It's official: Expo 2020 Dubai will be postponed by one year. After the UAE government asked for a delay last month, a majority of the Bureau International des Expositions member states now voted in favor of the proposal, officially confirming the new start date of October 1, 2021 and end date of March 31, 2022.

"We welcome the decision of BIE Member States to support the delay Expo 2020 Dubai by one year," said the Chairman of the Expo 2020 Dubai Higher Committee, Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, in response to the BIE announcement. "We are thankful to Member States for their continued commitment to contributing to a World Expo in Dubai that will play a pivotal role in shaping our post-pandemic world at a time when it will be most needed."

The Dubai expo grounds feature a master plan and a number of structures designed by prominent architects, including HOK, Populous, Arup, Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, BIG, Foster + Partners, Grimshaw, and Asif Khan.

Despite the one-year delay, Expo 2020 Dubai will retain its original name.