Theme Guide (1).pdf

THEME

GUIDE

Intended for the official participants of EXPO 2027 Belgrade

June, 2025

Definitions 4

1 Introduction 6

2 Theme 8

3 Sub-Themes 14

4 Theme Development 28

5 Theme Weeks 36

6 Play for Humanity Forum 38

7 Guiding Principles 40

8 Cultural and Events Programme and What to Expect? 42

9 The Legacy 48

10 Theme Statement 50

5DOCUMENT NAME

DEFINITIONS

TERM DEFINITION

BIE

(Bureau Internationale des Expositions)

The Bureau International des Expositions is the Intergovernmental Organisation in charge of overseeing and regulating all international exhibitions that last more than three weeks and are of non-commercial nature (“Expos”). Today, 4 types of Expos are organised under its auspices: World Expos, Specialised Expos, Horticultural Expos and the Triennale di Milano.

EXPO 2027 Belgrade The name of the Specialised Exhibition under the auspices of BIE, which takes place in Belgrade, Serbia, in the period from May 15 to August 15, 2027.

Organiser EXPO 2027 LLC Belgrade established by the Government of the Republic of Serbia to prepare, organise, operate and manage the Exhibition.

Theme The main concept, the overarching idea of the exhibition.

In case of EXPO 2027 Belgrade: Play for Humanity –Sport and Music for All.

It encompasses three Sub-Themes.

Sub-Themes

1. Power of Play

2. Play for Progress

3. Play Together

Theme Weeks A narrower thematic focus that explores specific issues on a weekly basis.

National Day National Day is a date selected by each participating country for its official celebration during which it showcases its national image and culture. National Days provide a unique platform to honour each participating country’s identity.

Special Days

A date selected to honour and promote the work and values of Intergovernmental Organisations (IGOs). These days provide a platform for IGOs to showcase their missions, initiatives, and contributions to global challenges, through cultural, educational, and public events.

Guidelines

Guidelines for the Exhibition, which are prepared, updated and shared with the Official Participants by the Organiser. Guidelines are issued in accordance with the General and Special Regulations, to assist Official Participants in all aspects of preparation and operation of the Exhibition.

Official Participant A State or Intergovernmental Organisation that has received and accepted the official invitation from the Republic of Serbia to participate in the Exhibition.

Non-Official Participant A legal entity, administrative-territorial unit, or organization that has obtained authorization from the Organiser to participate in the Exhibition outside the Official Participants’ section.

IP Portal A digital facilitation platform used by international participants allowing for the submission and approval of all key EXPO documents, and all communication with the EXPO Organisation through a single online platform.

Participation Contract The contract between each Section Commissioner General and the Organiser establishing the terms and procedures under which the Official Participants will take part in EXPO 2027 Belgrade.

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This document is designed to provide you with a framework for completing the Theme Statement and shaping your presence at the Specialised Expo: EXPO 2027 Belgrade.

This framework enables participants to focus on identifying and interpreting contemporary challenges, giving them space for a relevant and content-rich contribution to the exhibition.

We invite you to join us in collectively redefining play as a tool for change and as a means for reflection, connection, and transformation - through your participation at EXPO 2027 Belgrade.

Join us in exploring the ways in which play can respond to today’s most pressing global challenges.

Dear Participants of the Specialised Exhibition EXPO 2027 Belgrade, You are reading the Theme Guide, a comprehensive document that elaborates on the Theme and sub-themes of EXPO 2027 Belgrade and serves as a guideline for developing your exhibition concept and participation.

1 INTRODUCTION

THEME GUIDE 76 THEME GUIDE

The theme Play for Humanity – Sport and Music for All is founded on the belief that play is a fundamental aspect of human experience that transcends cultures, generations, and geographic boundaries. It showcases play as a universal form of expression that unites people and drives societal advancement.

2 THEME

Rather than viewing play merely as entertainment, the theme highlights its essential role in personal growth and collective development. Play sparks creativity, nurtures innovation, and builds the adaptability needed to navigate today’s complex world.

Through play, people connect with others, develop new abilities, and gain the confidence to face challenges.

The theme encourages us to embrace play as a vital force across all areas of life-cultural, technological, ecological, and social—and to recognise its transformative power.

