List of world's fairs - Definition

This is a list of world's fairs (with notable permanent buildings built).

1750s - 1790s - 1800s - 1820s - 1840s - 1850s - 1860s - 1870s - 1880s - 1890s - 1900s - 1910s - 1920s - 1930s - 1940s - 1950s - 1960s - 1970s - 1980s - 1990s - 2000s - 2010s

1750s

• 1756 - London - First Exhibition (1756) Sponsored by the Society of Arts in England

1790s

• 1798 - Paris, France - First Exhibition (1798) and Second Exhibition (1798) in Europe

1800s

• 1802 - Paris, France - Third Exposition (1802)

1820s

• 1829 - New York, New York - American Institute Fair (1829)

1840s

• 1844 - Paris, France - French Industrial Exposition (1844)
• 1849 - Birmingham, England - Exposition of British Society (1849)
• 1849 - - First Exhibition of British Manufacturers (1849)

1850s

• 1851 - London - Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations -- The Crystal Palace
• 1852 - Cork, Ireland - Irish Industrial Exhibition (1852)
• 1853 - New York, New York - Exhibition of the Industry of All Nations (1853)
• 1853 - Dublin, Ireland - Great Industrial Exhibition (1853)
• 1854 - Munich, Germany - Allgemeine deutsche Industrie-Ausstellung (1854)
• 1854 - Melbourne, Australia - Melbourne Exhibition (1854) (in conjunction with Exposition Universelle (1855))
• 1855 - Paris, France - Exposition Universelle (1855)
• 1855 - Dublin, Ireland - Dublin International Exhibition (1855)
• 1857 - Manchester, England - Art Treasures Exhibition (1857)

1860s

• 1860 - Besançon, France - Exposition universelle (1860)
• 1861 - Melbourne, Australia - Victorian Exhibition (1861)
• 1862 - Hamburg, Germany - International Agricultural Exhibition (1862)
• 1862 - London - International Exhibition (1862) (Great London Exposition) (South Kensington, England)
• 1864 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Dutch Industry Expostion (1864)
• 1865 - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - Great Central Fair for the US Sanitary Commission (1865)
• 1865 - Oporto, Portugal - Exposição Internacional (1865)
• 1865 - Dublin, Ireland - International Exhibition of Arts and Manufactures (1865)
• 1865 - Dunedin, New Zealand - New Zealand Exhibition (1865)
• 1866 - Melbourne, Australia - Intercolonial Exhibition of Australasia (1866)
• 1867 - Paris, France - Exposition Universelle (1867)
• 1868 - Le Havre, France - Exposition Maritime Internationale (1868)

1870s

• 1870 - Córdoba, Argentina - Exposición Nacional (1870)
• 1870 - Sydney, Australia - Intercolonial Exhibition (1870)
• 1871 - London - First Annual International Exhibition (1871)
• 1872 - London - Second Annual International Exhibition (1872)
• 1872 - Lyon, France - Exposition Universelle et Internationale (1872)
• 1872 - Kyoto, Japan - Exhibition of Arts and Manufactures (1872)
• 1873 - London - Third Annual International Exhibition (1873)
• 1873 - Vienna, Austria - Weltausstellung 1873 Wien
• 1873 - Sydney, Australia - Metropolitan Intercolonial Exhibition (1873)
• 1874 - London - Fourth Annual International Exhibition (1874)
• 1874 - Dublin, Ireland - International Exhibition of Arts and Manufactures (1874)
• 1874 - Rome, Italy - Esposizione internazionale (1874) (never held)
• 1875 - Santiago, Chile - Exposicion Internacional de 1875
• 1875 - Melbourne, Australia - Victorian Intercolonial Exhibition (1875)
• 1875 - Nizhni Novgorod, Russia - Nizhni Novgorod Fair (1875)
• 1875 - Sydney, Australia - Intercolonial Exhibition (1875)
• 1875 - Santiago, Chile - Exposición Internacional de Chile
• 1876 - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - Centennial Exposition
• 1876 - Brisbane, Australia - Intercolonial Exhibition (1876)
• 1877 - Cape Town, South Africa - South African International Exhibition (1877)
• 1877 - Tokyo, Japan - First National Industrial Exhibition (1877) (Ueno Park)
• 1878 - Paris, France - Exposition Universelle (1878)
• 1878 - Ballarat, Australia - Australian Juvenile Industrial Exhibition (1878)
• 1879 - Sydney, Australia - Sydney International Exhibition (1879)
• 1879 - Melbourne, Australia - Intercolonial Juvenile Industrial Exhibition (1879)

