Expo 67 in Montreal! The summer of my thirteenth year. I visited about fifteen times despite the distance between Montreal and Grand-Mère. For an adolescent like me, having 62 countries to explore in one place was pure bliss. I had never seen so many people in one spot on a single day. As a small-town boy, my only experience with “crowds” had been a few visits to the Montreal Forum to watch the Canadiens play. But what stuck with me about those thousands of visitors was the diversity of people, their colorful attire, their smiles, and their patience—because the lines were long!
And what can I say about the pavilions' architecture? If we replicated them for a modern Expo, they’d still fit perfectly. Everything fascinated me: the canals, the massive fountains, the lampposts, the mini-rail, and even the phone booths with their round “hats” to shield users from rain.
Since I went to the Expo by car with family or relatives, I vividly remember the immense parking lots. To find our car at the end of the day, we relied on large animal signs attached to the lampposts. I’d say to my father, “It’s easy to remember—we’re under the giraffe!”
Some pavilion films left a lasting impression on me. The one at the Telephone Pavilion was magnificent; you’d quickly forget the hours of waiting, even if you had to stand through the 360-degree movie. The film at the Czechoslovak Pavilion was another highlight. It sometimes paused so the audience could vote on how the story should proceed. When the heat became too much, my parents would take us to the Polar Regions Pavilion, which was refreshingly cool—a relief for our tired feet and a calming place for the children.
I wasn’t afraid of heights. I preferred climbing the inverted pyramid of the Canada Pavilion using the stairs rather than the small glass elevator. However, the long escalator inside the U.S. Pavilion was truly impressive, as was reaching the upper balcony of the France Pavilion, where you could see thousands of visitors below. At La Ronde, the gondola ride over Dolphin Lake gave us chills, especially when it was windy—but we loved it. We were young.
The smell of food and all those restaurants! So many discoveries. I think I tried pizza for the first time at Expo 67. But as a family, we often brought a packed lunch. My father would rent a locker to store our bags, and off we’d go to explore the pavilions. At lunchtime, my parents had scouted out quiet spots with picnic tables or grassy areas for us to enjoy our sandwiches. Our favorite spots were the park behind the Germany Pavilion on Île Notre-Dame and the tables on the ground floor of the Scandinavia Pavilion on Île Sainte-Hélène.
I was an avid collector of brochures. I always brought an empty bag to fill with whatever handouts I could find at the pavilions. At the U.S. Pavilion, I secretly took a few small rocks from the lunar exhibit near the charred space capsules. Luckily, a guard didn’t catch me! I still treasure that souvenir, along with my passport, official guide, my father’s car license plate featuring the Expo logo, postcards, hundreds of newspaper clippings, glasses, and my prized collection: beer bottle caps from Dow Brewery with Expo pavilion designs on them. I even told my extended family, “Buy that brand and save the caps for me!”
I also recall groups of children (likely from elementary schools) tied together with ropes to avoid getting separated, led by teachers or parents. With daily attendance reaching 300,000 to 400,000 visitors, staying together was crucial. I had two younger sisters and a brother, and my father always designated a meeting point in case we got lost. Thankfully, that never happened.
Passport stamps were another highlight. It was sheer madness. After waiting to enter a pavilion, there was often another line to get your passport stamped. But what a great idea! Many stamps were electronic, displaying the date and sometimes the time, allowing us to track our visits. However, these machines often ran out of ink, which was disappointing. Fortunately, pavilion staff were vigilant and had manual stamps on hand. I also remember Lucie, a hostess at the Rwanda Pavilion in Place d’Afrique, who not only stamped my passport but autographed it. What a thrill for a 13-year-old!
A word about the shows: I vividly recall the Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus at the Autostade and the water-skiing demonstrations at La Ronde. I loved evenings at the Expo, with all the illuminated pavilions and the nighttime strolls and activities at La Ronde. No wonder I’d fall asleep on the car ride home, already dreaming of my next visit.
Thank you to my parents, André and Rollande, now passed, who gave me the opportunity to experience these wonderful discoveries and allowed me to accompany relatives to the fascinating world of Expo 67.
Jean Huard
Notre-Dame-du-Mont-Carmel
Quebec, Canada
Excellent.only was there for one day...missed so much..all we saw was Habitat, Telephone Pavilion,.France, Germany, monorail through US Pavilion, Kaleidoscope,.Canadian Pacific Cominco, and USSR. Did you see Labyrinth?
Fantastic memories Jean-Huard!