Sold out: Expo opening tickets
4 more days to EXPO opening and the Farbwerte exhibition at the German pavillon.
Biggest outdoor entertainment event in history’ may eclipse 2008 Olympics opening:
SHANGHAI – TICKETS to the opening day of the Shanghai Expo have sold out, the organisers said yesterday.
The lucky visitors can look forward to the ‘biggest outdoor entertainment event in history’ that will launch the six-month extravaganza, the South China Morning Post said in a separate report.
Day passes for the May 1 opening, costing 200 yuan (S$40) each, have all been snapped up, according to a notice posted on the official Expo website.
May 1 is also the beginning of the Labour Day ‘golden week’ holiday in China, when millions of vacationing Chinese swamp tourist attractions and recreation facilities.
The notice did not say how many tickets were sold, but organisers have said that they will limit the number entering the Expo park on any single day to 600,000.
While the restriction on visitor numbers will be in place, the authorities will spare no expense in ensuring that the opening ceremony dazzles the crowds – and the world, according to the Post.
Sustainable Shanghai Expo doesn’t need Olympic glitz:
In the case of the Olympic Games, the money from selling the broadcasting rights to TV stations around the world makes up a large portion of its proceeds. That is why the organizers have to make the event, particularly the opening ceremony, as attractive as possible.
The World Expo, however, is financed from ticket sales, so it doesn’t have the same need to make the event appealing to a worldwide TV audience.
Photos from the EXPO pre-opening:
