I grew up hearing stories about the 1967 World Expo in Montreal from my Dad, which was held during Canada’s centennial year. He was 11 years old during that summer and he has written about how he spent many days roaming the Expo grounds with his nine-year-old brother. They would get dropped off at the local mall and take a shuttle bus to the Expo, and then would get picked up at the mall again around 11pm. Apparently kids in the 60s had lots of freedom! 

One of the legacies of Expo67 was the name of the Montreal Expos, the Major League Baseball team that my Dad cheered for from 1969 until 2004 when they relocated to Washington, D.C. and were renamed the Nationals. 

Another legacy of Expo67 that I once visited on a school trip is the Biosphere, an environmental  museum housed inside the dome of the popular US pavilion. For an interesting read on the influence of Expo67 on future Expos (as well some great photos) check out the article Expo 67 on repeat in the Urban Matters Journal.

Finding Leftovers from World Expos Around the World

World Expos have been happening since the mid-19th century, and remnants of these events are scattered across the globe. Undoubtedly the most famous building built for a World Expo is the Eiffel Tower. Constructed for the 1889 World Expo, the Eiffel Tower was at the time the tallest building in the world but was originally supposed to stand for only 20 years before being dismantled (obviously plans changed). Another famous sight that I have visited is the Atomium, which was built for the 1958 Expo in Brussels. 

A few years ago I spent an afternoon in Lisbon in the Parque das Nações, a waterfront district along the Tagus River that was originally built for the oceans-themed Expo98. The wide promenade was a perfect place for a walk on a sunny January afternoon, and there was also a cable car for people tired of walking. I visited the Oceanário de Lisboa, which had been the centrepiece of Expo98, and I enjoyed watching the otters and other animals with dozens of school children. 

Outside the aquarium I was mesmerized by the 12.3 km Vasco da Gama Bridge, which at one end resembles a ship’s sails before stretching far into the distance. It was opened just before the Expo in March 1998, and it is the longest bridge in the European Union. The Vasco da Gama Bridge may not get as much love as the San Francisco-inspired 25 de Abril Bridge which connects Lisbon and Almada, but I found it equally appealing and I enjoyed walking underneath and watching the fisherman. 

The entire neighborhood was a nice place to spend some time away from the crowds of central Lisbon, and it was nice to see Expo buildings still being used more than 20 years later and seemingly well integrated into the city. 

Another neighborhood that was originally constructed for a World Expo that I have been to many times is EUR district in Rome. Mussolini had intended for this area to be a showcase of his fascist Italy, but the scheduled 1942 World Expo never happened due to the war. EUR remains a fascinating neighborhood visit, and I would also recommend Michael Antonioni’s 1962 film l’Eclisse, much of which takes place in EUR. 

World Expos are now organized every five years, and I had never considered attending one until 2015 when we were living in Geneva and the World Expo was being held in Milan, a four-hour train ride away. The Swiss rail company ran special trains directly to the expo site, and so one weekend we got up early and spent the day at the Expo and the following day we wandered around Milan before returning home.  

A long weekend in Dubai for Expo 2020

The Dubai World Expo was originally supposed to start in the fall of 2020, but was delayed a year and then ran from October 2021 until the end of March 2022. 

Jessica returned to work in February when Ralph was six months old, and as part of her maternity benefits she was able to work four days a week until Ralph was a year old. Normally she had Thursdays off (the weekend in Egypt is Friday/Saturday), but there were a couple of  Thursdays she had to work and to make up for it we set off to Dubai on a five-day weekend in mid-March.

We stayed at the Maisan Hotel, which was conveniently located just one metro stop away from the Expo. The Expo grounds were huge and it would take weeks to properly visit everything, and we ended up visiting on three different days. The first time we stayed for a full day into the evening, the second visit for half a day, and on our last day in Dubai we returned for a few hours right after opening to try to beat some of the crowds. 

After entering the grounds we walked to the massive Al Wasl Dome, which is at the centre of the grounds and which hosted concerts and other events throughout the Expo. When we got home I saw that Lewis Hamilton had been signing autographs the day we were there, but we missed him completely. 

Emanating from the Al Wasl Dome were several long boulevards leading to the different districts, each which had its own generic name: Sustainability, Mobility, and Opportunity. Each district had a central pavilion dedicated to its respective theme as well as several dozen country pavilions. The grounds also had two parks where you could take a break, and we especially enjoyed the so-called ‘Water Feature’ which was a nice respite from the heat. 

Goat neck tacos (and other food options)

The food options ranged from snack kiosks to fast food chains to fine dining. One of the most popular places was the Saudi chicken restaurant Al Baik which we tried at the Dubai Mall, and you could also have food delivered to you using the Talabat app. 

Some country pavilions also had their own restaurants, and we had a bowl of expensive Pho in Vietnam and some cold borscht and potatoes in Lithuania. We also flipped through an amazing Lithuanian cookbook and discovered this epic recipe for Šakotis tree cake which calls for 40 large eggs.

