Expo Tel Aviv (formerly the Israel Trade Fairs and Convention Center () and later the Tel Aviv Convention Center (), commonly referred to as Ganei HaTaarucha (, ''lit.'' "Exhibition Gardens") or the Tel Aviv Fairgrounds, is a fairground complex on
Rokach Boulevard in northern
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...
,
Israel
Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
used as a venue for concerts, exhibitions,
trade fair
A trade show, also known as trade fair, trade exhibition, or trade exposition, is an exhibition organized so that companies in a specific Industry (economics), industry can showcase and demonstrate their latest Product (business), products and se ...
s and conferences.
Established in 1932 as Yerid HaMizrach at the site of the
Levant Fair, near the
Tel Aviv Port, the fairgrounds moved to their present location at 101 Rokach Boulevard (near the
Yarkon Park
Yarkon Park (, ''Park HaYarkon'') is a park in Tel Aviv, Israel, with about sixteen million visits annually. Named after the Yarkon River, which flows through it, the park includes extensive lawns, sports facilities, botanical gardens, an aviar ...
and
Tel Aviv University
Tel Aviv University (TAU) is a Public university, public research university in Tel Aviv, Israel. With over 30,000 students, it is the largest university in the country. Located in northwest Tel Aviv, the university is the center of teaching and ...
) in 1959. The site is directly accessible from the
Ayalon Highway Ayalon (, ‘place of deer’) is an Israel
Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west ...
, 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 known as
the Luna Park. Nearby is the
Drive in Arena which was built on the grounds of what was once Israel's only
drive-in theater
A drive-in theater/theatre or drive-in cinema is a form of movie theater, cinema structure consisting of a large outdoor movie screen, a projection booth, a concession stand, and a large parking area for automobiles. Within this enclosed area, c ...
.
The venue was renamed to Expo Tel Aviv ahead of hosting the
Eurovision Song Contest 2019
The Eurovision Song Contest 2019 was the 64th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Tel Aviv, Israel, following the country's victory at the with the song "Toy" by Netta. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union ...
.
It also hosted the
2022 Tel Aviv Open, the first major tennis tournament held in Israel since 1996.
History

The
Levant Fair was an international fair site next to the
Tel Aviv Port established in 1933 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
The Yarkon River, also Yarqon River or Jarkon River (, ''Nahal HaYarkon''; , ''Nahr al-Auja''), is a river in central Israel. The source of the Yarkon ("Greenish" in Hebrew) is at Tel Afek (Antipatris), north of Petah Tikva. It flows west throu ...
.
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 Kauffmann
Richard Kauffmann (1887–1958) was a German-Jewish architect who migrated to Israel (region), Palestine in 1920. His architecture was influenced by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, a proponent of the International Style, and was applied to the local l ...
planned the pavilion layout. Other leading architects were
Arieh Sharon and
Joseph Neufeld. The pavilions were designed in the
International Style
The International Style is a major architectural style and movement that began in western Europe in the 1920s and dominated modern architecture until the 1970s. It is defined by strict adherence to Functionalism (architecture), functional and Fo ...
.
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 m
2 of exhibition space and is the largest object of its kind in Israel and in the
Eastern Mediterranean
The Eastern Mediterranean is a loosely delimited region comprising the easternmost portion of the Mediterranean Sea, and well as the adjoining land—often defined as the countries around the Levantine Sea. It includes the southern half of Turkey ...
.
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. The new pavilion hosted the
2018 European Judo Championships from 26 to 28 April.
Entertainment
In recent years, the center has been used for many musical concerts and shows.
On 13 September 2018, the
European Broadcasting Union
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU; , UER) is an alliance of Public broadcasting, public service media organisations in countries within the European Broadcasting Area (EBA) or who are member states of the Council of Europe, members of the ...
(EBU) and the
Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation
The Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation is the national broadcaster of Israel. It carries the blanket branding Kan in Hebrew () and Makan in Arabic (). Its news division, Kan News, is the third biggest brand in Israeli newscasting, after Ha ...
(IPBC/Kan) announced that the center would host the
Eurovision Song Contest 2019
The Eurovision Song Contest 2019 was the 64th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Tel Aviv, Israel, following the country's victory at the with the song "Toy" by Netta. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union ...
. The semi-finals were held on 14 and 16 May 2019, with the final taking place on 18 May 2019.
Kan expected Pavilion 2 to have room for up to 9,000 attendees.
See also
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Culture of Israel
The culture of Israel is closely associated with Jewish culture and rooted in the Jewish history of the diaspora and Zionist movement. It has also been influenced by Arab culture and the history and traditions of the Arab Israeli population and ...
*
Tourism in Israel
Tourism in Israel is a major economic sector and a significant source of national income. Israel offers a plethora of historical and religious sites, beach resorts, natural sites, archaeological tourism, heritage tourism, adventure tourism, and ...
References
External links
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Buildings and structures in Tel Aviv
Tourist attractions in Tel Aviv
Convention centers in Israel
Sports venues in Tel Aviv