The 1964 New York World's Fair (also known as the 1964–1965 New York World's Fair) was an international exposition at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York City, United States. The fair included exhibitions, activities, performances, films, art, and food presented by 80 nations, 24 U.S. states, and nearly 350 American companies. The five sections of the 646-acre (261 ha) fairground were the Federal and State, International, Transportation, Lake Amusement, and Industrial areas. The fair's theme was "Peace through Understanding", and its symbol was the Unisphere, a stainless-steel model of Earth. Initially, the fair had 139 pavilions, and 34 concessions and shows.

The site had previously hosted the 1939 New York World's Fair. In the 1950s, several businessmen devised plans for a similar event in 1964, and the New York World's Fair 1964 Corporation (WFC) was formed in 1959. Although U.S. president Dwight D. Eisenhower approved the fair, the Bureau International des Expositions refused to grant it formal recognition. Construction began in late 1960, and over 100 exhibitors signed up for the fair over the next three years. The fair ran for two six-month seasons from April 22 to October 18, 1964, and from April 21 to October 17, 1965. Despite initial projections of 70 million visitors, just over 51.6 million attended. After the fair closed, some pavilions were preserved or relocated, but most of the structures were demolished.

The fair showcased mid-20th-century American culture and technology. The sections were designed in various architectural styles. Anyone could host an exhibit if they could afford to rent the land and pay for a pavilion. There were several amusement and transport rides, various plazas and fountains, and at its peak, 198 restaurants that served dishes such as Belgian waffles, some of which were popularized by the fair. There were more than 30 entertainment events, 40 theaters, and various music performances. Exhibitors displayed sculptures, visual art and artifacts, and consumer products such as electronics and cars. The contemporaneous press criticized the event as a financial failure, although it influenced 21st-century technologies, and popularized consumer products such as the Ford Mustang.

Before European settlement of the area, the site of the 1964 World's Fair, Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York City, was a natural wetland straddling the Flushing River. In the early 20th century, the site was occupied by the Corona Ash Dumps, before it was selected as the site of the 1939–1940 World's Fair. The theme of the 1939–1940 was "the world of tomorrow"; the event was unprofitable, recouping only 32% of its original cost. After the 1939 fair, the site was used as a park, but fell into disrepair due to a lack of funds. The development of the 1964 fair coincided with social upheavals of the early 1960s, including the civil rights movement, Vietnam War protests, and the aftermath of U.S. President John F. Kennedy's assassination.

The idea for the 1964 fair was conceived by a group of businessmen. Among them was Robert Kopple, a lawyer who first discussed the idea at a family dinner in 1958 before suggesting it at a meeting of the Mutual Admiration Society the following year. The year 1964 was nominally selected to coincide with the 300th anniversary of the British conquest of the Dutch colony of New Netherland. Kopple and two friends, Charles Preusse and Thomas J. Deegan, met with 35 potential financiers at the 21 Club restaurant. New York City mayor Robert F. Wagner Jr. and parks commissioner Robert Moses formally endorsed the proposal in August 1959, and 75 businessmen formed the New York World's Fair 1964 Corporation (WFC) that month. Moses, who saw a 1964 fair as a means to develop the Flushing Meadows site, offered to let the WFC use Flushing Meadows for a nominal fee. The fairground would include the 1939 World's Fair site and a part of the nearby Kissena Corridor Park.

The bid required approval from the United States Congress and the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), the French organization that was in charge of approving world's fairs. Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., were submitting competing bids, so in October 1959, U.S. president Dwight D. Eisenhower appointed a committee to review the 1964 world's fair bids, and he approved the New York bid later that month. By late 1959, 75 nations had informally indicated an intention to attend the fair, and the WFC began looking for a president and three additional managers in early 1960. Moses was tentatively selected as the WFC's president that March, despite Kopple's objections that Moses was too old. In turn, Moses would not take the job unless Kopple resigned, as the two men had disagreed bitterly over the canceled Mid-Manhattan Elevated Expressway. After Kopple quit the WFC, Moses formally became the WFC's president that May. Moses wanted the fair to run for two years, and consultants for the WFC predicted the fair would have 70 million visitors during that time.

