The opening ceremony featured a welcome procession to receive the guests with Magul Bera and Traditional Kandyan Dance performance which was enveloped by the Sri Lankan traditional dance costumes in its glory followed by Sri Lanka’s and UAE’s national anthems and lighting of the oil lamp. The keynote address was delivered by the Consul General of Sri Lanka to Dubai & Northern Emirates Nalinda Wijerathna.

The Sri Lanka pavilion at EXPO Dubai is organized by the Sri Lanka Tourism in collaboration with the Sri Lanka Embassy and the Consulate General office in Dubai. Located in the “Opportunity” district of EXPO 2020, the pavilion mainly focusing on showcasing the unique diversity of the country to the world in a touristic perspective. At the same time the country’s cultural heritage, natural beauty, products that Sri Lanka offers to the world including gem & jewellery, Ceylon Tea, arts & crafts as well as trade and investment opportunities are also promoted during the exposition period of six months. Parallel to the EXPO participation, Sri Lanka has also planned a number of promotional events in the UAE to promote bilateral cultural relations, Ceylon Tea, Foreign Direct Investments and trade.

Expo 2020 is a world fair, currently hosted by Dubai in the United Arab Emirates from 1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022. Originally scheduled for 20 October 2020 to 10 April 2021, it was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.