Empire Exhibition, South Africa
The Empire Exhibition, South Africa, held in Johannesburg, was intended to mark that city's jubilee and was opened by the Governor-General of the Union of South Africa on 15 September 1936. It was the first exhibition held in the Union of South Africa following two earlier exhibitions in Cape Colony in 1877 and 1892. The idea of an empire exhibition in South Africa was first discussed in 1934 by the Buy Empire Committee of Johannesburg. On 9 January 1935, the Grand Council of the Federation of British Industries passed a resolution for a proposal to hold an Empire Exhibition in Johannesburg in 1936 in conjunction with the Golden Jubilee of the city.
| Empire Exhibition, South Africa | |
|---|---|
Advertising poster for steam ship to the exhibition | |
| Overview | |
| BIE-class | Unrecognised exposition |
| Name | Empire Exhibition, South Africa |
| Area | Milner Park (now the University of the Witwatersrand west campus) |
| Visitors | 1500000, or over 2 million |
| Organized by | The "Buy Empire Goods (South African and Overseas) Committee" of Johannesburg, with the City Council of Johannesburg and the Union Government |
| Participant(s) | |
| Countries | 18 |
| Location | |
| Country | Union of South Africa |
| City | Johannesburg |
| Coordinates | 26.1896°S 28.0259°E |
| Timeline | |
| Opening | 15 September 1936 |
| Closure | 15 January 1937 |
A site of 100 acres in Milner Park was secured for the exhibition. Here were built about 100 buildings including eight pavilions from foreign nations and eight main exhibition buildings, the largest being the Hall of Industries.
The Schlesinger African Air Race was held in conjunction with the exhibition, with I W Schlesinger giving £10,000 in prize money.