United States World's Fairs

Quick Chronology to U.S. Fairs

New York 1853-4
Philadelphia 1876
Louisville 1883
New Orleans 1884
Cincinnati 1888
Chicago 1893
San Francisco 1894
Atlanta 1895
Nashville 1897
Omaha 1898
Charleston 1901-2
St. Louis 1904
Portland 1905
Jamestown 1907
Seattle 1909
San Francisco 1915
San Diego 1915-6
Philadelphia 1926
Chicago 1933-4
San Diego 1935-6
Cleveland 1936-7
Dallas 1936-7
San Francisco 1939-40
New York 1939-40
Seattle 1962
New York 1964-5
San Antonio 1968
Spokane 1974
Knoxville 1982
New Orleans 1984

Minnesota 2027 Loses Upcoming Special Expo Bidding

Minnesota 2027

On June 21, 2023, the nations of the Bureau of International Expositions (BIE), an international treaty organization, voted to elect Belgrade, Serbia as host of the upcoming special "recognized" expo in 2027, besting Minnesota in a four round vote. Minnesota's expo bid around the topic of Healthy People, Healthy Planet, was not a close competitor throughout the four rounds, even though they made it to the final count. Belgrade will host the three month expo on the subject of "Play for Humanity: Sport and Music for All," from May 15 to August 15, 2027.

It's hard to put this any other way, however, but the vote of the Minnesota bid was not competitive through any round. Whether this is due to the viability of the bid, which we doubt it, or some facts around smaller recognized expositions being meant more for developing nations than large nations is hard to know. Large registered expositions, held on the fifth or zero dates of a decade, are likely what the BIE members would like to see from the United States. It has been since 1984 that the USA has hosted a world expo, or world's fair, in New Orleans.

Votes of the 2027 Competition to Host (Lowest nation is dropped each round until a majority is achieved): First Round - Serbia 54, Spain 42, USA 19, Thailand 16, Argentina 8. Second Round - Serbia 69, Spain 48, USA 21, Thailand 15. Third Round - Serbia 74, Spain 53, USA 23. Fourth Round - Serbia 81, Spain 70.

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