Pope Francis is in the UAE and the hype for the much-awaited papal mass tomorrow (Tuesday) is growing by the second.

So far, the head of the Catholic Church has already met with rulers of the UAE and even visited the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi. More than 135,000 people are expected to attend the mass, which will be held at Zayed Sports City, hence our neighboring Emirate has announced road closures between 1 to 6pm.

That’s a LOOOOT of people, and if you’re leaving from Dubai it could be quite the struggle so make sure you’re well equipped.

The public Papal Mass takes place at Zayed Sports City, Abu Dhabi at 10.30am

Tickets are currently being distributed to parishes across the UAE. Tickets applicants have been advised they will be issued one ticket for entry and one ticket for transport.

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The Government of Abu Dhabi has arranged free transportation from designated hubs across the UAE.

There will be designated parking at the Yas Gateway Access Hub and walkers are advised to carry their Emirates ID. The venue hosts 120,000 people, arrive early and expect waiting time.

The road closures are something to watch out for

In case you don’t wan’t to be stuck somewhere or have no option but to go back (things happen,) make sure you’re well informed on the road closures planned by the Abu Dhabi Police.

• Cars won’t be allowed in the area around Sheikh Zayed Sports City, as well as trucks, heavy vehicles weighing more than 3 tonnes and buses transferring workers through the Maqta Bridge from 1-6 pm.
• The traffic will then be redirected to Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Street (that’s right after Maqta bridge) to the Al Jaweyah roundabout temporarily. On Monday 6pm to Tuesday 6pm, trucks are also not allowed onto Abu Dhabi island.
• After midnight, roads in the vicinity of Zayed Sports City will also be closed off to all vehicles. The following day (Tuesday), Sheikh Rashin bin Saeed Street will be closed in both directions.

The Do’s and Dont’s:

According to The Khaleej Times, there are a couple of things that must be complied with during the papal mass in order to maintain the peace and respect of this religious event.

The Pope’s mass’ official website has stated for attendees not to bring the following to the stadium:

• Selfie sticks
• Any sort of animals
• Any sound or video recording equipment. You can only use your personal camera for your own use.
• Banners, signs, or clothing that could represent racist, charity or xenophobic material
• Laser pointers (I mean, why even?)
• Objects made from plastic or glass, anything fragile like bottles, cups, or cans of any kind.
• Lighters, smoking equipments
• Sharp weapons

Check the rest of the list here.

Don’t forget to…

Before heading out to the venue, don’t forget to snack on something or carry food and beverages for the journey as your transportation might take a while. But know that you won’t be able to carry the food past the point of security checks, so merely keep it with you during the journey.

Food and beverage will be available for sale within the premises of the event until 8am, so don’t worry.

Also, there’s a brief walk from the drop-off area of most transportation buses until the inside of the venue, wherein security checks will take place prior to getting in the venue.