SPOKANE-- With Riverfront Park as a backdrop, plans to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Expo '74 were revealed at a press conference celebrating National Travel & Tourism Week.
City of Spokane Parks and Recreation, Visit Spokane and many other community organizations are spearheading the planning and marketing effort to honor one of Spokane's most significant moments in history.
"Spokane wouldn't be the community and prime destination it is today without Expo '74," said Matt Santangelo, Program Manager for the Expo '74 50th Celebration. "We recognize the audacity and bravery it took to pull off Expo and positively change the city for generations. We plan to pay homage and honor the legacy of the Expo with a two-month-long celebration in 2024."
The Expo '74 50th Celebration will kick off on May 4 and run through July 4, 2024. A new website is up and ready for public viewing. The Expo 50 Planning Committee invites the public to take a quick survey. It's looking for input from the Spokane community on programming for the event. A then-and-now piece is also available for viewing here.
"Expo 74 brought business and civic leaders together to reclaim our riverfront, which stands as a symbol of collaboration and gathering to this day," said Visit Spokane Board Chair Meg Barbieri. "It was an inflection point for the regional tourism industry and gave us Spokane Riverfront Park, one of our top tourist attractions. It also gave us the Spokane Convention Center and the First Interstate Center for the Arts, which supports a thriving convention and entertainment business."
New numbers by Tourism Economics show visitors to Spokane infused the local economy with $1.4 billion and generated $219 million in state and local taxes in 2022.
