1. History

2. Entertainment

3. See also

4. References

5. External links

Expo Tel Aviv (formerly the Israel Trade Fairs and Convention Center ({{lang-he|מרכז הירידים והקונגרסים בישראל}}) and later the Tel Aviv Convention Center ({{lang-he|מרכז הירידים - תל אביב}}), although commonly referred to locally as Ganei HaTaarucha (Exhibition Gardens, {{lang-he|גני התערוכה}}) and also as the Tel Aviv Fairgrounds) is a site located on Rokach Boulevard in northern Tel Aviv, Israel. It serves as a venue for a variety of events, including concerts, exhibitions, trade fairs and conferences.

Established in 1932 as "Yarid HaMizrach" at the site of the Levant Fair beside the Tel Aviv Port, the fairgrounds were moved to their present location at 101 Rokach Boulevard (near the Yarkon Park and Tel Aviv University) in 1959. In this location the site is directly accessible from the Ayalon Highway, Tel Aviv’s main transportation artery, as well as from the Tel Aviv University railway station.

Expo Tel Aviv hosts up to 2.5 million visitors and between 45 and 60 major events annually. The fairground has ten halls and pavilions and a large outdoor space including an amusement park. Nearby is the Drive in Arena which was built on the grounds of what was once Israel's only drive-in theater.

On 13 September 2018, it was announced that it will host the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest between 14 and 18 May. The venue has been renamed Expo Tel Aviv (International Convention Center).^[5]

History

The Levant Fair was an international fair site next to the Tel Aviv Port established in 1933 as an idea that was held in 1932, to showcase the accomplishments of the pre-state Jewish community in the sphere of industry. After the success of the first fair, permanent structures were built on a plot of land at the northern end of Dizengoff street on the banks of the Yarkon River. Fairs were held in 1934 and 1936 with pavilions and halls constructed for the participating countries. The chief architect was Aryeh Elhanani. A flying camel became the official logo. Richard Kaufmann planned the pavilion layout. Other leading architects were Arieh Sharon and Joseph Neufeld. The pavilions were designed in the International Style.^[6]

In 1959, the fairgrounds were moved to their present location on Rokach Boulevard, and the new site was inaugurated with an exhibition marking Tel Aviv's 50th Jubilee. In 1983, the convention center opened within the fairgrounds and at the end of 2003 the "Pavilion No. 1" was opened. It has 20,000 m² of exhibition space and is the largest object of its kind in Israel and in the Eastern Mediterranean.

In 2010, the "round pavilion" in the fairground was demolished. In its place began the construction of a new 10,000-seat congress and convention center called "Bitan 2" (Pavilion 2), which was inaugurated in January 2015.^[7] The new pavilion hosted the 2018 European Judo Championships from 26–28 April.^[8]

Entertainment

In recent years, the center has been used for many musical concerts and shows. To date, the convention center has hosted such musicians as Iggy Pop, Nine Inch Nails, Thirty Seconds to Mars, Placebo, Dream Theater, Lady Gaga, Pitbull, Kaiser Chiefs, Simple Plan, Tokio Hotel, Faith No More, MGMT, Dinosaur Jr., LCD Soundsystem, The Drums, PIL, Missy Elliott, Akon, David Guetta, Avicii, Kygo, Hardwell, Armin van Buuren, Paul van Dyk, Steve Aoki, Bob Sinclar, Skazi, Infected Mushroom, Offer Nissim, Astrix and Balkan Beat Box, among others.

In 2011, the center hosted Megadeth, Moby, Interpol, Mark Ronson, Suede, Blonde Redhead, Jane's Addiction, Roxette, and again Dream Theater.

On 13 September 2018, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) & Israeli broadcaster Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation (KAN) announced that the center will host the Eurovision Song Contest 2019. The semi-finals will be held on 14 and 16 May 2019, with the final taking place on 18 May 2019.^[5] The IPBC expect Pavilion 2 to have room for up to 9,000 attendees,^[9] while an additional 1,500 fans will be able to gather in the greenroom located in Pavilion 1.

See also

• Levant Fair
• Tel Aviv Port
• Culture of Israel
• Tourism in Israel

References

External links

• {{Official website|http://www.fairs.co.il/en/}}

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