Play for Humanity seeks to explore how play can support the creation of stronger communities, a healthier global population, and a safer, more sustainable environment. In an age shaped by technological acceleration and increasing life pressures, play offers a meaningful counterbalance.

It creates space for imagination, interaction, and well-being helping us protect both our mental and physical health.

By embracing the full potential of play as a uniquely human strength, we open the door to building a more resilient, inclusive, and vibrant future.

The theme invites every visitor to rediscover the value of play and its capacity to inspire progress and connection on a global scale.

To understand the Theme, we return to the very foundations: the challenges and aims of Specialised Expos.

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Today, the world is navigating not one, but a convergence of interconnected crises - social, ecological, psychological, and technological, that reinforce each other and contribute to a sustained state of instability. Often referred to as a “permacrisis,” this complex condition shapes every aspect of our lives: how we relate to one another, how we learn and work, how we stay healthy, and how we imagine the future. It is within this context that the Theme Play for Humanity:

Sport and Music for All takes form as a call to action. It challenges us to reclaim play as a force for renewal and transformation in the face of collective exhaustion, disconnection, and disillusionment. It invites us to rediscover play as a source of health, resilience, imagination, and belonging: qualities urgently needed to meet the demands of our time.

EXPO 2027 Belgrade poses the question: What has happened to play? Where are the spaces—physical and metaphorical that once allowed for exploration, spontaneity, and joy?

Why have they disappeared, and how can they be restored or reinvented? In addressing this question, we identify seven key contemporary challenges.

Each one reveals a crucial dimension of human life where play has become diminished or distorted, yet where play also holds the potential to act as a transformative force.

Decline in Collective Mental Health

Across the globe, mental and emotional well-being is deteriorating.

While the pandemic may have intensified the sense of isolation, anxiety, and burnout, these issues run much deeper. In a world of hyper-performance, overstimulation, and social disconnection, more and more people, especially the young, feel emotionally exhausted and psychologically adrift.

Play, in its essence, offers a deeply human counterforce. It invites emotional expression, relieves stress, and restores a sense of agency and presence. Whether through music, improvisation, sport, or storytelling, play reawakens the joy and curiosity that are essential to emotional resilience.

Decline in Physical Health

Physical health, too, is suffering under the weight of sedentary habits, car-centric urban design, and the dominance of screens in everyday life. With rising rates of chronic illness and an erosion of physical literacy, especially among children, the need to move has never been more urgent.

Yet this movement must be joyful and self-directed—not enforced.

Play brings movement to life. It makes activity meaningful and fun, cultivating lifelong habits of wellness through games, dance, outdoor exploration, and collective sport. It reminds us that to be in motion is to be fully alive.

Work and Leisure imbalance

Alongside these trends, the boundary between work and leisure has nearly collapsed. Constant digital connectivity, job insecurity, and a relentless culture of productivity have left little room for rest, pleasure, or self-reflection. Even leisure has become commodified and passive, reduced to scrolling and consuming.

Play reclaims time as something more than utility. It introduces rhythms of spontaneity, creativity, and self-directed joy. It allows people to recover the lost art of living—experimenting, exploring, and choosing for the sake of enjoyment itself. In this sense, play is not a break from life—it is a fuller way of living it.

Disparities in Educational Access and Quality

Inequities in education reflect and reinforce broader social divides. Across regions and within communities, access to quality education remains profoundly unequal. Even in well-resourced systems, rigid structures and standardised metrics often limit creativity, critical thinking, and inclusion.

Play disrupts these limits. It enables diverse forms of learning—collaborative, hands-on, and imaginative. Through play, education becomes a participatory and liberating process, one that encourages curiosity, problem-solving, and emotional growth. It opens pathways to equity not only through content, but through method.

Decline of Social Cohesion

At the same time, societies are facing a dangerous decline in social cohesion. Rising polarisation, individualism, and inequality have weakened the sense of shared belonging and trust, both locally and globally. Dialogue has eroded, and with it, the capacity to listen, empathise, and act together.

Here too, play holds extraordinary potential. It invites people into shared experiences where roles can shift, hierarchies can soften, and collaboration can thrive. From sports fields to street festivals, from collective games to participatory arts, play creates temporary worlds where we relearn how to be with one another— not in opposition, but in relation.

