Serbia to shape the global future through PLAY at Expo 2027 Belgrade

Centred in the heart of Europe, Serbia will be hosting Specialised EXPO 2027 Belgrade. Rooted in the theme Play for Humanity, EXPO invites nations, innovators, and dreamers to discover how creativity, learning, and collaboration can drive progress across all aspects of life. In less then two years starting May 15, 2027, during three months more than 120 countries and millions of visitors will gather in Belgrade to explore how play can shape a better future for humanity. The world will explore how play, the essence of creativity and progress, can unlock solutions for a more sustainable, inclusive, and secure future.

In an exclusive interview, Zlatana Pavlović, Programme Director of EXPO 2027 ltd. Belgrade, spotlights how Expo 2027 Belgrade plans to carry forward the EXPO legacy as the birthplace of world-changing innovation. Excerpts:

How does EXPO 2027 Belgrade plan to honour the tradition of EXPOs as the birthplace of world-changing innovations?

EXPO 2027 Belgrade stands proudly in the lineage of World EXPOs that have introduced transformative innovations, from the Eiffel Tower in 1889 to the debut of television, the mobile phone, and cutting-edge sustainability concepts. Our mission is to honour that heritage by redefining what innovation means in the 21st century shifting focus from inventions to human potential. Through our theme, Play for Humanity: Sport and Music for All we view play as a driver of creativity, inclusion, and problem-solving. Belgrade’s EXPO will become a living laboratory where global innovators, startups, cultural institutions, and youth networks co-create solutions that serve humanity. From interactive pavilions showcasing emerging technologies and design thinking, to our Best Practice area focused on real-world applications, EXPO 2027 will reflect innovation not only as a product, but as a process of human imagination, empathy, and collaboration. In short, we are honouring the EXPO tradition by shifting from the era of inventions to the era of reinvention of values, systems, and communities.

How will EXPO 2027 highlight the breadth of innovations across multiple sectors, from science and technology to culture and design?

EXPO 2027 Belgrade will highlight the breadth of innovations through its four thematic pillars – education, music, sport and innovation. By combining these areas with the power of play, we aim to inspire creative solutions to some of today’s most pressing global challenges, from sustainability and mental well-being to digital transformation and social inclusion. We are also encouraging all participating countries to showcase their best practices, groundbreaking ideas, and transformative projects, creating a living laboratory where science, technology, culture, and design meet to shape a more playful and human-centered future. Each pavilion, stage, and playground become a living ecosystem of ideas. Visitors will move through zones that combine interactive exhibitions, live experiments, immersive art, and collaborative labs. We want to show that EXPO 2027 Belgrade is not a single showcase but a network of interconnected disciplines, where creativity is not confined to any sector, but rather a common language across all.

In what ways will the programme encourage creativity, collaboration, and cross-disciplinary exchange to inspire new ideas and solutions?

Our approach to programming is rooted in collaboration over competition. We believe that the most powerful innovations arise when artists sit with engineers, athletes with scientists, and designers with policymakers.

That’s why EXPO 2027 programme is built on co-creation platforms rather than isolated exhibitions. We’re gamifying collaboration, rewarding curiosity, empathy, and teamwork through interactive quests, digital challenges, and a loyalty system that celebrates meaningful engagement. The main idea is not just to display creativity, but to activate it, ensuring every visitor leaves not only inspired but invited to co-create a better future.

What can visitors expect from the Best Practice Pavilions in terms of AI, sustainability, and urban innovation?

The Best Practice area at EXPO 2027 Belgrade is designed as a showcase of real solutions, not just concepts. It’s where theory meets practice, offering visitors a tangible experience of how cities, companies, and communities are reimagining life in balance with people and planet. We are currently in the process of inviting cities, communities and companies to showcase how they made AI work for the better of humanity, showing examples of artificial intelligence applied ethically, from adaptive learning platforms and healthcare diagnostics, to urban safety, accessibility, and culture curation. When it comes to sustainability it is also a very important topic for us and we want to emphasise projects demonstrating circular economy, green architecture, energy transition, and water-smart systems. Also, very interesting one are the urban playgrounds and prototypes of smart neighborhoods where mobility, sport, and community well-being intersect.

Why is Belgrade the right city to host global conversations about next-generation transport and the future of cities?

Belgrade embodies the very essence of transformation and connection geographically, historically, and culturally. As a city at the crossroads of East and West, with a legacy of resilience and reinvention, it is a natural meeting point for the world to debate the future. Put the most important world mega event in that kind of a city and you will get a perfect place to talk about next-generation transport. EXPO 2027 will most certainly turn Belgrade into a global Playground of innovation, where experts, citizens, and visionaries co-create the next chapter of urban life in the cities, one that is connected, inclusive, and human-centered.