Sustainability – and includes extensive exhibition, performance and conference facilities. Over the next six months, millions of people from around the world will visit Dubai to absorb and participate in diverse experiences from around the world.

Theme Weeks, of which there are 10, will run throughout the six months of Expo. Their purpose is to facilitate in-depth exploration and sharing of ideas relating to the critical challenges and opportunities of our time, through cultural, social, environmental and economic lenses.

Ireland will participate in all of the 10 theme weeks through Government representation, cultural events, expert-led discussion and diplomatic activity.

Theme Weeks

Climate Change & Biodiversity 3 – 9 October 2021

Space 17 – 23 October 2021

Urban & Rural Development 31 October – 6 November 2021

Tolerance & Inclusivity 14 – 20 November 2021

Knowledge & Learning 12 – 18 December 2021

Travel & Connectivity 9 – 15 January 2022

Global Goals 16 – 22 January 2022

Health & Wellness 27 January – 2 February 2022

Food, Agriculture & Livelihoods 17 – 23 February 2022

Water 20 – 26 March 2022