Moses traveled to Paris to ask for the BIE's recognition of the fair. The BIE allowed the WFC to begin planning the fair in November 1959, but its officials decided to not formally recognize the fair. Under BIE rules, world's fairs could run for only one six-month period, though the WFC had tried to request an exemption. The New York fair would also charge rent to foreign governments, contravening another BIE rule that prevented rent from being charged to exhibitors. In addition, the BIE allowed only one exposition per country every ten years. These rules were not immutable; for example, the BIE had recognized the 1939 fair, even though the previous exposition had run for two seasons. Moses refused to negotiate with BIE officials and treated them derisively, belittling the BIE as a "bunch of clowns in Paris". Due to Moses' behavior, the BIE instead decided to approve the 1962 Seattle World's Fair, and directed its members to not host official exhibits at the 1964 New York World's Fair.

The WFC planned to issue $500 million in bonds, a figure that was later decreased to $150 million. Moses said the 1964 fair would be a "billion-dollar" event, though this included expenses for related projects such as roads and the nearby Shea Stadium. The WFC leased about 646 acres (261 ha) from the city government in May 1960. Moses hired the former lieutenant governor Charles Poletti and the military engineer William Everett Potter to organize the exhibits. A design committee proposed a massive, doughnut-shaped pavilion; Moses rejected the plan and the design committee was forced out by the end of 1959. Moses did not devise a master plan for the fair; he wanted to save the WFC money by having exhibitors erect most of their own pavilions, The city government implemented a building code and health code, which Potter enforced. Nearly all of the buildings were to be temporary structures.

The 1964 fair was to be themed "peace through understanding". WFC member Jerome Weinstein suggested the motto, which was inspired by an ideal Kopple had wanted for his daughters. According to Moses, the fair was intended "to assist in educating the peoples of the world as to the interdependence of nations and the need for universal lasting peace". Exhibits were to be divided into five areas, including a transportation area the Port of New York Authority would operate. The original plans called for an amusement park area, which was canceled after the WFC failed to find an operator. By August 1960, the first ten exhibitors had applied for space at the fair, and architectural blueprints for the fair's first pavilion had been submitted. The WFC began sending delegations abroad to invite foreign governments to the fair.

In late 1960, the group began issuing $67.5 million in promissory notes to fund construction; the WFC later reduced the amount to $64 million, consisting of $40 million in notes plus $24 million from the city. The WFC's finance chairman predicted the fair would earn over $200 million. By the end of 1960, seven countries had agreed to sponsor exhibits. and one-third of the industrial pavilion sites had been leased. Early in 1961, Moses announced the Unisphere would be built as the fair's symbol, and the WFC also hired the detective agency Pinkerton to provide security and first-aid services. A report published that January said the fair itself would cost $768 million, although individual exhibitors would pay much of the cost.

Exhibitors designed their own pavilions and construction contractors hired members of local labor unions to build the structures. Wagner predicted 10,000 people would be employed during construction. The WFC hosted "preview days" where selected guests could view the construction. The Travelers Companies built information centers across the U.S. to promote the fair, and local chapters of the Elks, Kiwanis, and Rotary clubs promoted the fair nationwide. The WFC issued collectible medallions in bronze and silver that were manufactured by Medallic Art Company. Commemorative postage stamps were issued to celebrate the fair, both inside and outside the U.S. Some New York license plates also bore slogans advertising the fair. Several hotels were built nearby to accommodate fair visitors, and public transit and roads linking the venue were also upgraded. The WFC opened an information office to answer visitors' questions. Private businesses promoted their products for the fair, and discounted tickets were sold in advance of the opening.

William Whipple Jr., the fair's chief engineer, said in September 1960 exhibitors would be able to begin erecting pavilions by 1962. Construction of the first building, an administration structure, began in August 1960 and was finished in January 1961. In early 1961, almost all of Flushing Meadows–Corona Park was closed to allow the fair's construction, and the Long Island Rail Road's (LIRR) World's Fair station opened. Workers moved trees and diverted parts of the Flushing River into tunnels. By April 1961, thirty-four countries had accepted invitations to the fair, and the city agreed to spend $24 million improving the park. Moses secretly obtained additional funds from the city government; according to Moses's biographer Robert Caro, the city government may have spent as much as $60 million on the fair.