1880s

• 1880 - Melbourne, Australia - Melbourne International Exhibition (1880)
• 1881 - Atlanta, Georgia - International Cotton Exposition (1881)
• 1881 - Budapest, Hungary - Országos Magyar Nöiparkiállitás (1881)
• 1882 - Bordeaux, France - Exposition internationale des vins (1882)

• 1882 - Buenos Aires, Argentina - Exposición Continental Sud-Americana (1882)
• 1883 - Boston, Massachusetts - The American Exhibition of the Products, Arts and Manufactures of Foreign Nations (1883)
• 1883 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Internationale Koloniale en Untvoerhandel Tentoonsellung (1883) (International Colonial Exhibition)
• 1883 - Calcutta, India - Calcutta International Exhibition (1883)
• 1883 - Parramatta, Australia - Intercolonial Juvenile Industrial Exhibtion (1883)
• 1883 - Louisville, Kentucky - Southern Exposition (1883)
• 1883 - New York, New York - World's Fair (1883) (never held)
• 1884 - New Orleans, Louisiana - World Cotton Centennial (1884) (New Orleans Universal Expositon and World's Fair), (World's Industrial and Cotton Centennial Exhibition), (New Orleans Centennial)
• 1884 - Melbourne, Australia - Victorian International Exhibition 1884 of Wine, Fruit, Grain & other products of the soil of Australasia with machinery, plant and tools employed
• 1884 - Edinburgh, Scotland - International Forestry Exhibition (1884)
• 1884 - Saint Louis, Missouri - Saint Louis Exposition (1884)
• 1884 - Turin, Italy - Esposizione generale italiana (1884)
• 1885 - Melbourne, Australia - Victorians' Jubilee Exhibition (1885) (Jubilee of Victoria Exhibition)
• 1885 - Antwerp, Belgium - Exposition Universelle d'Anvers (1885)
• 1885 - Wellington, New Zealand - New Zealand Industrial Exhibition (1885)
• 1885 - New Orleans, Louisiana - North, Central and South American Exposition (1885)
• 1885 - London - International Exhibition of Inventions
• 1886 - London - Colonial and Indian Exhibition (1886)
• 1886 - Melbourne, Australia
• 1886 - Edinburgh, Scotland - International Exhibition of Industry, Science and Art (1886)
• 1886 - Liverpool, England - International Exhibition of Navigation, Commerce and Industry (1886)
• 1887 - Adelaide, Australia - Adelaide Jubilee International Exhibition (1887)
• 1887 - Geelong, Australia - Geelong Jubilee Juvenile and Industrial Exhibition (1887)
• 1887 - London - American Exhibition (1887)
• 1887 - Rome, Italy - Esposizione mondiale (1887)
• 1888 - Melbourne, Australia - Victorian Juvenile Industrial Exhibition (1888), Centennial International Exhibition
• 1888 - Glasgow, Scotland - International Exhibition (1888)
• 1888 - Brussels, Belgium - Grand Concours International des Sciences et de l'Industrie (1888)
• 1888 - Barcelona, Spain - Exposición Universal de Barcelona (1888)
• 1888 - Lisbon, Portugal - Exposição Industrial Portugueza (1888)
• 1889 - Paris, France - Exposition Universelle (1889) - Eiffel Tower
• 1889 - Dunedin, New Zealand - New Zealand and South Seas Exhibition (1889)

• 1889 - Buffalo, New York - International Industrial Fair (1889)