One of the more interesting food venues was the African Food Hall, which had several restaurants serving different types of African cuisine. I opted for some goat neck tacos from a place called Tasty Goat, and Jessica had a fancy version of the Ghanaian dish red red, with black-eyed peas and fried plantain. 

Some of my friends in Cairo perceive me as water obsessed, so it is only fitting that I also report on the water situation. The Expo encouraged people to not use plastic bottles, and there were a few water fountains scattered around. Unfortunately their sensors were finicky and we watched lots of people (ourselves included) struggle to fill their bottles. There were also vending machines selling still water in a can, which apparently is going to be the way of the future. I have nothing against cans, but it would have been nice if they had thrown in some sparkling water into these vending machines to at least give us some variety.

The Dubai World Expo Pavilion Awards

There were basically two types of country pavilions, the first being big flashy custom pavilions generally belonging to rich countries or autocracies. The second much smaller type all had the same generic exterior and rectangular shape, but countries could be creative with how they used the space inside. Since it was hot and I was carrying Ralph, we basically skipped any pavilion that had a long line, which meant that we missed many of the most hyped pavilions. 

At the exit of each pavilion you could get a stamp in your Expo passport, and in total we visited 38 pavilions. I was very sad when Peru told us their stamp was broken and that they needed to get a replacement, so I instead got Jessica to draw one for us. 

A lot of the pavilions were boring and instantly forgettable, but here are some awards for some of the most memorable ones. 

The Swiss Pavilion usually had a long lineup, but on our last morning it was as short as we had seen so we decided to give it a go, and we were pleasantly surprised when we got whisked to the front because we had a baby.

This pavilion was attempting to simulate walking up a foggy mountain, something we have experienced first hand in Switzerland.

The Brazil pavilion itself wasn’t exciting, but the huge wading pool outside was a welcome addition in the scorching heat. 

The Women’s Pavilion was sponsored by Cartier, because you know, women love jewelry. The pavilion did its best to celebrate Emirati women and make the UAE look like a beacon of women’s rights. Overall this was extremely awkward, but the pavilion still wins the award by virtue of being the only submission in this category. 

I don’t remember much from the Milan Expo, but I do remember the Turkmenistan pavilion being one of the most crazy, a feat it repeated in Dubai. This is a video of what you see after stepping inside the pavilion.

I especially enjoyed the book the President had written called ‘Worshipping Mother – Worshipping a Sacred Person.’ The video of ‘buildings and structures opened in Turkmenistan in 2021’ also had a nice Egyptian flair to it.

We were intrigued by a woman in the Czechia pavilion who had a little booth advertising a health spa. We went and had a small chat and she told us the benefits of her facility. She was friendly and the place looked nice. 

Canada had hands down the worst pavilion we visited. There was a small line outside, but we stupidly put aside our no-line policy to visit our home pavilion. While waiting in line, there were the sounds of birds playing and some text related climate change. 

The inside of the pavilion was one large circular room with a cube in the centre (I think something to do with the birds) and some benches to sit on while watching a 360 degree video. Only a limited number of people were allowed to enter even though there were a bunch of open seats, meaning that people were being forced unnecessarily to wait outside in the heat. I am guessing this was a classic Canadian attempt to enforce social-distancing even though there were thousands of people attending the Expo every day without any social-distancing requirements at any of the other pavilions. 

The seven-minute video was a montage of nice Canadian scenery and diverse people, without any narration or any clear theme. It was incredibly boring and pointless. Other country pavilions had (almost) equally vacuous videos, but in those cases they were at least only one part of the pavilion and there were other things to see, whereas in Canada, once the video ended the doors opened and we were ushered back out into the heat. 

I almost went back to the line to apologize on behalf of Canada and suggest that people spend their time elsewhere. 

Apparently we weren’t the only ones confused by the birds outside, as reported by the CBC:

CBC News spoke to 12 people exiting the pavilion on Oct. 5. Most either had not noticed or did not understand the bird installation. For the majority, the Canadian landscape was still the main takeaway…Elamatha, who attended the Montreal Expo in 1967, said the display “gave a snapshot of what the country is all about” but said he didn’t understand the “connection with the birds.”

The official description on the Canada pavilion website was equally baffling and ridiculous. Here is a taste:

Outside, visitors’ eyes will be drawn to glowing fossils radiating a beautiful amber glow; eight inhabitable boxes scattered throughout the hall to the pavilion will house these remnants of a possible future…Inside, the journey continues with a 360-degree theatre experience through Canada’s four seasons that is inspired by the vast Canadian landscape—an artistic expression of Canada’s natural diversity—combining celebration, abundance, reflection, observation, healing, hope and energy, which, together, tell Canada’s story and demonstrate Canadians’ ability to creatively solve problems hand-in-hand with the global community.

The next World Expo will be held in 2025 in Osaka, Japan. I won’t go out of my way to attend, but if I once again find myself nearby then I will probably visit but will allow myself to skip the Canada pavilion.