Dubai is a city brimming with history and culture — set to become even more so with the opening of Expo 2020 Dubai Museum on Saturday May 18.

What’s even better than a new museum? A museum offering free entry on its opening weekend.

Launching to coincide with International Museum Day — also on May 18 — the new culture venue is offering free entry to Expo 2020 Dubai Museum on Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 May.

The complimentary access is also combined with free entry to the city’s three Stories of Nations exhibitions (which looks at the international participants involved in the Mobility, Opportunity and Sustainability pavilions), and offers a further 50 per cent discount on all other attractions — Alif, Terra, the Women’s and Vision Pavilions, and Garden in the Sky.

Whether you’re new to Dubai or simply want to learn more about the city’s ‘greatest show on earth’, the all-new Expo 2020 Dubai Museum will take you a journey through the entire World Expo project, offering a glimpse into the visitor experience through different mixed media exhibits and interactive content for younger visitors.

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You’ll also be able to walk down memory lane with a look into the UAE’s first foray into World Expos back in the Seventies, before diving into details about Expo 2020’s inception and bid, masterplan design and site construction, the challenges of the pandemic and the postponement.

The exhibition culminates with a look at the historic opening ceremony and six-month event and looking at how the spectacle honours World Expo’s impacts and ongoing legacy.

You can either stroll through exhibition alone or join a guided tour that takes place every 30 minutes.

There’s also a shop packed with memorabilia, the Expo 2020 library and, if you’ve got your Expo 2020 ‘passport’ at home, don’t forget to bring it, as you’ll also get the chance to collect some more country stamps.

Once the opening weekend is over, the museum will be included in Expo City’s one-day Attractions Pass which costs just Dhs120, or you can buy a combined ticket to the Expo 2020 Museum and the three Stories of Nations exhibits for Dhs50 for adults and Dhs40 for children from 4-11 (children three and under are free).

Opportunity District, Expo City, Expo Road, Dubai South, expocitydubai.com

Looking for another way to spend International Museum Day?

Head down to the capital on International Museum Day, as Louvre Abu Dhabi is offering UAE residents free access on May 18.

All you have to do is present your photo ID to the ticket desk and voila, free art at your fingertips.

Spend the day or even the evening, as you can browse until 8.30pm giving you longer to linger amidst the work of past and present masters. You’ll also find different family activities, such as art-making workshops, drawing classes, origami sessions.

Louvre Abu Dhabi, Saadiyat Island, louvreabudhabi.ae (600 565 566)

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