A deep dive into Dallas’ forgotten World’s Fair history
One of Texas’s largest cities hosted people across the globe at multiple world’s fairs. Learn about Dallas’ world’s fair history and the legacy it left.
When most people think of a fair in Dallas, the State Fair of Texas comes to mind. After all, with millions of annual visitors, it’s one more thing that’s “bigger in Texas,” and held in Dallas at historic Fair Park, which has hosted the fair since the nineteenth century. Big Tex, the iconic giant cowboy who has stood over Fair Park since the 1950s, is a beloved landmark, and the fairgrounds are even the site of the 1962 movie musical “State Fair.”
However, did you know that Dallas has hosted even larger fairs than the State Fair of Texas? That’s right—the only fair big enough to compete with the state fair in the Lone Star State goes beyond one state, or even one country. Dallas has, on more than one occasion, been home to a world’s fair. And just as the city left its signature on the fairs, the fairs left their marks on the city and its history.
So, without further delay, grab your ticket and step right up. Make your way through the turnstile to learn about the history and legacy of Dallas’ own world’s fairs:
Once upon a time, in 1836 …
To understand the biggest and most famous world’s fair in Dallas, you need to know a little bit about Texas’ history. Specifically, the state’s war of independence from Mexico.
The Texas Revolution began in 1835, under the leadership of Stephen Austin, for whom the state capital is named, and the military command of Sam Houston, who would later give his own name to the city of Houston. While the revolution began in 1835, it wasn’t until the Convention of 1836 that Texas formally declared independence from Mexico and became a new nation—the Republic of Texas.
While today, Texas is one of the United States (although you can still see evidence of the Republic of Texas’ former embassy in London), 1836 is still regarded as its year of independence. That’s why, in 1936, the State of Texas decided to celebrate a century since declaring its independence from Mexico by hosting a world’s fair—the Texas Centennial Exhibition.
Saying “howdy” to the world
Initially, three different cities placed bids with the state legislature to host the fair: Houston, San Antonio, and Dallas. Hosting the fair was not only an honor, but it was also a chance to bring a huge influx of opportunity into the host city’s economy, which was an especially welcome proposition in 1936, at the height of the Great Depression.
Dallas ultimately won the competition due to its offer of a cash investment totaling over $7 million, paired with the fact that the city was already home to the fairgrounds, which would make an ideal setting for the exhibition. The exhibition opening day was set to run from June through November in 1936, and attracted over 6,300,000 visitors in that time.
The Texas Centennial was a roaring success in more ways than one. As the first-ever world’s fair held in the American Southwest, the fair sought to highlight Texas’s culture and achievements, with a major highlight being the Cavalcade of Texas, a pageant featuring costumed performers who depicted the history of Texas over four centuries. Other achievements showcased at the fair included the Hall of Negro Life, which was the first exhibition celebrating Black American culture at any world’s fair, and the Texas Centennial Olympics, which was the first racially integrated athletic competition held south of the Mason-Dixon line.
The fair was also a place to highlight technology, and many of the innovations on display can seem like foreshadowing to modern eyes. Some of the major technological developments on display included air conditioning, which would go on to make Texans’ lives more comfortable, and a variety of robotics exhibits, decades before another major Texas city, Houston, became famous for its role in the space program.
At the end of the fair, Dallas had plenty to celebrate. Not only had the event been unequivocally successful in terms of attracting visitors, but it had also been a major economic windfall for the city. Dallas had agreed to spend millions to host the fair, but the city’s investment paid off in a big way. The fair was credited with creating over 10,000 jobs in Dallas and the surrounding area, and bringing in a cash infusion of over $50 million. This would be a perk for any city at any time, but in 1936, it provided Dallas with insulation against the Great Depression and paved the way for the city to continue prospering into the rest of the twentieth century.
Why stop at one fair?
With the social and commercial successes of the 1936 exhibition, Dallas knew it could host a world’s fair worth celebrating. That’s why, just one year later, Dallas was at it again, hosting the Greater Texas and Pan-American Exposition. This was a fair designed to promote Dallas as a center of a greater Pan-American culture, including every nation from the southernmost tip of Argentina to Arctic Canada.
While this fair was far less of a success than the Texas Centennial (and possibly two Fair Park extravaganzas on the heels of each other gave some potential visitors fair fatigue), it did produce some notable achievements. In particular, the Greater Texas exhibition was the site of the first version of what would become the Pan-American Games, a continental athletic competition recognized by the Olympic Charter, which continues to be held every four years to this day.
Getting your fair fix today
Want to get a look at the World’s Fairs of Dallas and their legacies today? While there may not be a world’s fair going on in Dallas today, there are plenty of ways for you to learn about and experience fairs of the past. The Texas Archive of the Moving Image houses materials from world’s fairs, including posters, photographs, and even video clips of the infamous animatronic dinosaurs from the 1936 fair. You can browse them from the comfort of your own home, perhaps while enjoying a corn dog—a fair food that many claim originated in Texas.
For a more hands-on way to get into the fair spirit, head on down to Fair Park itself. While the State Fair of Texas isn’t a world’s fair, it is one of the biggest (and, according to many, best) state fairs in the country, and you can see the site of the Centennial Exhibition and the Pan-American Exposition. Even if the state fair isn’t running, the Children’s Aquarium of Dallas is located on the former site of the fair—a fact that they take pride in. Stop by to wander the halls and get a feel for what it might have been like to visit the fair while seeing some of the fairgrounds’ newer residents, like baby axolotls!
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