In May, the WFC announced it would proceed with the planned amusement area around Meadow Lake, hiring the billionaire H. L. Hunt to operate the rides. By mid-1961, the WFC had privately raised $25 million and was predicting a $53 million profit. The groundbreaking ceremony for the first pavilion took place that June. The WFC had difficulty selling the remaining bonds; it had sold around $30 million in promissory notes—three quarters of the total—by the end of 1961. During the fair's construction, civil-rights activists expressed concerns the WFC's leadership included very few African Americans. Moses met with activists but he still did not appoint African Americans to leadership positions, which attracted controversy amid the ongoing civil rights movement. The WFC hired an African American executive to the fair's international division in 1962. Later that year, New York governor Nelson Rockefeller formed a committee to investigate persistent complaints about discrimination within the WFC.

By the beginning of 1962, more than 60 nations, the governments of 30 U.S. states, and 50 companies had agreed to exhibit at the fair. The WFC also created a scale model of the fairground. The LIRR constructed a siding from the Port Washington Branch, allowing trains to deliver material onsite. At a luncheon in March that year, Moses said construction had fallen behind schedule. The WFC had allocated $6 million to advertise the fair by mid-1962, and Deegan predicted its participants would spend another $75 million of their own money on promotion. The WFC tried to attract Latin American countries to the fair. By late 1962, exhibits were being finalized and many pavilions were being constructed. Either 68 or 71 nations had announced plans for exhibits at the fair by then, though only 35 countries had formally leased space. Additionally, 125 businesses had expressed interest, and the WFC had finished installing utilities on the fairground. At the end of 1962, a small number of state and international pavilions were being built, while work in the industrial and transportation areas was progressing. Groundbreaking ceremonies were hosted for many of the international pavilions.

In early 1963, the World's Fair Housing Bureau was formed to coordinate the development of hotel rooms for the fair. Despite commitments from state and national governments, only some of these governments were actively constructing pavilions. The WFC wanted to hire 40 concessionaires and sell 70 intellectual property (IP) licenses, which the corporation hoped would raise $130 million. On April 22, 1963, exactly a year before the fair's opening, the U.S. President John F. Kennedy activated a clock that would count down to the opening. Only 48 of the 200 proposed buildings had begun construction, even though construction of all major structures had to be underway by the following month. The press building opened that May, and the following month, an insurance syndicate was formed to protect the exhibits. By mid-1963, civil-rights groups were protesting the lack of racial diversity in the fair's development, and filed a lawsuit to halt construction. That July, Moses denied rumors construction had fallen behind schedule.

Materials from overseas began arriving in August 1963, though work on 50 structures had not started by the next month. Moses became increasingly hostile toward journalists who doubted that the fair would be completed on time. There were also disagreements over discounted tickets for students; Moses opposed the plan but the city government ultimately forced him to sell discounted tickets. The first pavilion, the Port Authority Heliport, was opened in October 1963. The same month, Hunt resigned as the amusement area's operator following disagreements over ticket prices and rides. Work on many of the pavilions was behind schedule due to funding issues, labor shortages, and poor weather. There were also labor strikes, exhibitor withdrawals, and continuing racial tensions. Despite these difficulties, many pavilions were nearly completed by late 1963, and the WFC had sold 3.8 million advance tickets by the year's end. To draw attention to the fair, the WFC displayed models of exhibits at the Time-Life Building in Manhattan. Exhibits were installed through late 1963 and early 1964, and the WFC borrowed $3 million to fund the fair's completion.

In January 1964, the Chicago Tribune reported the site was filled with raw material, incomplete building frames, and unpaved roads. That month, WFC officials said work on 26 buildings was behind schedule, and they sought to demolish a pavilion that would not be ready for the fair's opening. The WFC signed a document outlining ways profits from the fair were to be used. By that February, most of the major pavilions and attractions were complete, but Whipple estimated up to 10 pavilions would not be finished before the fair's opening. The same month, the WFC stopped selling advance tickets, having sold 28 million. There were still 4,800 construction workers on site in late March, when the state government began hiring people for the fair. Before the fair opened, the WFC had spent $30 million.

