Expo 2020 Dubai closes in on 15-million visit milestone

The world's fair attracted more than one million visits for the second week in a row

Coldplay performs at Expo 2020 Dubai on February 15. All photos: Reuters, unless noted otherwise

Chris Martin and crew rocked Al Wasl Dome as part of the Infinite Nights concert series.

Kicking off the gig right on time at 9pm, Coldplay launched directly into 'Higher Power', the uplifting hit from their ninth and latest album 'Music of the Spheres'.

As part of the concert, the 'sky' of Al Wasl Dome also teemed with butterflies, rainbows and oversized BTS holograms.

Al Wasl Dome came alive with laser projections and holograms as part of the concert.

Chris Martin went around the circular stage a number of times, greeting the audience.

Despite the smaller crowd, Chris Martin’s energy was infectious as he stomped back and forth between the centre stage and the outer circles.

Chris Martin of the band Coldplay performs at Expo 2020 Dubai.

Coldplay played several hits including 'Paradise' — performed under a kaleidoscope of butterflies and rainbows. Photo: Expo 2020 Dubai

Chris Martin takes a seat at the piano to croon along to a song.

Chris Martin was at his best, traipsing around the stage and pulling electrifying poses as he swung his arms and pointed his fingers.

Guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman and drummer Will Champion provided a solid support team to lead vocalist Chris Martin for the night.

With more than 100 million albums sold worldwide, Coldplay are one of the most successful bands of the 21st century and one of the bestselling music acts of all time.

Typically found headlining stadiums around the world with upwards of 100,000 fans, it was a rather intimate affair at Expo 2020 Dubai.

Chris Martin and Jonny Buckland of Coldplay perform at Expo 2020 Dubai.

Expo 2020 Dubai is approaching a milestone 15 million visits after enjoying its biggest week yet.

More than 1.2 million visits were recorded over the past seven days, buoyed by top attractions such as a highly-anticipated performance by chart-topping British band Coldplay at Al Wasl Dome.

Other attractions included a star-studded tennis tournament featuring famous names such as John McEnroe and Kim Clijsters as well as a visit to the Serbian pavilion by the sport's top-ranked player, Novak Djokovic before his return to action in Dubai this week.

As of Monday, visit numbers stood at 14,719,277 — up from 13,457,400 the previous week.

Domestic visits have increased by 128 per cent in the past weeks, with international numbers up 19 per cent in the same period.

The introduction of the Dh50 Season Finale Pass to coincide with the Expo's final 50 days has already proved to be a hit.

It is the second week in a row that more than a million visits have been made to the mega event as the public make the most of the opportunity explore the sprawling site in its final weeks.

Expo will commemorate passing the 15-millon visit milestone by issuing a special stamp for its popular passports, saying “I am one of 15 million visitors”. The stamp will be available from Wednesday.

Organisers had initially set a target of 25 million visits before the start of the Expo.

The six-month extravaganza will close its doors on March 31 after an impressive run of crowd-pleasing concerts, guest appearances and memorable daily performances.

The international celebration of cultures, customs and innovation has offered a platform for countries to share their talents with the world.

The vast world's fair site is home to more than 200 pavilions, including 192 belonging to participating countries.

Some pavilions have clocked up more than one million visits alone, including the Indian and Saudi offerings.

Visitor numbers are expected to enjoy an even greater surge in the weeks to come, organisers believe.

"I think typically you do see expos get busier towards the end," said Sconaid McGeachin, senior vice president of communications following the release of last week's high visit numbers.

"We obviously have so many different activities that we expect to have high visitation for the remainder of the expo."