Seattle tried to class itself up with a fancy fair—did it work? Mostly.
In 1909, looking to shed its rough frontier past, the young city of Seattle decided to host a World’s Fair in the same grand spirit as those that preceded it in Chicago and St. Louis. Seattle welcomed the world to the University of Washington campus where visitors walked among palaces, saw new inventions that would change the world, and mined for mirth on the Paystreak - AYP’s Midway. Featuring thousands of historical images, rare archival footage, and contemporary interviews, the film explores the fair’s historical reverberations.
Cinematography
Thousands of gorgeously preserved photos brought to life.
Acting
Tom Skerritt's narration: warm, wry, utterly Seattle.
Director
John Forsen
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The fairgrounds' design was so beloved that the UW kept the layout—those cherry trees? Planted for the AYP.
This was Seattle's audition for the big leagues—ironically, it wouldn't host another major fair until 1962's Space Needle moment.
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