The last day was said to have been the busiest day of the fair.  The peak of the tourist season was over and most of the people visiting at that time were Vancouverites.  Getting anywhere fast was more of a chore than a pleasure and it didn't take much imagination to assume the crowds of people bumping into each other were the same crowds that shopped for Christmas presents on December 24th.

People in long queues waited to get into the pavilions they enjoyed the first time around and waited in even longer queues to see the pavilions they held off visiting until the last minute.  Then there was the rush to get those stamps needed to complete the Expo Passport.  It was common to hear people mention that they were scrambling from pavilion to pavilion to find that perfect souvenir seen months before but they forgot which pavilion the illusive treasure was in?  Still, spirits were high until the evening set in when it was time for the pavilions to close their doors for the last time.

After the pavilions turned off their lights, the remaining fireworks were set ablaze for a grand finale.  Every vantage point imaginable was lined thick with people trying to get one last look.  The prominade was darkened for the double-length show.  Afterwards, the usual PA anouncement urging visitors to "come back again" was absent.  The lights remained dim.  But, one beacon of light shone brighter than all others.  Lit in gleeming white sparklers in the middle of False Creek shedding tears of fire to the water below a single word illuminated the shores of Expo '86 --- "GOODBYE"

Expo '86 was over.

Click HERE to see the program from the "Closing Night Bash"