1890s

• 1890 - Bremen, Germany - Nord-West-Deutsche Gewerbe und Industrie-Ausstellung (1890)
• 1891 - Moscow, Russia - Exposition française (1891)
• 1891 - Kingston, Jamaica - International Exhibition (1891)
• 1891 - Launceston, Australia - Tasmanian International Exhibition (1891)
• 1892 - Genoa, Italy - Esposizione italo-americana (1892)
• 1892 - Madrid, Spain - Exposición Histórico-Americana (1892)
• 1892 - Washington, DC - Exposition of the Three Americas (1892) (never held)
• 1893 - Chicago, Illinois - World Columbian Exposition also called World's Columbian Exposition
• 1893 - Kimberly, South Africa - South Africa and International Exhibition (1893)
• 1893 - New York, New York - World's Fair Prize Winners' Exposition (1893)
• 1894 - San Francisco, California - California Mid-Winter Exposition (1894)
• 1894 - Antwerp, Belgium - Exposition Internationale d'Anvers (1894)
• 1894 - Lyon, France - Exposition internationale et coloniale (1894)
• 1894 - Oporto, Portugal - Exposição Insular e Colonial Portugueza (1894)
• 1895 - Hobart, Australia - Tasmanian International Exhibition (1895)
• 1895 - Ballarat - Australian Industrial Exhibition (1895)
• 1895 - Atlanta, Georgia - Cotton States and International Exposition (1895) (Atlanta Exposition)
• 1896 - Berlin, Germany - Gewerbe-Ausstellung (1896)
• 1896 - Mexico City, Mexico - International Exposition (1896) (never held)
• 1897 - Brussels, Belgium - Exposition Internationale de Bruxelles (1897)
• 1897 - Guatemala City, Guatemala - Exposición Centro-Americana (1897)
• 1897 - Brisbane, Australia - Queensland International Exhibition (1897)
• 1897 - Chicago, Illinois - Irish Fair (1897)
• 1897 - Nashville, Tennessee - Tennessee Centennial and International Exposition (1897)
• 1897 - Stockholm, Sweden - Allmänna konst- och industriutställningen (1897)
• 1898 - Dunedin, New Zealand - Otago Jubilee Industrial Exhibition (1898)
• 1898 - Omaha, Nebraska - Trans-Mississippi Exposition (1898)
• 1898 - Bergen, Norway - International Fisheries Exposition (1898)
• 1898 - Munich, Germany - Kraft- und Arbeitsmaschinen-Ausstellung (1898)
• 1898 - San Francisco, California - California's Golden Jubilee (1898)
• 1898 - Turin, Italy - Esposizione generale italiana (1898)
• 1898 - Vienna, Austria - Jubiläums-Ausstellung (1898)
• 1899 - Coolgardie, Australia - Western Australian International Mining and Industrial Exhibition (1899)
• 1899 - Omaha, Nebraska - Greater America Exposition (1899)
• 1899 - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - National Export Exposition (1899)
• 1899 - London - Greater Britain Exhibition (1899)

1900s

• 1900 - Paris, France - Exposition Universelle (1900)
• 1900 - Adelaide, Australia - Century Exhibition of Arts and Industries (1900)
• 1901 - Buffalo, New York - Pan-American Exposition
• 1901 - Glasgow, Scotland - Glasgow International Exhibition (1901)
• 1901 - Vienna, Austria - Bosnische Weihnachts-Ausstellung (1901)
• 1901 - Charleston, South Carolina - South Carolina and Interstate and West Indian Exposition (1901)
• 1902 - Turin, Italy - Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Decorativa Moderna (1902)
• 1902 - Hanoi, Vietnam (Tonkin), Indo China Exposition Française et Internationale (1902)
• 1902 - New York, New York - United States, Colonial and International Exposition (1902) (never held)
• 1902 - Toledo, Ohio - Ohio Centennial and Northwest Territory Exposition (1902) - (never held)
• 1903 - Osaka, Japan - National Industrial Exposition (1903)
• 1904 - Saint Louis, Missouri - Louisiana Purchase Exposition (also called Louisiana Purchase International Exposition)
• 1904 - Portland, Oregon - Lewis & Clark Centennial Exposition (1904)
• 1905 - Liège, Belgium - Exposition universelle et internationale (1905)
• 1905 - London - Naval, Shipping and Fisheries Exhibition (1905)
• 1905 - New York, New York - Irish Industrial Exposition (1905)
• 1906 - Milan, Italy - Esposizione Internazionale del Sempione (1906)
• 1906 - London - Austrian Exhibition (1906)
• 1906 - Marseille, France - Exposition coloniale (1906)
• 1906 - Christchurch, New Zealand - International Exhibition (1906)
• 1907 - Dublin, Ireland - Irish International Exhibition (1907)
• 1907 - Hampton Roads, Virginia -Jamestown Exposition
• 1907 - Chicago, Illinois - World's Pure Food Exposition (1907)
• 1907 - Mannheim, Germany - Internationale Kunst-Ausstellung (1907)
• 1908 - London - Franco-British Exhibition (1908)
• 1908 - New York, New York - International Mining Exposition (1908)
• 1908 - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - Exposição Nacional (1908)
• 1909 - Seattle, Washington - Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition
• 1909 - New York, New York - Hudson-Fulton Celebration (1909)
• 1909 - San Francisco, California - Portolá Festival (1909)
• 1909 - Quito, Ecuador - Exposición Nacional (1909)