The WFC originally predicted a daily attendance of 225,000. Deegan predicted at least 6.7 million foreign visitors, out of an estimated total of 70 million. Visitors 13 and older were originally charged the adult admission price of $2.00 (equivalent to $19.65 in 2023), while children 2–12 years old were charged $1.00 (equivalent to $9.82 in 2023). The WFC sold discounted tickets in packs of 20; some major companies like AT&T bought hundreds of thousands of tickets for their employees. Students paid 25 cents if they visited with their teachers, and the WFC sold certificates that allowed a class of 25 students to enter the fair for $6.25. Moses predicted ticket sales of $120 million and a net profit of $40 million. Initially, city officials predicted people would spend $5 billion in the city due to the fair, an estimate that was later reduced to $2.5 billion.

Though the fair employed up to 20,000 people but the WFC directly employed only between 180 and 200 people. There were 3,000 Pinkerton employees on the grounds, including firefighters, police officers, medics, matrons, and ticket sellers. Nine garbage trucks, nine emergency medical services (EMS) vehicles, 25 police cars, and three fire engines traveled the fairgrounds. Nine city health inspectors examined all of the on-site restaurants. United Press International (UPI) was the fair's official photographer, while United World Films had exclusive rights to produce and publish films about the fair. Allied Maintenance was the only maintenance firm allowed to work at the fair; it charged exorbitant fees, earning $10 million during 1964 alone. Allied also handled deliveries during the 1964 season but was replaced the following year with Rentar Corporation. Other companies, such as Hertz and Cities Service, sponsored free services or events. The WFC selected symbols of a boy and a girl as the fair's mascots.

Exhibitors were required to operate from 10 am to 10 pm daily, although the fairground opened at 9 am. Exhibits were prepared and cleaned throughout the night; the Vatican pavilion was the only attraction with a live-in caretaker. Many exhibitors hired racially diverse staff. In addition, the WFC required each exhibitor to purchase insurance from Campo & Roberts, which earned $3 million from insurance commissions.

The WFC did not host official press previews in the weeks before the official opening, though several exhibitors hosted previews of their pavilions. The night before the fair opened, the television series The Bell Telephone Hour broadcast an opening celebration. When the World's Fair officially opened at 9:00 am on April 22, 1964, the first visitor was a college student from New Jersey. The opening was celebrated with speeches by Robert Moses, Nelson Rockefeller, and the U.S. president Lyndon B. Johnson. The same day, Johnson dedicated the United States Pavilion, while Rockefeller and Moses dedicated the New York State Pavilion.

During the opening ceremonies, hundreds of civil-rights activists organized a sit-in and were arrested. The civil-rights group Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) proposed a "stall-in" to block roads leading to the fair, but few activists participated. The opening ceremony attracted 90,000 attendees, fewer than half of the predicted number, in part due to inclement weather. The WFC banned picketing on the grounds, prompting lawsuits from civil-rights groups; a federal judge later ruled protesters could give out handbills to passers-by.

The New York Times reported fifteen pavilions and three amusement attractions were not finished by opening day. One pavilion, the Belgian Village, was not completed until the end of the 1964 season, though it did operate for part of that year. Some pavilions could not open on schedule because artifacts in the pavilions had been damaged or were incomplete. Exhibitors also accused workers of delaying some pavilions' construction to collect overtime pay. Three incomplete pavilions were abandoned, and work on other pavilions continued for several months after the opening. The rich and famous, including government officials and heads of state, visited the fairground in the weeks after it opened.

The fair needed 220,000 daily visitors to recover its operating expenses of $300,000 per day. In its first week, the fair recorded nearly a million visitors, and 150,000 daily visitors—60 percent of initial projections—in the first month. Several problems arose; disputes occurred over labor unions, maintenance fees, and a mural in the Jordan pavilion. Thefts and breakdowns regularly occurred. Exhibitors complained about high rental rates and insufficient maintenance of the fairground. The Lake Amusement Area was especially unprofitable; it had few attractions and was difficult to access. Many of the most-popular exhibits charged an additional fee, and visitors often did not bring enough money for food or for high-priced exhibits.

