Expo 2020 Dubai welcomes nearly 1.5m visits in first 24 days

Iraqi singer Kadim al-Sahir performed on the opening of the ‘Infinite Nights’ concert series. (AFP)
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Updated 25 October 2021
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Expo 2020 Dubai welcomes nearly 1.5m visits in first 24 days

  • Iraqi singer Kadim al-Sahir performed on the opening of the ‘Infinite Nights’ concert series

DUBAI: Expo 2020 Dubai this week saw visit numbers edge closely to 1.5m for the first 24 days since it opened to the public on October 1.

The organizers say the numbers were boosted by the program of musical and cultural events, as well as the long weekend marking the prophet’s birthday and the half-term school break.

Since the opening there have been 1,471,314 visits to the site, with children making up about 25 percent of visits to the site over the half-term week, which featured  cricket coaching program by the sporting greats the Rajasthan Royals.

There was also turn up and play football sessions hosted by coaches from Manchester City.

The long weekend, marking the prophet’s birthday, saw large crowds visit the site – many drawn to performances by the likes of the Expo 2020 all-female Firdaus Orchestra and British singer-songwriter Sami Yusuf.

And Iraqi megastar Kadim Al Sahir, one of the most successful Arab artists in history, kickstarted Expo 2020 Dubai’s spectacular Infinite Nights series.


Lebanese dance troupe Mayyas take to the stage with Beyonce

Updated 24 June 2025
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Lebanese dance troupe Mayyas take to the stage with Beyonce

DUBAI: Lebanese dance group Mayyas, winners of Season 17 of “America’s Got Talent,” once again shared the stage with US singing sensation Beyonce for her Paris show of the “Cowboy Carter Tour.” The troupe performed alongside her during “Protector,” stepping in for her usual dancers.

“Honored to share the stage for the second time with the Queen,” posted the group on Instagram after the show on the weekend.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by The Mayyas (@mayyasofficial)

Choreographer Nadim Cherfan also took to Instagram to talk about the significance of the show.

“Proud to witness my choreographies come to life on the world tour of the biggest star of the century - @Beyonce - a dream turned reality on the global stage. During the darkest days of war in Lebanon, when everything around us felt like it was falling apart, we turned to creation. In silence and uncertainty, I poured my soul into these choreographies — never knowing they would one day shine on the biggest stage in the world.

“To the incredible dancers @mayyasofficial who stood by me through the chaos, your dedication and strength are etched into every step. This is our victory,” he added.

The Mayyas previously performed alongside Beyonce at the opening of Atlantis The Royal in Dubai in 2023.

“Beyonce has been my dream since I was a child,” Cherfan said in an earlier interview with Arab News. “She is the artist of my life, and working with her made my dream come true. Since then, it has been really hard to work with any other artist because, as we all know, the queen has set the standard really high. It was an experience I will never forget.”


Review: Toronto Arab Film Festival screens searing ‘Arze’

Updated 24 June 2025
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Review: Toronto Arab Film Festival screens searing ‘Arze’

DUBAI: The Toronto Arab Film Festival, running from June 20- 29, screened the scathing yet poignant Lebanese film “Arze,” directed by Mira Shabib.

The ambitious “Arze” — which means "cedar" in Arabic — follows the story of Arze, a single mother supporting her teenage son and love-struck sister through a homemade pie delivery business. In an effort to improve their lives, she steals and sells her sister’s jewelry to buy a scooter for her son to use for deliveries. But when the scooter is stolen, mother and son embark on a frantic journey across Beirut to recover it.

 

 

On the surface, “Arze” tells a story that resonates deeply with many Lebanese families caught in financial limbo. It explores the emotional toll of such hardship, with questions arising as to whether one should leave the country or give up remnants of a once-comfortable life to survive Lebanon’s shifting socio-economic landscape.

Beneath the family drama lies sharp satire. Even the film’s title that references the cedar tree, a national symbol of Lebanese identity, carries layered meaning. Like the character herself, that identity appears fragmented, constantly lost amid the country’s sectarian divides. This is where the film truly shines: Arze, portrayed with emotional depth by Diamand Abou Abboud, dons various religious symbols and disguises to navigate Beirut’s fractured neighborhoods.

 

 

Shabib excels in exposing the farce of sectarianism, insinuating that Lebanon’s religious divisions are not deeply rooted but socially constructed and performative. Arze’s ability to blend into different communities simply by changing her appearance highlights how fragile and superficial these boundaries truly are.