1910s

• 1910 - Nanking, China - Nanking Exposition (1910)
• 1910 - Brussels, Belgium - Exposition Universelle et Industrielle des Bruxelles (1910)
• 1910 - Buenos Aires, Argentina - Exposición Internacional (1910)
• 1910 - London - Japan-British Exhibition (1910)
• 1910 - San Francisco, California - Admission Day Festival (1910)
• 1910 - Vienna, Austria - Internationale Jagd-Ausstellung (1910)
• 1911 - Dresden, Germany - International Hygiene Exhibition (1911)
• 1911 - London - Coronation Exhibition (1911)
• 1911 - London - Festival of Empire (1911)
• 1911 - Rome, Italy - Esposizione internazionale d'arte (1911)
• 1911 - Turin, Italy - Esposizione internazionale delle industrie e del lavor (1911)
• 1911 - Glasgow, Scotland - Scottish Exhibition, Art and Industry
• 1911 - New York, New York - International Mercantile Exposition (1911)
• 1912 - Manila, Philippines - Philippine Exposition (1912)
• 1912 - London - Latin-British Exhibition (1912)
• 1912 - Tokyo, Japan - Grand Exposition of Japan (1912) (never held)
• 1913 - Ghent, Belgium - Exposition universelle et internationale (1913)
• 1913 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Tentoonstelling De Vrouw 1813-1913
• 1913 - Knoxville, Tennessee - National Conservation Exposition (1913)
• 1914 - Boulogne-sur-Mer, France - International Exposition of Sea Fishery Industries (1914)
• 1914 - Cologne, Germany - Werkbund Exposition (1914)
• 1914 - Nottingham, England - Universal Exhibition (1914)
• 1914 - Semarang, Indonesia - Koloniale Tentoonstelling (1914)
• 1915 - San Francisco, California - Panama-Pacific International Exposition (1915)
• 1915 - San Diego, California - Panama-California Exposition (1915)
• 1915 - Panama City, Panama - Exposición Nacional de Panama (1915)
• 1915 - Richmond, Virginia - Negro Historical and Industrial Exposition (1915)
• 1915 - Washington, DC - National Star-Spangled Banner Centennial Celebration (never held)
• 1917 - San Francisco, California - Allied War Exposition (1917)
• 1918 - New York, New York - Bronx International Exposition of Science, Arts and Industries (1918)
• 1918 - Chicago, Illinois - Allied War Exposition (1918)
• 1918 - Los Angeles, California - California Liberty Fair (1918)

1920s

• 1920 - Shanghai, China - American-Chinese Exposition (1920) (?)
• 1921 - London - International Exhibition of Rubber and Other Tropical Products (1921)
• 1922 - Marseille, France - Exposition nationale coloniale (1922)
• 1922 - Tokyo, Japan - Peace Exhibition (1922)
• 1922 - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - Exposição do Centenario do Brasil (1922)
• 1923 - Los Angeles, California - American Historical Review and Motion Picture Exposition (1923)
• 1923 - Calcutta, India Calcutta Exhibition (1923) preparatory to British Empire Exhibition (1924)
• 1924 - Wembley, London, England British Empire Exhibition (1924)
• 1924 - New York, New York - French Exposition (1924)
• 1925 - Lyon, France - Foire (1925)
• 1925 - San Francisco, California - California's Diamond Jubilee (1925)
• 1925 - Dunedin, New Zealand - New Zealand and South Seas International Exhibition (1925)
• 1925 - Paris, France - Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes (1925)
• 1926 - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - Sesquicentennial Exposition
• 1926 - Berlin, Germany - Internationale Polizeiausstellung (1926)
• 1927 - Lyon, France - Foire internationale (1925)
• 1928 - Cologne, Germany - Internationale Presse-Ausstellung (1928)
• 1928 - Long Beach, California - Pacific Southwest Exposition (1928)
• 1929 - Barcelona, Spain, and Seville, Spain - Expo '29 (Exposición Ibero-Americana) or (Spain International Exposition)
• 1929 - Newcastle upon Tyne - North East Coast Exhibition

