Minnesota loses bid for World's Fair Specialised Expo

The 2027 World's Fair Specialised Expo won't be held in Minnesota.

What happened: In Paris today, delegates to the Bureau International des Expositions instead voted for Serbia. Minnesota finished third out of five bids.

Why it matters: The event would have brought between seven and 14 million visitors and generated a $4 billion economic impact, according to bid organizers.

Catch up fast: Officials from Bloomington, the state of Minnesota, and the federal government had been lobbying hard over the past year in hopes of securing the event, which was to run May 15-Aug. 15, next to the Mall of America.

• They were hopeful that their "Healthy People, Healthy Planet: Wellness and Well-Being for All" theme would have resonated with a world audience following the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The bid had backing from both Democrats and Republicans.

Flashback: This is the second loss for the Bloomington bid. In 2017, it lost out to Argentina for the 2023 expo, which was later canceled.

The bottom line: The U.S. has not hosted a World's Fair event since 1985, and that drought will continue.