In this sense, the film excels in its portrayal of a fourth main character: Beirut itself. Through Shabib’s lens, we are taken on a tour of a city so diverse it borders on overwhelming. Yet this diversity, rather than being a source of division, becomes a stage for a pointed critique, one that targets society’s fixation on appearances and its preference for the performative over lived reality.


Review: Netflix’s Ginny & Georgia

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Updated 20 June 2025
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Review: Netflix’s Ginny & Georgia

  • The story picks up moments after the dramatic finale of season two

The emotionally charged third season of Netflix’s “Ginny & Georgia” dropped earlier this month and has hovered steadily in the top 10 shows in the Kingdom since.

This season, the show focuses even more strongly on the fast-talking, faster-thinking Georgia, a single mother with bleached-blonde Southern belle looks whose dark past is fast catching up with her.

Flashbacks — some heartbreaking, others alarming — offer glimpses of her past life.

The story picks up moments after the dramatic finale of season two. Georgia is arrested, still wearing her wedding dress after a picture-perfect ceremony with Paul Randolph, the town’s popular mayor, as her two children and the whole town look on in horror.

The death of a seemingly minor character triggers a chain reaction that threatens Georgia’s carefully cultivated fairy-tale life.

Mayor Paul must decide between his new bride and his political career. He chooses the easy way out, but everyone knows there is no such thing. His life gets increasingly more complicated — as do the lives of every man, woman, and child drawn into Georgia’s orbit. They love her anyway. But at what cost?

The headlines swiftly label Georgia the “Mayoress Murderess.” This is not just a catchy phrase. We soon find out that she has been accused of murder before — and more than once. Is she a serial killer?

But this is not only Georgia’s story. Ginny, her 16-year-old daughter, is a budding poet trying to navigate a new chapter in her life, while dealing with school pressures, fragile friendships, and the growing realization that she is now the one keeping her mother in line.

Meanwhile, Ginny’s younger brother Austin ditches his dark-rimmed, Harry Potter-style glasses with no lenses — his emotional security blanket in earlier seasons — and begins shedding his childhood innocence. He is no longer someone who can be overlooked.

The comparisons to the cult classic “Gilmore Girls,” which aired from 2000 to 2007, still apply. Like Lorelai, Georgia is a teen mom who ran away from her hometown to raise a daughter on her own, far away from the parents she never got along with. But Ginny, Georgia, and Austin do not live in Stars Hollow. They settled in the fictional town of Wellsbury.

Amid the drama, the show does not shy away from more challenging subjects, including  eating disorders, self harm, and depression, which are handled with more nuance than in earlier seasons.

When a new life-changing secret is revealed in the final minute of the finale, the stage is set for an inevitable fourth season.

 


Post Malone to headline 2025 Esports World Cup opening ceremony in Riyadh

Updated 20 June 2025
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Post Malone to headline 2025 Esports World Cup opening ceremony in Riyadh

DUBAI: US rapper Post Malone – known for tracks like “Rockstar,” “I Had Some Help” and “Sunflower” – will perform will headline the opening ceremony of the 2025 Esports World Cup in Saudi Arabia.

The rap and country music artist will hit the stage in Riyadh on July 10.

In August 2020, the singer became part of Envy Gaming‘s ownership group, taking an undisclosed stake in the company, Esports Insider reporter of the North American organization that has since merged with Native Gaming.

The singer will return to the region to perform at the 2025 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Friday Dec. 5.

Malone previously performed at the 2018 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. He then returned in 2022, taking to the stage at Etihad Park.


The hottest music festivals of 2025 

Updated 20 June 2025
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The hottest music festivals of 2025 

DUBAI: Make your summer travel plans with music in mind 

Glastonbury 

Where: Wiltshire, England 

When: June 25-29 

What: Glastonbury has a convincing claim to being the world’s most famous festival, and regularly attracts more than 200,000 people to the Somerset countryside to see a diverse lineup that — apart from music megastars — includes stand-up comedy, circus acts, theater performances and more. This year’s Pyramid Stage headliners are English pop-rock outfit The 1975, US veteran Neil Young, and US singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo, while top of the bill on The Other Stage are UK hip-hop star Loyle Carner, the inspiration behind last year’s ‘Brat Summer’ Charli XCX, and seminal electronic-music act The Prodigy. Elsewhere, there really is something for all tastes.  