The WFC unsuccessfully attempted to entice visitors by offering discounts to taxi drivers and improving fairground lighting, and the WFC was planning promotional campaigns by the end of June. The J. Walter Thompson Company advertised the fair in New York City–area media. By mid-1964, some exhibitors had gone out of business, including the two largest shows in the Lake Amusement Area. Employees, especially the 4,000 college students who worked the fair, faced occupational burnout. Despite the troubles, the WFC was able to buy back one quarter of its promissory notes in mid-1964, and to attract visitors, exhibitors publicly downplayed their grievances with the WFC. The industrial and international pavilions were more profitable than the amusement area, whose financial troubles did not bother Moses.

The fair had difficulty attracting more than 200,000 daily visitors, even during July and August when students were on summer break. The fair recorded 13.4 million visitors by the season's midpoint in July 1964, and it received 5.8 million visitors that August, the highest of any month during the 1964 season. Nearly half of visitors came from the New York City area, and prospective visitors expressed fears about crime and unrest. Attendance declined significantly in September when children returned to school. In response, Moses said journalists were tarnishing the fair's reputation and accused them of suppressing attendance. An exhibitors' committee made several recommendations for increasing attendance but Moses rejected nearly all of them.

The fair closed for the season on October 18, 1964. There had been 33 million visitors, including 27 million who paid admission. The New York Times cited several reasons for the reduced attendance figures; these included fears of crime, lengthy queues, and high prices. The WFC had significantly overpaid several contractors, and the fair's operating expenditures during 1964 amounted to $33.3 million, twice the original budget. Moses had projected a $53 million surplus, but the surplus stood at only $12.6 million at season's end, barely enough to pay back the city government. The WFC reduced its estimated total profit for both seasons to $30 million. Despite the financial problems, many industrial pavilions had long queues and tens of thousands of daily visitors, and the General Motors and Vatican pavilions each saw more than 10 million visitors during 1964. The New York Times reported many international exhibitors were pleased with the fair but wanted someone else to operate it.

Between the 1964 and 1965 seasons, the WFC hired 400 security guards to oversee the fairground, though exhibitors were obligated to maintain and guard their own pavilions. The WFC planned to spend $1.3 million on renovations, and 3,000 workers began winterizing the fairground in November 1964. The WFC planned to create a promotional film and advertisements for the fair, and it kept some of the paths and fountains illuminated. Deegan said several pavilions would be renovated and 12 new restaurants would be added. Moses also traveled around the world to persuade foreign exhibitors to display additional artifacts, such as a Gutenberg Bible and Spanish artwork, during 1965.

WFC officials said attendance would rise during the 1965 season, and anticipated 37.5 million visitors. The prediction was unrealistic; previous world's fairs typically had fewer visitors during their second season and no new pavilions were being planned. In its balance sheet, the WFC counted profits from advance ticket sales as part of its income for 1964, which meant revenue would be much lower than expected during 1965. Unless the fair had at least 37.5 million visitors in 1965, it would not be profitable. WFC officials, fearing reprisal from Moses, waited weeks to tell him about the fair's financial troubles. In November 1964, Moses told Wagner the WFC might not be able to repay the city's $24 million loan. The WFC's financial advisors raised suspicions of financial mismanagement the next month.

In January 1965, several of the WFC's financial advisors quit following bitter disputes, and the WFC requested $3.5 million to reopen the fair. The city controller Abraham Beame began auditing the WFC, and the WFC fired Deegan's public-relations firm, which had been receiving $300,000 annually for four years, following criticism over the firm's compensation. The WFC's internal audit found a $17.5 million deficit, but lawsuits delayed Beame's audit for several months. By February 1965, at least 14 exhibitors in the 1964 season had declared bankruptcy. Franklin National Bank offered to lend the WFC $3.5 million, but the WFC indicated it needed only $1 million. Though city officials wanted to remove Moses as the WFC's president, he retained his position. When Moses said he would spend $6.4 million to renovate Flushing Meadows–Corona Park before repaying debts, the WFC's finance chairman resigned. Two Marine Midland Bank branches provided a $1 million loan to the WFC that March, which the WFC repaid two months later.