1930s

• 1930 - Antwerp, Belgium - Exposition internationale coloniale, maritime et d'art flamand (1930)
• 1930 - Liège, Belgium - Exposition internationale de la grande industrie, sciences et applications, art wallon ancien (1930)
• 1930 - Stockholm, Sweden - Stockholm International (1930) (Utställningen av konstindustri, konsthandverk och hemslöjd)
• 1930 - Trondheim, Norway - Tröndelag Exhibition (1930)
• 1931 - Paris, France - French Colonial Exposition (1931)
• 1931 - Milan, Italy - International Foundry Exhibition and Congress (1931)
• 1931 - Paris, France - Exposition coloniale internationale (1931)
• 1931 - Yorktown, Virginia - Yorktown Sesquicentennial (1931)
• 1933 - Chicago, Illinois - Century of Progress International Exposition
• 1934 - Oporto, Portugal - Exposição Colonial Portuguesa (1934)
• 1934 - Tel Aviv, Israel - Levant Fair (1934)
• 1935 - Brussels, Belgium Exposition universelle et internationale (1935)
• 1935 - San Diego, California - California Pacific International Exposition (1935)
• 1935 - Porto Alegre, Brazil -Exposição do Centenario Farroupilha (1935)
• 1936 - Johannesburg, South Africa - Empire Exhibition (1936)
• 1936 - Cleveland, Ohio - Great Lakes Exposition (1936)
• 1936 - Dallas, Texas - Texas Centennial Central Exposition (1936)
• 1937 - Berlin, Germany - Ausstellung (1937)
• 1937 - Dallas, Texas - Greater Texas and Pan American Exposition (1937)
• 1937 - Düsseldorf, Germany - Reichsausstellung Schaffendes Volk (1937)
• 1937 - Miami, Florida - Pan American Fair (1937)
• 1937 - Paris, France - Exposition Internationale de Arts et Techniques dans la Vie Moderne (1937)
• 1937 - Nagoya, Japan - Nagoya Pan-Pacific Peace Exposition (1937)
• 1938 - Glasgow, Scotland - British Empire Exhibition (1938)
• 1939 - New York, New York - 1939 New York World's Fair exhibits included The World of Tomorrow Futurama Trylon Perisphere
• 1939 - San Francisco, California - Golden Gate Exposition (1939) also called the Golden Gate International Exposition
• 1939 - Wellington, New Zealand - New Zealand Centennial Exhibition
• 1939 - Dresden, Germany - Deutsche Kolonial Ausstellung (1939)
• 1939 - Liège, Belgium - Exposition internationale de l'eau (1939)
• 1939 - Zürich, Switzerland - Schweizerische Landesausstellung (1939)

1940s

• 1940 - Lisbon, Portugal - Exposição do Mundo Português (1940)
• 1940 - Los Angeles, California - Pacific Mercado (1940) (never held)
• 1940 - Tokyo, Japan - Grand International Exposition of Japan (1940) (never held)
• 1942 - Los Angeles, California - Cabrillo Fair (1942) (never held)
• 1942 - Rome, Italy - Esposizione universale (1942) (never held) (E42)
• 1948 - Brussels, Belgium - Foire coloniale (1948)
• 1949 - Port-au-Prince, Haiti - Exposition internationale du bicentenaire de Port-au-Prince (1949)

1950s

• 1951 - London - Festival of Britain
• 1957 - Guangzhou, China - Chinese Export Commodities Fair
• 1958 - Brussels, Belgium - Expo '58 (Exposition Universelle et Internationale de Bruxelles) - Atomium

1960s

• 1962 - Seattle, Washington - Century 21 Exposition Space Needle
• 1964 - New York, New York - 1964/1965 New York World's Fair (note- not sanctioned by the Bureau International des Expositions)
• 1967 - Montreal, Canada - Expo '67, (Universal and International Exhibition of 1967) the most successful Fair ever, drawing more than 50 million visitors.
• 1968 - San Antonio, Texas - HemisFair '68

1970s

• 1970 - Osaka, Japan - Expo '70 (Japan World Exposition)
• 1974 - Spokane, Washington - Expo '74 (International Exposition on the Environment)
• 1975 - Okinawa, Japan - Expo '75 (International Ocean Exposition)

1980s

• 1982 - Knoxville, Tennessee - 1982 World's Fair (International Energy Exposition) - Sunsphere
• 1984 - New Orleans, Louisiana - 1984 Louisiana World Exposition
• 1985 - Tsukuba, Japan - Expo '85
• 1986 - Vancouver, Canada - Expo '86 (1986 World Exposition)
• 1988 - Brisbane, Australia - Expo '88

1990s

• 1992 - Seville, Spain - Seville Expo '92
• 1992 - Genoa, Italy - Genoa Expo '92
• 1993 - Daejeon (Taejŏn), South Korea - Expo '93
• 1998 - Lisbon, Portugal - Expo '98

2000s

• 2000 - Hanover, Germany - Expo 2000
• 2002 - Biel, Murten, Neuchâtel and Yverdon-les-Bains in Switzerland - Expo 02
• 2004 - canceled (planned site: Seine-Saint-Denis, France)
• 2005 - Aichi, Japan Expo 2005
• 2008 - Saragossa, Spain Expo 2008

2010s

• 2010 - Shanghai, China - Expo 2010