Expo '88 was a World's Fair held in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia over a six month period between 30 April 1988 and 30 October 1988. Expo (short for "exposition" and also known as World Fair and World's Fair) is the name given to various large public exhibitions held since the Brisbane ( is the state capital of Queensland. Brisbane is the third most populous city in Australia and the most populous city of Queensland Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern corner of the mainland continent For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. Events 313 - Roman emperor Licinius unifies the entire Eastern Roman Empire under his rule Year 1988 ( MCMLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar) Events 637 - Antioch surrenders to the Muslim forces under Rashidun Caliphate after the Battle of Iron bridge. Year 1988 ( MCMLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar) The theme of the Expo was "Leisure in the Age of Technology", and the mascot for Expo was a Platypus named "Expo Oz". The Platypus ( Ornithorhynchus anatinus) is a semi- aquatic Mammal endemic to eastern Australia, including Tasmania. [1] The AU$625 million fair was the largest event of the 1988 Bicentennial celebrations of the British settlement of Australia. The bicentenary of Australia was celebrated in 1970 on the 200th anniversary of Captain James Cook landing and claiming the land and again in 1988 to celebrate 200 years [2]
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History
Construction
The Expo was situated on the South Bank of the Brisbane River, opposite the city's CBD. South Bank Parklands is a parkland which was opened to the public on 20 June, 1992. The Brisbane River is situated in southeast Queensland, Australia, and flows through the city of Brisbane, before emptying into Moreton A central business district ( CBD) is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city For many years this area, mainly industrial, had been largely derelict. The creation of Expo, along with the, then, recent construction of the Queensland Cultural Centre, helped to revive the area. The Queensland Cultural Centre is a multi-venue arts centre designed by Australian architect Robin Gibson at South Bank, in Brisbane, and consists of the Queensland
Two thousand kilometres of telephone wire was used in the construction of the site and AU$25 million was spent on commissioning, purchasing and loaning some 100 works of sculpture for the Exposition. Massive sun-sails graced the Exposition site, giving shade from the Queensland sun. These became an iconic feature of the Exposition and the South Brisbane skyline, and were removed at its conclusion.
A monorail was constructed for Expo '88 to take visitors quickly around the Expo site. A monorail is a transportation system based on a single beam The term is also used variously to describe the beam of the system or the vehicles travelling on such a beam or Costing AU$12 million, it consisted of 2 stations at either end of the site, 2. 3 kilometres of track and 4 nine-carriage trains. The route included going through the Queensland Pavilion, across the Pacific Lagoon and beside the Brisbane River. The system was able to carry 44,000 passengers per day. Following Expo, part of the monorail joined the existing Sea World monorail system. Sea World is a Marine mammal park on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.
The Fair
The exposition was opened by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on 30 April 1988 to much fanfare. The Brisbane River is situated in southeast Queensland, Australia, and flows through the city of Brisbane, before emptying into Moreton For the ship see RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Context States headed by Elizabeth II Events 313 - Roman emperor Licinius unifies the entire Eastern Roman Empire under his rule Year 1988 ( MCMLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar) The fair attracted more than 18 million visitors, including staff and VIPs, more than double the predicted 7. 8 million, and was considered a turning point in the history of Brisbane, which had recently successfully hosted the XIIth Commonwealth Games in 1982. The 1982 Commonwealth Games were held in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia from 30 September&mdash9 October 1982
The Commissioner General for Expo '88 was Sir Edward Williams KCMG, KCB. Sir Edward Stratten Williams KCMG KBE QC ( 1921 - 10 January 1999) was appointed as a judge to the Supreme Court of Sir Edward was also the Chairman for the XIIth Commonwealth Games. The 1982 Commonwealth Games were held in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia from 30 September&mdash9 October 1982 Sir Edward's second in command was the Chairman of the Exposition Authority was former State Government Minister, the Hon Sir Llewellyn Edwards, AC. Sir Llewellyn Roy Edwards, AC (born 2 August, 1935) is the twelfth and current Chancellor of the University of Queensland and a former
Pavilions
Despite late entrants into the Exposition due to domestic political measures, the Exposition attracted some 80 pavilions, from 52 governments, of which 36 were from international-level. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 Other exhibitors included the six Australian states, the United Nations, the Vatican, three American states, one Japanese prefecture, and one Japanese city. The most expensive pavilion was Japan ($26AUD million), followed by the Queensland pavilion and the Australia pavilion. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics.
Entertainment
John Farnham was a regular visitor and performed frequently. John Peter Farnham, AO (born July 1, 1949) is a British-born Australian pop Singer. The exposition averaged 100,000 visitors a day, with highest day of attendance being 184,000 visitors on 29 October 1988 - the last day before the Closing Ceremony. Events 437 - Valentinian III, Western Roman Emperor, marries Licinia Eudoxia, daughter of his cousin Theodosius II Year 1988 ( MCMLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar)
At the Closing Ceremony of Expo '88 there were fireworks and a concert and rides everywhere, with the famous Australian pop-folk band, The Seekers, singing one of their most famous songs "The Carnival Is Over" at the very end of the celebrations, in what has become an Australian tradition. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. Pop folk is a Music genre consisting of both Pop music and Folk music. The Seekers were a group of Australian folk -influenced popular musicians that was formed in Melbourne, in 1962 " The Carnival Is Over " was written by Tom Springfield for the Australian group The Seekers, and The Seekers close their concerts with the song As Judith Durham was not available to join the other Seekers for the Expo '88 Closing Ceremony celebrations, popular Australian soprano Julie Anthony joined the group as the lead vocalist in her stead.
