15 May - 365 Days to Expo 2027: Belgrade Enters a Year That Will Shape Its Future
Tomorrow, May 15, marks the beginning of the final 365-day countdown to the opening of Expo 2027 Belgrade, the event that will place Serbia at the centre of global attention next year. Exactly one year before the opening of the largest international event ever hosted by the country, Belgrade is entering the final phase of preparations for the Specialised Expo, which will bring together 137 international participants, more than four million visitors, and over 8,000 programmes spanning culture, sport, music, innovation, and technology over a period of 93 days, under the theme “Play for Humanity: Sport and Music for All.”
Volunteer registration for Expo 2027 Belgrade will also officially open tomorrow. According to current projections, more than 20,000 volunteers will take part in the largest international event ever held in Serbia during its 93-day run. This will be the largest volunteer programme ever organised not only in Serbia, but across the Western Balkans region. The programme will be open to all adults from Serbia, the region, and around the world. As of tomorrow, interested applicants will be able to find detailed information on the application process on the official Expo 2027 website. The website will provide access to the volunteer platform, where prospective volunteers may apply for one of 48 available positions.
All preparations for the Specialised Expo are progressing according to schedule. The handover of pavilion keys to international participants is planned by 1 December 2026, while works on the Expo Village continue alongside the construction of supporting infrastructure, including new transport links and other projects that will permanently transform this part of Belgrade.
Alongside the development of the Expo Site in Surčin, preparations are also underway for an extensive programme of events and activities, the first outlines of which will be unveiled in early autumn. In this context, Belgrade will host some of the world's leading technology and innovation events over the coming year, including GITEX, one of the most influential global technology and start-up exhibitions, further strengthening Serbia’s position as an emerging technology hub in Europe.
Serbia is pushing boundaries - Expo 2027 Belgrade will leave behind a 100% legacy. Every component of the project has been designed with a long-term purpose beyond the conclusion of the Exhibition. The Expo 2027 Master Plan, encompassing the Thematic Area, the International Participants Area and the Best Practices and Corporate Content Area, will remain fully utilised after the 93-day event concludes. The legacy of Expo 2027 will include the new Belgrade Fair, the Auditorium, the International Forum of Play, learning and creativity centres, schools and pre-school facilities, sports halls, museum spaces, residential and hotel developments, retail facilities, playgrounds, and new public areas. For the first time, Belgrade and Serbia will gain the infrastructure and capacity required to host future global mega-
events, while also creating an entirely new urban district dedicated to living, education, culture, innovation and international cooperation.
Belgrade is already beginning to embrace the rhythm of major global events. Concerts by Eros Ramazzotti, Lenny Kravitz, and Deep Purple, together with the spectacle of Cirque du Soleil, offer a preview of the atmosphere the city will experience during Expo 2027. Even today, Belgrade is evolving into a major international stage where music, art, entertainment, innovation, and global audiences come together. The year ahead will bring events and experiences unlike any previously hosted in this part of Europe.
For the first time in history, an event of this scale is coming to Southeast Europe at a moment when the world is seeking new meeting places, new centres of ideas, and new spaces for international exchange. Expo 2027 Belgrade represents an opportunity to position Serbia among the global destinations of the future, on the map of cities where technology, culture, business, creative industries, and international dialogue converge.
The year ahead will see Belgrade emerge as one of the world's most dynamic gathering points, with the potential to permanently reshape international perceptions of the region and open a new chapter in Serbia’s development on the global stage.