During the off-season, several exhibitors renovated and modified their pavilions, spending over $7 million between them. At least 50 exhibits were upgraded and five major attractions were added, along with free entertainments and science demonstrations. New artworks and films were added to several pavilions. The struggling Lake Amusement Area became the Lake Area. The WFC asked the New York City Transit Authority to increase subway service to the fair, and 26 exhibitors collaborated on a promotional campaign. Fifty-three exhibitors proposed naming the first week of the 1965 season Fair Festival Week, to which Wagner agreed. The WFC produced a promotional film titled To the Fair, and individual exhibitors produced their own films. To reduce its debts, the WFC decreased its budget for the 1965 season and dismissed some employees.

More than 150,000 people attended the reopening of the fair on April 21, 1965. The Ethiopian long-distance runners Abebe Bikila and Mamo Wolde participated in a ceremonial half marathon, running from Central Park in Manhattan to Singer Bowl at the fairground. Unlike the 1964 opening ceremony, no protests occurred at the fair's reopening, and almost all exhibits were completed on time. For the 1965 season, adult admission fees were raised to $2.50 (equivalent to $24.17 in 2023). During the first 20 days of the 1965 season, attendance declined 22 percent compared with the same time period in 1964, putting many exhibitors at risk of bankruptcy. In addition, fewer visitors were paying at the gates because more than half of them carried advance tickets. Exhibitors requested a reduction in admission fees, and that a reduced-price evening admission ticket be sold. Moses refused both proposals, and several exhibitors threatened to close their pavilions before retracting.

At the beginning of the 1965 season, there were issues such as race-related protests, Vietnam War protests, a controversy over a racially insensitive song in one pavilion, and disputes between Jewish and Arab exhibitors. Vandalism also increased due to the reduced police presence, and a fairgoer was murdered that May. WFC officials also tried to invalidate their January 1964 agreement for disbursing the fair's profits, and exhibitors continued to lose money due to lower-than-expected attendance. Fewer visitors came during the evening, but the WFC again rejected a proposal for discounted evening admission in July 1965. Despite increased attendance in mid-1965, the fair continued to record decreased revenue compared with 1964. Many exhibitors recorded substantial losses from the costs of their pavilions. By August 1965, the WFC was preparing to clear the fairground after the fair, though 13 exhibitors had declared bankruptcy and could not afford to demolish or move their pavilions.

Beame's interim report, which was published at the end of August, found the WFC had squandered money by not awarding contracts through competitive bidding and by spending nearly everything it had on expenses it incurred before and during 1964. Despite Moses's denials of wrongdoing, Queens district attorney Frank D. O'Connor opened a criminal inquiry into the WFC shortly afterward. Moses installed highway signs promoting the fair and refused to remove them, even after city traffic commissioner Henry A. Barnes called the signs a safety hazard. By mid-September, estimates of the fair's total attendance had been reduced from 70 to 50 million. By the end of September, the fair had recorded 17 million visitors during the 1965 season, less than half the number of visitors needed to break even. At this point, the WFC had barely enough money to pay its weekly expenses.

Toward the end of the 1965 season, there was a sustained increase in attendance, and the fair recorded more than 250,000 daily visitors for three consecutive weeks. Exhibitors worried potential visitors would be dissuaded by the overcrowding. The architect and writer Robert A. M. Stern attributed the increase in attendance to a prevailing feeling the 1964 fair would be one of the last lavish world's fairs. Pope Paul VI visited the fair on October 4, 1965, during the first-ever papal visit to the United States. The fair closed on October 17, 1965, and recorded its highest-ever daily attendance of 446,953 on its final day. The fair's final day was chaotic, with reports of vandalism and theft. In total, the fair had recorded 51,607,448 admissions, seven million more than the 1939 fair and ten million more than Expo 58. The GM and Vatican pavilions had been the most popular. The fair had lost an additional $1 million in 1965 and had a deficit of up to $40 million at its closing; The New York Times partly attributed the fair's underperformance to Moses's stubborn attitude and refusal to take advice.