Legacy
After the end of Expo '88, various contingency plans were mooted as to possible future developments. One proposal was for a 'second' CBD-area to be developed, however this proposal was rejected. A second proposal, incorporating extensive parklands, boutique retail, as well as low-medium residential development, was later accepted, and four years after the closure of Expo 88, the site was reopened as the South Bank Parklands. South Bank Parklands is a parkland which was opened to the public on 20 June, 1992.
The only remaining traces of the Exposition on the former site are the Nepalese Pavilion, a traditional three-storey hand-made wooden replica of a famous Pagoda in Kathmandu, the board walk at the South end of the parklands, and two (since renovated) Pubs.
On 30 April 2004, sixteen years after the Expo's official opening, a commemorative foundation for the Exposition was launched, named Foundation Expo '88. Events 313 - Roman emperor Licinius unifies the entire Eastern Roman Empire under his rule "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again "
The Skyneedle
The Skyneedle (or "Night Companion") is 88 metres high and beams light skywards with a visibility of more than 60 kilometres during special events. The Skyneedle is a prominent feature of the Brisbane skyline which was constructed especially for World Expo 88.
The Skyneedle, which was originally built for World Expo'88, was to be relocated to Tokyo Disneyland after Expo'88. is a 115 acre (466535 m² Theme park at the Tokyo Disney Resort located in Urayasu, Chiba, Japan, near Tokyo. Hairdresser and local celebrity Stefan bought the rights and moved it 500 metres from its original location at South Bank to his corporate headquarters in South Brisbane, where it remains a prominent Brisbane landmark. Stefan Ackerie, usually known as Stefan, is a Businessman and Hairdresser from Brisbane, Australia.
Sculpture park
During Expo the park was filled with 90 sculptures, one of the largest and most prestigous displays the country had ever hosted. [3] Sixteen pieces were commissioned for the event, while others were on loan. Some of the works that were for sale have been purchased by the Brisbane City Council and are on display at various places in the city today. Brisbane City Council is the governing council for Brisbane, which is the capital of Queensland, Australia.
20 Anniversary celebrations
Celebrations for the 20 anniversary of Expo '88 were held at South Bank Parklands during May, 2008. South Bank Parklands is a parkland which was opened to the public on 20 June, 1992. Celebrations included a charity dinner on Friday 9 May, and a community day of celebration on 10 May. [4]
Gallery
 Expo '88 — showing a globe of the world |
 Expo '88 at night — showing the 88-metre high Skyneedle |
 The Skyneedle at Expo '88 |
 The Skyneedle at Expo'88 |
 Seoul Olympics Mascot at the Korean Pavilion |
 British Pavilion |
 Entertainment at the British Pavilion |
 Map of the UK at the British Pavilion |
 Suit of Armour at the British Pavilion |
 Another suit of Armour at the British Pavilion |
 Statue at the Greek Pavilion |
 Statue at the Greek Pavilion |
 Minotaur at the Greek pavilion |
 Large Bell at the Hungarian Pavilion |
 Bells at the Hungarian Pavilion |
 Inside the Hungarian Pavilion |
 Canadian Pavilion and Expo Monorail |
 French Pavilion |
 German Pavilion |
 Soviet Pavilion |
 Spanish Pavilion |
 Walking among the pavilions at Expo '88 |
 The "Bounty" water show at Expo '88 |
 Entertaining the people at Expo '88 |
References
- ^ Foundation Expo '88
- ^ About World Expo '88. The Skyneedle is a prominent feature of the Brisbane skyline which was constructed especially for World Expo 88. In Greek mythology, the Minotaur ( Greek:, Mīnṓtauros) was a creature that was part man and part bull. Retrieved on 2008-02-23. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 1455 - Traditional date for the publication of the Gutenberg Bible, the first Western Book printed from Movable
- ^ Bacon, Phillip; World Expo 88 (1988). Sculpture : the World Expo 88 collection. Brisbane, Australia: Philip Bacon Galleries, 5. Brisbane ( is the state capital of Queensland. Brisbane is the third most populous city in Australia and the most populous city of Queensland ISBN 0731627636.
- ^ 88 South Bank celebrates 88
External links
- Foundation Expo '88
- about Expo '88
- Brisbane, Host City of Expo '88
- the Queensland Pavilion at Expo '88
- Nature Works - Expo '88
- Stefan's Expo '88 Skyneedle
- World Expo Space Park History & Information
- World Expo Space Park Photo Galleries
- ExpoMuseum's Expo '88 Section
- Expo 88 t-shirt memorabillia
| Preceded by Expo 86 |
World Expositions 1988 |
Succeeded by Expo '92 |
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