expo 86

It had been a dry summer that year, with the last rain the day before opening and the rain managed to stay away until after closing. We received complete cooperation from the local rain gods and we fooled the 22,111.578 guest and tourist into thinking Vancouver's weather is always like this. The Expo theme was "Transportation and Communication" and it featured pavilions from 54 nations and numerous local corporations. It was considered a tremendous success, and it transformed Vancouver from a sleepy backwater to the second most expensive real Estate in the world.

Expo '86  opened on May 2nd by Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales and the strain on their marriage visible. Diana fainted due not eating for a few days and His Highness thought that she should have fainted more gracefully, out of public's eye, behind a door. Both Vancouver and Charles have come a long way since then.


After the event, most of the lands were purchased by Hong Kong Billionaire Li Ka-Shing under his Concord Pacific banner. Even though the redevelopment took longer than expected, it remains one of the most successful urban developments in Canadian History. The south-eastern section was further redeveloped as the Olympic Village, which housed the athletes for the 2010 Winter Olympics.

The next Expo, 2017 will be held in Astana, Kazakhstan. I haven't checked any flight schedules for that one yet.