NATIONAL DAYS
SPECIALIZED PERIODS
OPENING DAY
Although
the opening ceremony was billed as the largest show Vancouver had ever
produced, the true highlight for many people was the Royal Visit.
Prince Charles and Princess Diana began their tour with a ribbon
cutting
ceremony at the Canada Pavilion. After a rest and a change of
clothes,
they were escorted by yacht around Stanley Park for a waterfront tour
of
the city to the main Expo site. A formal welcome followed
at
Expo Centre. Along with Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney
and
his wife Mila, Charles and Diana visited several pavilions.
The
Royal tour ended under the translucent dome of BC Place. 54,000
invited
guests and 7200 performers crowded into the stadium for Prince Charles'
official dedication:
"I
bring you the greetings of Her Majesty the Queen who sends her very
best
wishes to her Canadian Subjects. . . . . . Expo's theme of
transportation and communications are fitting and appropriate to this
Province
which is itself so much larger than the whole of the United Kingdom and
also to Canada the second largest Country in the world. . .
. . .So Ladies and Gentlemen, together with my wife, we have the
greatest
pleasure in declaring Expo '86 officially open."
Opening day was an emotional event for many people. After seven years of planning and three and a half years of construction, it was a relief to finally see the day come.
