On October 21, the "Next 50" celebration commemorating the 1962 Seattle "Century 21 Exposition" — also known as the "World's Fair: The Age of Space" — will hold its closing ceremony.
The "Next 50" celebration officially kicked off on April 21, 2012, and ran for six months. Over the course of those six months, the city of Seattle hosted a wide range of exhibitions, concerts, conferences, artistic performances, sporting events, and cultural programs in connection with the "Next 50" celebration. These events not only enriched the local cultural life but also attracted a large number of domestic and international visitors.
The closing day event will begin at 10:00 AM local time at Seattle Center and will include a photo retrospective of Seattle’s past 50 years, a World Vision-themed activity, a symphony concert, group performances, and more. The official closing ceremony of the celebration will take place at 1:30 PM in the Fisher Pavilion at Seattle Center.
The celebration's venue — Seattle Center — spans 74 acres. Since serving as the main site of the 1962 World's Fair, it has remained a hub for cultural activities and a focal point of the region. Seattle Center hosts an average of over 5,000 events annually, welcomes approximately 12 million visitors per year, and generates $387 million in annual fiscal revenue for King County, Washington.