What can visitors expect at Belgrade Expo 2027?

Expo 2027 Belgrade will mark the first time a World Expo is hosted in the Western Balkans, transforming Belgrade into a global stage for innovation, culture, and business exchange. Centred around the theme Play for Humanity: sport and music for all, the Expo will celebrate play as a force for creativity, collaboration, and progress. With over 125 countries expected to participate, the event will foster dialogue, showcase cultural and technological innovations, and provide new opportunities for trade and investment.

In an exclusive interview, Dusan Borovcanin, Advisor to the CEO of EXPO 2027 ltd. Belgrade, explains to Gulf News readers how the global event offers an excellent chance to discover Belgrade’s unique mix of history, hospitality, gastronomy, and entrepreneurial spirit. Excerpts:

As we like to say, when people play together, they build the future together. The theme Play for Humanity: Sport and Music for All will come alive through every pavilion, stage, and experience across the Expo site. Sport and music are universal languages that transcend borders, and at Expo 2027 they will be catalysts for dialogue, creativity, and innovation. Visitors will see how play inspires technology, urban development, and cultural exchange, whether through interactive exhibitions, live performances, or business forums. Each participating country will highlight its most treasured contributions through programs built on play, rhythm, and creativity. Every pavilion will tell its story of how humanity thrives when it embraces play as a source of inspiration and progress, creating memories that will last far beyond the 93 days of the Expo.

In business, location is destiny and Expo 2027 positions Belgrade at the very centre of global opportunity. Expo 2027 will transform Belgrade into the beating heart of global interaction, bringing together over 120 countries, thousands of companies, and millions of visitors in just three months. With 8,000 events, six thematic business forums, and a cutting-edge AI-powered B2B platform, the city will serve as a meeting point where culture, commerce, and technology converge in real time. We are building infrastructure and venues that will remain permanent assets, ensuring Belgrade is prepared to host major international gatherings long after 2027. This transformation means that the Expo is not only an event but also an engine for Belgrade’s future development. The result is a city positioned as a crossroads of innovation, investment, and cultural diplomacy, a place where lasting connections will be forged between Serbia and the world.

Companies from the Gulf will find Expo 2027 to be a gateway into Southeast Europe, a dynamic and growing region eager for partnerships in every sector of the economy. Through curated business forums, bilateral meetings, and national investment days, Gulf investors and innovators will have direct access to Serbian and regional partners ready for collaboration. Expo’s B2B digital platform will connect them to thousands of opportunities across industries, from renewable energy and smart cities to creative industries and tourism. Beyond business deals, it is also a chance to showcase Gulf expertise in sustainability, architecture, and advanced technologies to millions of global visitors. Serbia and the region are opening their doors wide, and Gulf companies will be welcomed as essential partners in building the future.

We are not just building for an Expo, we are building the stage where Serbia’s tomorrow begins today. Expo 2027 will leave a lasting architectural and infrastructural legacy that reshapes Belgrade for decades to come. The Serbian National Pavilion will be embodying our cultural heritage and modern identity while serving as a symbol of national pride. Visitors will experience newly built transport links, including a dedicated Expo railway and a revitalized urban zone in Surčin, designed with sustainability and innovation at its core. The entire Expo site will showcase green technologies, modular architecture, and spaces that will later be transformed into schools, museums, and sports centres for future generations. This is Serbia’s largest development project in modern history, and it will change not only the way visitors experience Belgrade but also the way our citizens live, work, and connect with the world.

Innovation inspires, but collaboration multiplies. Expo 2027 is conceived as more than an exhibition, it is a living laboratory of collaboration where creativity and commerce meet on equal ground. Every cultural showcase will be paired with opportunities for business dialogue, and every technological display will be matched with pathways to real-world investment. With over 30,000 business connections expected and platforms bridging startups, corporations, and governments, creativity will flow seamlessly into commerce. Visitors will not only admire the displays of innovation but will also engage in workshops, forums, and matchmaking sessions that translate ideas into action. This way, the Expo ensures participants leave Belgrade with unforgettable cultural experiences, but also with contracts, partnerships, and roadmaps that fuel future growth and long-term cooperation.

If Dubai in 2021 showed the world how a desert can bloom, Belgrade will show how play can unite humanity. In 2027, Serbia will open its doors to the world like never before, offering Gulf visitors a unique blend of tradition, innovation, and heartfelt hospitality. Belgrade’s vibrant energy, its gastronomy, music, and entrepreneurial spirit, will be amplified by the Expo’s global program of sport, culture, and technology that promises something for everyone. It is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to witness how a nation at the crossroads of East and West becomes a global stage for progress and creativity. For Gulf readers, visiting Expo 2027 means not only exploring Serbia but also experiencing the entire world in one city, in just 93 unforgettable days. This will be the moment when Serbia shows its most open, innovative, and welcoming face to millions of people from across the globe, and we are eager to share it with you.