World's fair

Poster advertising the Brussels International Exposition in 1897
Replica of the Gokstad Viking ship at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair
Palace of the railways and great connections at the International Exhibition of Hydropower and Tourism in Grenoble, France in 1925

A world's fair, also known as a universal exhibition or an expo, is a large global exhibition designed to showcase the achievements of nations.[1] These exhibitions vary in character and are held in different parts of the world at a specific site for a period of time, typically between three and six months.[1]

The term "world's fair" is commonly used in the United States,[2] while the French term, Exposition universelle ("universal exhibition"[3]) is used in most of Europe and Asia; other terms include World Expo or Specialised Expo, with the word expo used for various types of exhibitions since at least 1958.

Since the adoption of the 1928 Convention Relating to International Exhibitions, the Paris-based Bureau International des Expositions has served as an international sanctioning body for international exhibitions; four types of international exhibition are organised under its auspices: World Expos, Specialised Expos, Horticultural Expos (regulated by the International Association of Horticultural Producers), and the Milan Triennial.

Astana, Kazakhstan, held the most recent Specialised Expo in 2017 while Dubai, United Arab Emirates, hosted Expo 2020 (which was postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic).[4] Belgrade, Serbia, has been selected to host the next Specialised Expo, to take place in 2027 from 15 May to 15 August.

  1. ^ a b "world's fair | History Instances, & Facts | Britannica". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
  2. ^ [1] Britannica. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
  3. ^ "exposition". Cambridge French-English Dictionary.
  4. ^ The Expo was postponed from 2020 to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic