35 years ago this weekend, the world came to New Orleans. Sunday marks the 35th anniversary of the opening of the Louisiana World Exposition, better known as the 1984 World’s Fair.
The fair, which came 100 years after New Orleans hosted the 1884 World’s Industrial and Cotton Centennial Exposition, opened May 12, 1984.
An impressive opening ceremony featured dozens of dignitaries including then-Gov. Edwin Edwards, Mayor Ernest “Dutch” Morial and U.S. Secretary of Commerce Malcolm Baldrige Jr., who represented President Ronald Reagan.
Former WWL-TV reporter Bill Capo chronicled the event's opening day.
"They came by bus train and car, from California, Colorado and Connecticut -thousands of people who plunked down the $15 admission to be among the first to see the Louisiana World Exposition," Capo reported on opening day.
The Times-Picayune reported that 62,746 people visited the fair on opening day. "Once they passed the turnstiles, they found themselves in a man-made wonderland. Whether they lived in New Orleans or elsewhere, most fair visitors were quickly caught up by the Mardi Gras spirit of the exposition," Capo reported.
The fair, which occupied 84 acres along the Mississippi River, had as its official theme "The World of Rivers — Fresh Waters as a Source of Life."
An aquatic motif was present throughout, particularly at one of the gates, which featured two 30-foot-tall mermaid sculptures by Barth Brothers. The figures were controversial because of the female figures' half-naked bodies. Sculpted figures of a mermaid, Neptune and alligators by Blaine Kern's team of artists graced the other entrance. They're now at the entrance to what is Mardi Gras World.
Twenty-four nations were represented with pavilions at the fair and attractions such as the Italian Village, German Beer Garden and Vatican Pavilion.
Other popular attractions included an Aquacade, gigantic Ferris wheel, whimsical Wonderwall and a gondola that took passengers 350 feet in the air and across the Mississippi River.
Nightly entertainment came from A-listers such as Bob Hope (who did one of his TV specials here alongside David Letterman and Brooke Shields), Willie Nelson, Dionne Warwick, Julio Iglesias, Itzhak Perlman and dozens of local acts. Many also will remember the fair’s top-hatted pelican mascot, Seymore D. Fair.
The $350 million event is fondly remembered by many locals, but it was a financial flop and attendance fell far below projections. Fair organizers filed for bankruptcy and the event became the last of its kind in the world to date.
There were positives for New Orleans, however, including revitalization of the riverfront, the Arts/Warehouse District and the Morial Convention Center, which grew out of the fair’s 300,000-square-foot Great Hall.
- with information from Gambit