FRAMING THE CONTEMPORARY

CHALLENGES

Challenges and Objectives

WHY THE WORLD NEEDS PLAY?

EXPO 2027 Belgrade draws its purpose from the foundational mission of Specialised Expos, as defined by the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE): to explore and address a specific challenge facing humanity.

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Technological Saturation

Amid these human challenges, the digital sphere has become both an enabler and a disruptor. Technology holds the promise of connection, innovation, and access—but when untethered from human values, it can distort attention, undermine autonomy, and drive alienation. The problem is not technology itself, but its unchecked design and usage.

Play restores agency in digital environments. It fosters active participation, experimentation, and creativity instead of passive consumption. When guided by ethics and imagination, technology can become a playground for possibility, not a system of control.

Sustainability Crisis

Underlying all of these is the profound challenge of sustainability.

Climate change, resource depletion, ecosystem collapse, and social inequality are not isolated problems, but symptoms of a civilisation out of balance. The way we live, produce, move, and consume is eroding the very foundations of life.

In the face of this, play may seem light, but it is precisely its lightness that offers depth. Play reconnects us with what is essential: care, curiosity, reciprocity, and creativity. It nurtures values that make sustainable life possible: resilience, solidarity, and imagination. It allows us to re-envision our systems and cities not as extractive, but as regenerative spaces. In playful practice, we rehearse new ways of being together on a finite planet.

EXPO 2027 Belgrade proposes that play is not a luxury. It is not a distraction from serious issues—but a serious response to them. To play is to resist despair. To play is to open space for dialogue, care, and innovation.

It is a form of thinking, of relating, of imagining. And in a world that desperately needs new ways forward, it might just be one of the most powerful tools we have.

CHALLENGE HOW CAN PLAY HELP?

Decline in Collective Mental Health Play supports emotional expression, reduces stress, and fosters psychological resilience through joy, creativity, and connection.

Decline in Physical Health Play makes movement meaningful and fun, encouraging lifelong physical activity through games, sports, and exploration.

Work and Leisure imbalance Play restores balance by inviting spontaneity, creativity, and self-directed joy beyond productivity and passive consumption.

Disparities in Educational Access and Quality

Play makes learning inclusive and engaging, fostering curiosity, emotional growth, and critical thinking across diverse contexts.

Decline of Social Cohesion Play strengthens community bonds, promotes empathy, and creates shared spaces for dialogue and collaboration.

Technological Saturation Play empowers people to engage creatively and critically with technology, turning it into a tool for imagination and agency.

Sustainability Crisis Play nurtures care, solidarity, and imagination—values essential for creating regenerative, balanced, and resilient futures.

Objectives:

- Emphasising the importance of play in the field of science and technology, art and culture as a tool for new discoveries, innovations and creativity;

- Creating an interdisciplinary approach to play through various cultural, institutional, ecological and political lenses;

- Forging a sustainable networking platform within the educational sector through tailored programmes that promote play as a learning mechanism for human development;

- Raising awareness of the importance of play for the mental health and well-being to fight alienation and isolation;

- Promoting innovation, testing and rapid development, properties equivalent to those of play, equipping humans with the skills necessary to take an active role in the economy in the contemporary society;

- Promoting play as a pillar of resilience in overcoming contemporary challenges;

- Inviting us to revisit old playgrounds and create new arenas, card tables, magic circles, temples, stages, screens, tennis courts, courts of justice etc;

All these goals are united by a single strategic objective: emphasising the importance of play for human development and for helping humanity achieve the goal of sustainable development and bring about the emergence of inherent capacities of communities and individuals to cope with the inevitable changes in the state of “permacrisis”.

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3 SUB-THEMES

To fully understand the power and potential of the Play for Humanity theme, we must explore the diverse ways in which play shapes our world.

The three Sub-Themes: Power of Play, Play for Progress and Play Together offer distinct but interconnected lenses through which to examine play’s role in individual, societal and global transformation.

Each Sub-Theme unpacks a different dimension of play: its evolutionary roots and psychological impact, its capacity to drive innovation in art and science, and its power to support connection, community and cultural continuity.

Together, these perspectives form a holistic understanding of how play serves as a vital force for resilience, creativity, and social cohesion in an ever-changing world.

