The latest effort to bring a World”™s Fair back to the U.S. ended unsuccessfully as the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) selected Serbia as host country of Specialised Expo 2027.
The U.S. candidate for Expo 2027 was Bloomington, Minnesota, which was eliminated in the third of four voting rounds by the BIE”™s 172nd General Assembly. The U.S. has not hosted a World”™s Fair since the 1984 event in New Orleans.
Expo 2027 will take place in the Serbian capital of Belgrade under the theme “Play for Humanity: Sport and Music for All” from May 15 to August 15, 2027.
The U.S. Department of State issued a statement expressing disappointment that the Minnesota candidacy was rejected while congratulating Serbia and pledging participation in the Belgrade expo while promising to work “with other U.S. cities and states interested in bidding to host a future World”™s Fair.” We also look forward to continuing our work with the BIE and other important partners ahead of Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan.
