Global events that attract millions of visitors have become more than spectacles; they serve as platforms for cultural exchange, sports competitions and technological innovation. From international football and other sports championships, the Olympic Games to World Expos, these events unite people from every corner of the world. Celebrating our shared passions and marking moments in history, these events reflect the growing power of global connectivity and human achievement.

When it comes to music, it is estimated that Rod Stewart’s free New Year’s Eve concert at the Copacabana in Rio de Janeiro in 1994 drew around 3.5 million people. The famous Berlin Love Parade in 1999 attracted around 1.5 million visitors, making it one of the most visited music events. Carnival in Rio (Brazil) is the world’s largest carnival that attracts over 2 million people a day. The world’s largest arts festival, The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (Scotland) includes theatre, comedy, dance and much more. It gathers more than 3 million visitors every year.

Among sporting events, the Tour de France cycling race is unmissable, watched by 12 million viewers over 21 days. Perhaps the most popular sporting events are the FIFA and UEFA football championships. The 2022 World Cup in Qatar recorded as many as 3.5 million visitors over 64 matches. In 1950, the Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro hosted as many as 199,000 people who watched the World Cup final. This is also the largest number of spectators at one match. EURO 2020 gathered more than 1.1 million visitors in more than 11 locations across Europe, despite various restrictions caused by the pandemic.

The National Football League (NFL) championship, the Super Bowl, is one of the most watched sporting events globally, attracting more than 70,000 live viewers and more than 100 million TV viewers per year. The Monaco Grand Prix, perhaps the most prestigious Formula 1 race, attracts around 100,000 spectators to the streets of Monaco every year.

The Summer and Winter Olympic Games attract hundreds of thousands of visitors and athletes from around the world, while billions watch them on TV. Rio de Janeiro sold more than 6 million tickets, while the 2012 games in London were watched by as many as 8 million people.

International Expositions (Expo) are among the world’s most visited events. Expo 2010 Shanghai (China) attracted a record 73 million visitors, making it one of the world’s largest events ever in terms of attendance. Expo 2020 Dubai (UAE), although initially postponed due to the pandemic, attracted around 24 million visitors despite global restrictions. The World and Specialised Exhibitions offer a mix of education, culture and entertainment for visitors from around the world; they serve as the world’s main platforms for countries to showcase innovation, achieve cultural exchange and share ideas for the future.

From 15 May to 15 August 2027, Belgrade will host a Specialised Exhibition under the theme “Play for Humanity”. The previous Specialised Expo was organised in Astana, Kazakhstan in 2017 and gathered almost four million visitors, and the next one in Belgrade is expected to gather even more.