"Louisiana World Exposition" 1984 Poster by St. Germain 12.5 x 33 inches. Louisiana World Exposition New Orleans 1984 Rare Print. The 1984 Louisiana World Exposition was a World's Fair held in New Orleans, Louisiana. It was held 100 years after the city's earlier World's Fair, the World Cotton Centennial in 1884. It opened on Saturday, May 12, 1984 and ended on Sunday, November 11, 1984. Its theme was "The World of Rivers-Fresh Waters as a Source of Life". Plagued with attendance problems, the World Exposition has the distinction of being the only exposition to declare bankruptcy during its run. Many blamed the low attendance on the fact that it was staged just 2 years and two states from Knoxville's 1982 World Fair, and because it coincided with the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Others may believe that the 1982 opening of Walt Disney World's Epcot Center may have drawn more people to Orlando, Florida. This expo had the distinction of being the very first World Exposition in the history of expos to have an official fair mascot, Seymore D. Fair, a large white costume pelican.