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POWER OF PLAY

Play is profoundly human phenomenon; elusive to define, yet unmistakably essential. To understand its transformative potential, we must look beyond any single definition and instead explore the vast spectrum of its forms, functions, and expressions. The first sub-theme of EXPO 2027 Belgrade investigates the fundamental traits of play:

its types, manifestations, and the reasons it is so vital: both in the inner development of individuals and in the broader systems that shape our societies and our world.

At its core, play is a process whose motivation lies in itself. It is spontaneous, self-directed and rewarding. Found across species and ages, from early childhood through to old age, play is not something taught, but an instinct, an innate ability that emerges naturally wherever there is a space for imagination, movement, or connection. Whether in object play, cooperative play, constructive or sensory play, the activity is always dynamic: it leaps, bends, questions, and transforms. Its ambiguity, variability and adaptability are what make play such a powerful human capacity, and what give it the ability to respond creatively to ever-shifting conditions in life and society.

Engaging in play is not merely recreational. It plays a foundational role in the development of physical, cognitive, emotional, creative and social capacities. Through play, people develop vital life skills: from emotional regulation and empathy to coordination, problem-solving and adaptability. This is especially crucial in the context of the modern world, where individuals and communities are increasingly exposed to chronic stress, disconnection and overstimulation. Play helps restore the balance between the body and mind.

Rhythmic, spontaneous and joyful physical activity has been shown to reduce anxiety, ease burnout, and support mental health across the lifespan. At the same time, play nurtures the resilience required to face uncertainty. It allows people to embrace trial and error, cope with failure, and find new pathways forward in times of challenge and change.

Beyond the individual, play is also a social phenomenon. It is through play that humans first encounter rules, test boundaries, and learn to navigate relationships with others and with the world around them. On the playground, rules are both followed and creatively bent. This negotiation builds personal autonomy and social awareness simultaneously. In the same way, play enables us to explore risk in safe environment, preparing us to face complexity and ambiguity in real life. This capacity is particularly important in a time of rapid transformation when navigating the unknown as the norm, not the exception.

Play also invites us to reflect on our relationship with the wider world – our communities, our environments, and the planet we share. Through its open-ended and participatory nature, it becomes a tool for reimagining the systems we live within. Through role-playing, simulation, storytelling, individual and collective experimentation, play creates space for new ideas rooted in care and empathy to emerge. It provides space in which individuals can explore their values, experiment with sustainable habits or reconnect with the natural world in meaningful ways; helping humans build a culture of ecological and social responsibility.

Play does not prescribe behaviour, it rather encourages agency, curiosity and drives engagement.

Crucially, play does not conform the light-hearted. While it may be disruptive, challenging, or even unsettling, it is precisely its ambiguity that makes it such a vital power in human lives. Distancing us from the mundane, unsettling the status quo, asking us to question how things are, and more importantly – how they could be. In a culture increasingly dominated by efficiency, control, and routine, play reminds us of the necessity of experimentation, reflection and the shared humanity.

Ultimately, Power of Play positions play as a fundamental human drive that fuels both personal growth and systemic transformation. It restores vitality, builds resilience and cultivates capacities needed to face complexity in our inner worlds, and in our relation to other living beings and the environment. Through exploration of the biological, evolutionary and social dimensions of play, the first sub-theme reveals play as a dynamic, ever-present mechanism for shaping healthier invididuals, influencing more balanced ways of living.

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Play

WITHIN US

How Can Participants Interpret the Power of Play Sub-theme?

Play

AROUND US

Play is a fundamental driver of human development, shaping us from our earliest moments through every stage of life. It is one of the most powerful ways in which we learn, grow, and understand ourselves and others. Whether through imaginative exploration, spontaneous movement, or playful experimentation, play unlocks vital capacities that are essential to thriving in a complex world. Play nurtures cognitive flexibility, emotional intelligence, empathy, and self-regulation. It supports motor skills and body awareness, encourages problem-solving, and builds resilience in the face of uncertainty. Because it is intrinsically motivated and not bound by external outcomes, play allows us to take risks, fail, and try again—experiences essential to confidence and lifelong growth.

