1984 Louisiana World Exposition
The 1984 Louisiana World Exposition was a World's Fair held in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. It was held 100 years after the city's earlier World's Fair, the World Cotton Centennial in 1884. It opened on Saturday, May 12, 1984, and ended on Sunday, November 11, 1984. Its theme was "The World of Rivers—Fresh Waters as a Source of Life".
| 1984 New Orleans | |
|---|---|
Space Shuttle Enterprise at 1984 World Fair New Orleans | |
| Overview | |
| BIE-class | Specialized exposition |
| Category | International specialized exposition |
| Name | Louisiana World Exposition |
| Motto | World Of Rivers |
| Area | 34 hectares (84 acres) |
| Visitors | 7,335,279 |
| Organized by | Ralph Perlman |
| Mascot | Seymore D. Fair |
| Participant(s) | |
| Countries | 95 |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| City | New Orleans |
| Coordinates | 29°56′40″N 90°03′45″W |
| Timeline | |
| Opening | May 12, 1984 |
| Closure | November 11, 1984 |
| Specialized expositions | |
| Previous | 1982 World's Fair in Knoxville |
| Next | Expo '85 in Tsukuba |
| Universal expositions | |
| Previous | Expo '70 in Osaka |
| Next | Seville Expo '92 in Seville |
| Horticultural expositions | |
| Previous | International Garden Expo 83 in Munich |
| Next | Expo '90 in Osaka |
| Simultaneous | |
| Horticultural (AIPH) | International Garden Festival |
Plagued with attendance problems, the 1984 Louisiana World Exposition was the only exposition to declare bankruptcy during its run. Many blamed the low attendance on the fact that it was staged just two years and two states from Knoxville's 1982 World's Fair, and because it coincided with the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Others believe that the 1982 opening of Walt Disney World's EPCOT Center may have also drawn more people to Orlando, Florida. As of 2023, there has not been a World's Fair in the United States since the exposition in New Orleans.
This expo also had the distinction of being the first World Exposition in the history of expos to have an official fair mascot. Seymore D. Fair, a large white costume pelican, became one of the most recognizable figures of any modern-day World Exposition.
U.S. Navy's host ship for the 1984 World's Fair was USS Stump.