Other must-see acts: Raye, Nile Rodgers & Chic, Rod Stewart, Biffy Clyro, Noah Kahan, The Big Moon, Wolf Alice, Doechii, Wet Leg 

Tomorrowland 

Where: Boom, Belgium 

When: July 18-20 and 25-27 

What: A regular award-winner, Tomorrowland is one of the world’s best electronic dance music festivals. A reported 400,000 people attended last year’s event in De Schorre recreational park, which also accommodates the festival’s official campsite, DreamVille. This year’s Mainstage headliners include Martin Garrix, David Guetta, Armin van Buuren, and Swedish House Mafia, but there’s also plenty of less-mainstream acts performing over the festival’s two weekends on its 14 stages. 

Other must-see acts: Steve Aoki, Afrojack, Charlotte De Witte (pictured), Alok, ANNA, Amelie Lens, Eric Prydz 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Tomorrowland (@tomorrowland)

Lollapalooza 

Where: Chicago, US 

When: July 31–Aug. 3  

What: It may no longer be seen as quite the cultural thermometer it once was, but Lollapalooza is still an eclectic feast for music lovers — booking acts from genres including alt-rock, metal, punk, pop, hip-hop and EDM — and attracts around 400,000 people every year to its home in Chicago. This year’s headliners include Australian alt-dance group Rüfüs Du Sol; US rap star Tyler, The Creator; Olivia Rodrigo; and US singer-songwriter Sabrina Carpenter. 

Other must-see acts: A$AP Rocky, Twice, Luke Combs, Gracie Abrams, Cage The Elephant, Bleachers, Doechii, Martin Garrix 

All Together Now 

Where: Waterford, Ireland 

When: July 31-Aug. 3 

What: The great joy of Irish festival All Together Now is the hidden gems further down the lineup, as well as the ‘sideshows’ of art, spoken word, comedy, theater and wellness in a gorgeous setting. Since its inception, All Together Now has built a reputation for having a deep bench full of quality. So while the headliners — who this year include Fontaines D.C., Nelly Furtado, and London Grammar — aren’t on the megastar scale of the world’s major festivals, this festival is still well worth a visit. 

Other must-see acts: Wet Leg, Leftfield, Michael Kiwanuka, Infinity Song, Gurriers, Glasshouse 

Osheaga 

Where: Montreal, Canada 

When: Aug. 1-3 

What: Spread over six stages in Montreal’s beautiful Parc Jean-Drapeau, Osheaga focuses on up-and-coming acts as well as major names and incorporates a variety of genres. Other attractions apart from the music include volleypong, a Ferris wheel, and art exhibitions. This year’s headliners on the main Bell River Stage are US pop-rock giants The Killers; Tyler, The Creator; and Olivia Rodrigo.  

Other must-see acts: Doechii, Glass Animals, Lucy Dacus, The Chainsmokers, Gracie Abrams, Jamie xx, The Beaches, FINNEAS 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by OSHEAGA (@osheaga)

Sziget Festival 

Where: Budapest, Hungary 

When: Aug. 6-11 

What: Sometimes called “Europe’s Burning Man,” both because of its size (around 1,000 performances each year) and its weird side attractions — including a very odd amusement park — Sziget takes place on the breathtaking Old Buda Island on the River Danube. Headliners on the main stage this year include Charli XCX (pictured), Canadian singer Shawn Mendes, US rapper A$AP Rocky, American rapper and singer Post Malone, and US singer-songwriter Chappell Roan. 

Other must-see acts: FKA Twigs, The Last Dinner Party, Mother, Empire of the Sun, Justice, Amelie Lens, Caribou, Armin van Buuren 

Reading & Leeds 

Where: Reading and Leeds, England 

When: Aug. 21-24 

What: With the same lineup performing on different nights in two different venues a couple hundred miles apart, Reading & Leeds usually attracts a total of more than 200,000 people to shows that tend to focus on indie and alternative music as well as hip-hop. This year’s headliners are Irish rocker Hozier (pictured), Chappell Roan, English rock band Bring Me The Horizon, and US rapper Travis Scott.  

Other must-see acts: Limp Bizkit, Becky Hill, The Kooks, D-Block Europe, Amyl and the Sniffers, Rudim3ntal, Red Rum Club