Participants might explore how different types of play (imaginative, physical, cooperative, sensory, etc.)

support human development across the lifespan, from early childhood to old age. They may highlight local approaches to education or care that center play or showcase cultural practices that demonstrate how play shapes identity, community belonging, and inner well-being.

Presentation example: Participating nations can opt to take their local challenges and society-specific problems into account and offer examples of how play can help overcome those challenges. For example, in contemporary society, we often encounter burnout – caused by work, socioeconomic conditions, etc. Over time, unresolved stressful situations take their toll on our minds and bodies. As a potential solution, play can be used in treatment programmes and for therapeutic purposes. Participants responses might showcase types of specific play, such as sensory play, while exhibits can invite visitors to take part in various interactive sensory experiences that let visitors play with light, sound, or touch and regain control of their senses as well as environment.

The relationship between humans and the world we inhabit is deeply shaped by how we play. Play is not limited to personal or social expression—it is also a powerful mode of interaction with our surroundings, a way of reimagining how we live, relate, and care for the planet. As an open-ended, creative activity, play gives us space to explore our values, rethink habits, build resilience, and therefore use these qualities to envision and build sustainable futures. Through role-playing, storytelling, games, and creative simulations, people can engage with complex environmental issues in ways that are tangible and emotionally resonant. Whether through outdoor play, nature-based rituals, or community-building practices, playful engagement invites us to experience the natural world not as a resource to be used, but as a space to co-create with and care for.

Participants might examine how play is used to raise ecological awareness, reconnect people to nature, or inspire community-led environmental action.

They may highlight playful traditions rooted in seasonal cycles or explore new digital tools that use games to encourage sustainable thinking and collaborative problem-solving.

RELEVANT TOPICS:

Play as a Phenomenon

Exploring the theoretical and empirical foundations of play, its cognitive, emotional and social benefits.

Play and Resilience

Exploring the intricate relationship between play and the capacity to overcome adversity, as well as exploring the benefits of play for maintaining or the development of cognitive functions.

Play and Mental Health

The role of play in preventing and addressing mental health crisis, especially in challenging contexts, managing stress, improving mood and promoting relaxation.

Play and Physical Health

Exploring how movement-based play promotes motor skills, physical wellness, and healthy habits across all ages, while supporting prevention of chronic illness and aiding recovery and rehabilitation.

Play for Sustainable Future

Exploring how play-based learning can support environmental literacy, critical thinking and problem-solving skills to address climate change, as well as examining the role of outdoor play in developing a deep connection with the nature, driving environmental stewardship, and building resilience to climate impacts.

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PLAY FOR PROGRESS Play

FOR CREATIVITY

Play

FOR

INNOVATION

Play for Progress explores the vital connection between play, imagination and the evolution of knowledge, revealing how play has shaped, and continues to shape every significant leap in science, art and technology. From the earliest human tools to the most sophisticated inventions, play has been present at the core of every major discovery, enabling us to envision what does not yet exist and challenge what is already known.

The second sub-theme examines how play fuels creative thinking, invites experimentation and enables productive failure as key components of innovation across all domains of human life. As a dynamic process rooted in curiosity, play offers a framework for trial and error, pattern recognition, and open-ended exploration. Withing this context, play is not frivolous or passive – it is a serious engine of progress, capable of unlocking new methods, systems and ideas. Through artistic expression, scientific discovery or technological experimentation, play generates new ways of seeing, understanding and engaging with the world.

Central to this process is the concept of the magic circle, a mental of physical space that temporarily suspends ordinary constraints and allows for creativity to flourish. Within these boundaries, alternative rules apply, encouraging participants to reimage reality, shift perspectives and push limits. The freedom found in these spaces cultivates essential qualities for innovation: resilience, confidence and flexibility.

Play also activates our collective imagination which is the foundation of shared culture, design and invention. It shapes the stories we tell, the tools we build and the futures we dare to imagine. As such, this sub-theme invites us to reflect on how play can be deliberately integrated into educational systems, creative industries, scientific institutions and public life as a tool for progress. By restoring the centrality of play in the processes of creation and discovery, societies can create environments that are more intuitive, inclusive, adaptive and attuned to future possibilities.

In an era marked by accelerating change and uncertainty, Play for progress proposes play as a mechanism through which individuals and societies experiment, adapt and evolve.

