Exploring the Legacy of Expo 86, 40 Years Later

The World Exposition on Transportation and Communication (known as Expo 86) started on May 2, 1986, and ran until October 13 of that same year, which also marked the 100th anniversary of Vancouver’s incorporation in April 1886. More than 22 million people attended Expo 86 over 165 days, making it the largest event in British Columbia’s history—and paving the way for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games the city hosted 24 years later.

Expo 86 was such a big deal that Archie Comics released a special issue to commemorate the occasion. In the comic, Archie, Betty, Veronica, Jughead and Reggie come to Vancouver to perform at the fair as the Archies. They take in all the sights, including the geodesic dome, the giant yellow Swatch watch, the China Gate (later relocated to Vancouver’s Chinatown), the gorgeous glass British Columbia pavilion (later the Edgewater Casino, and now the Harbour Event and Convention Centre), the Plaza of Nations and Canada Place. And, of course, Jughead tries to eat all of the food at the world’s fair.

 

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The five-month fair took place on 225 acres of Vancouver’s waterfront land downtown around False Creek, stretching from the Granville Street Bridge all the way to Science World and around to the edge of where Olympic Village sits today. That land is completely transformed now, from industrial wasteland to chic waterfront condos and businesses, but some remnants of Expo 86 remain.

Science World

The 17-story geodesic dome, designed by architect Bruno Freschi and constructed as the Expo Centre for Expo 86, was intended as a temporary pavilion to be used for the duration of the world’s fair. But the dome proved so popular with Vancouverites that locals lobbied to save it and transform it into a non-profit science centre. It took a $19-million renovation for that to happen, and Science World opened to the public in May 1989, boasting new galleries and the world’s largest OMNIMAX dome screen. The outside of the dome is now illuminated by an LED system with 651 lights that change colour to honour specific causes or events.

Over the years, luminaries such as astrophysicist Stephen Hawking, primatologist Jane Goodall and astronaut Chris Hadfield have appeared at special events at Science World. The science centre isn’t just for children—events such as the annual fundraiser Science of Cocktails are for adults. Also for ages 19+, this month’s Science World After Dark on May 7 is a retro-science theme inspired by Expo 86. It features ’80s music, delightfully nerdy sci-fi trivia, a screening of the Oscar-nominated short film Rainbow War (which was created for Expo 86) and a converted 1981 DeLorean just like the one in Back to the Future, complete with a flux capacitor. Visit Science World’s atrium to see a display of memorabilia from the world’s fair, and find Expo 86-themed merchandise for sale on the centre’s website, including Expo Ernie plush toys, t-shirts, keychains and magnets.

Canada Place

Canada Place opened in May 1986 to serve as the Canada pavilion for Expo 86. During the World Fair, more than 5 million visitors went through the distinctive building with the five sails on the roof. Always planned as a permanent structure, this building is now home to the Vancouver Convention Centre East Building, Vancouver World Trade Centre, Pan Pacific Vancouver Hotel, Five Sails restaurant and Flyover flight-simulation ride. Canada Place is also a cruise ship passenger terminal—cruises to Alaska start here—and the building served as the main media centre during the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

BC Place

BC Place stadium opened in June 1983 as part of the lead-up to Expo 86. At the time, it was the biggest air-supported domed stadium on the planet. That beloved puffy roof was deflated for the final time in May 2010 and replaced with the world’s largest cable-supported retractable roof.

The opening and closing ceremonies for both Expo 86 and the 2010 Olympic Winter Games were held in the stadium, along with the closing ceremonies for the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games. The BC Sports Hall of Fame is located at BC Place, and the stadium is home to the Vancouver Whitecaps soccer team and the BC Lions football team. Seven matches during the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be played at the stadium in June and July. BC Place is also used for some of Western Canada’s biggest events and concerts, including Ed Sheeran in 2023—the 65,061 concert-goers broke U2’s 2009 record of 63,802 attendees—along with Taylor Swift in 2024 (more than 160,000 fans over three nights) and Pope John Paul II in 1984 (approximately 55,000 attendees).

SkyTrain

Construction on the driverless SkyTrain rapid transit system began in 1982 and was completed in 1985, just in time to be shown off as part of Expo 86. The original 21-kilometre-long SkyTrain route—now known as the Expo Line, to differentiate it from the two lines built later—started at Waterfront station in downtown Vancouver and ended at New Westminster station. The Millennium Line opened in 2002, followed by the Canada Line, which opened in 2009 in preparation for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

Did You Know…

• King Charles III (who was Prince Charles at the time) and his then-wife Diana, Princess of Wales, officially opened Expo 86 on May 2, 1986. Diana fainted while touring the California pavilion, immediately causing rumours that she was pregnant, which proved to be untrue.
• The much-photographed Inukshuk by Indigenous artist Alvin Kanak that now sits at English Bay was originally part of the Northwest Territories pavilion at Expo 86. The logo for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games pays tribute to this welcoming stone landmark.
• A high-tech floating McDonald’s restaurant—officially called Friendship 500 but quickly nicknamed “McBarge”—was a popular dining spot during Expo 86, though it wasn’t used after the fair ended. Sadly, in 2025, the barge capsized in the Fraser River.
• Not everyone is a fan of the changes that Expo 86 brought to the city. “False Creek Change” by Vancouver indie band Said the Whale starts with the lyrics: “False Creek changed in ’86 / The year Expo exploited her shores / It’s been 22 years laying down bricks / There’s no room for me here anymore.”