US dazzles in red, white and blue for Expo 2020 Dubai 'national day'

High-octane marching band wowed crowds

A performance by the University of Minnesota marching band was the highlight of the US 'national day' celebrations at Expo 2020 Dubai on Sunday. All photos: Antonie Robertson / The National

Singer Maya Azucena gave a special performance.

Crowds cheer and record the US 'national day' celebrations.

Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, made the opening speech.

The marching band of the University of Minnesota performs.

Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, and Gina Raimondo, US Secretary of Commerce, were among the guests.

People wave the Stars and Stripes to mark US 'national day' at Expo 2020 Dubai.

The Stars and Stripes flag of the US is hoisted.

The US marked its Expo 2020 Dubai day of celebration in style on Sunday.

A musical performance by the University of Minnesota's marching band was the highlight.

Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, and Gina Raimondo, US Secretary of Commerce, were special guests.

Sheikh Nahyan also made the opening speech.

Maya Azucena, an American singer, enthralled the crowds with a stunning performance.

Festivities continued throughout the day. The ‘Celebrate America’ festival at Al Forsan Park featured the Arkansas Circus, and displayed replicas of iconic American monuments such as the Hollywood sign, while Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley impersonators entertained visitors.

Over the past months, the US pavilion has been very popular among visitors.

Visitors are able to touch fragments of lunar rock and view a replica of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

The pavilion, spanning 3,344 square metres, presents the breadth of American achievements, from its space triumphs to historic artefacts such as the US founding father Thomas Jefferson’s 200-year-old Quran.

Youth ambassadors welcome visitors to the pavilion and a video from Kamala Harris, Vice President of the US, is played at the entrance.

The US Pavilion, with the theme Life, Liberty and Pursuit of the Future, has a replica of the Statue of Liberty’s torch, plus artefacts from telephone inventor Alexander Graham Bell and Apple co-founder Steve Jobs.