Through art, play is woven into society’s history, rituals, language, social interactions, and cultural heritage. Play for Creativity investigates the impact of play and playful endeavours on humanity’s society and culture through artistic and creative pursuits. As mirrors of society artists and creatives become chroniclers of their time, their playfulness transforming our understanding of the world.

Like a blank canvas, play represents a space of possibility. It requires a loose approach and open-mindedness, quick thinking, and out-of-the-box ideas, grappling with uncertainties.

Much like scientific work, creative expression is no stranger to troubleshooting and problem solving harnessing these dimensions of play can lead to meaningful and transformative change.

Participants can explore local influential art figures, and analyse their playful processes through experimentation, sketches, iterations, etc. Play can be found in the unforeseen links between disciplines, bridging gaps and merging the unexpected: participants’ approach might entail mapping the interdisciplinary practices that fuse art with science and technology, in various fields and mediums.

Most defining moments in the evolution of humanity were marked by milestones achieved by the development of science and technology. This segment explores the impact that play and its traits have on advancing scientific achievements and technological breakthroughs.

The magic circles of scientific work are outlined by the rules, guidelines, and axioms that simultaneously provide framing for the inception of new work but also supply the material to be continually challenged or questioned.

When asking questions, scientists and innovators juggle ideas and concepts, just like players in a game.

Searching for the answers, they change, combine, rearrange, and flip information, moving it like pieces on a game board.

Play helps us articulate ideas more clearly and strengthen abstract thinking. Toying with ideas while playing can inspire us to combine science with art and technology and create integrated solutions to complex problems. The participants can analyse the playful processes of their local key figures in the fields of science and technology, investigating how they embraced playfulness through their work and the most notable results that followed.

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How can participants intreprate the sub-theme Play for Progress

RELEVANT TOPICS:

Play and innovation

Driving creativity, problem-solving, and entrepreneurship through play.

The role of curiosity

Investigating how curiosity drives innovation through playful exploration and play-based learning environments and examining the relationship between playfulness and the willingness to embrace uncertainty.

Play and arts

Investigating how play nurtures artistic freedom and expression, and how it breaks conventional boundaries and creates space for emotional resonance, risk-taking and cultural evolution.

Play and technology

Exploring the intersection of play, AI, and human creativity and the potential of immersive technologies for playful innovation.

Play and design thinking

Exploring the synergy between design methodology and a playful mindset; how play enhances each phase of the design thinking process and encourages iterative, human-centered innovation.

Play and education

Innovative approaches to integrating play into formal education across all age groups and utilising play to close achievement gaps and provide equitable access to high-quality education.

Presentation example: Participating nations can choose to present their local scientific, technological, creative and artistic achievements and heritage through prominent figures in these areas that contributed to the development of their society. Exhibits should highlight creative, exploratory and experimental approaches in their specific inventions, bringing a prism of playfulness to the art and science.

An interesting angle could include a participatory approach with contemporary artists and scientists, with them sharing playful parts of their workflow and creative process.

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Play

SPORT

One of the best examples of the magic circles of play, of the special context that suspends rules of ordinary life in order for play to occur is sport. The boundaries that encircle this space became formalised through rules and guidelines of sports games, exceeding the local communities where they began and turning them into global phenomena.

However, what makes sports experiences distinct and meaningful lies in their social functions and health benefits.

The contemporary lifestyle has become increasingly sedentary due to the nature of the conventional workplace and technological improvements that improve quality of life, but instead of freeing up more time for recreation and physical activity, it causes us to lead more passive lives. The health benefits of play through recreational sports cannot be overstated: for individuals, they impact fine and gross motor skills, body awareness and coordination, improve cardiovascular system, mobility in old age, and contribute to overall well-being.

Similarly, for societies, a physically healthier population means less stress for the healthcare system and, overall, improved quality of life for all.

Besides improving physical health, sports have important mental health benefits: from stress reduction and mental tenacity to self-confidence.

Playing with others teaches us empathy, teamwork, and dedication.

The desire to socialise through play is a deep instinct in humans, manifesting in the contemporary global scene through online gaming and e-sports. Technological advancements have contributed to a new rethinking of socialisation, online communities, digital spectatorship, and global culture.

Participants could explore various health benefits of play through sports and physical recreation, they can offer an overview of traditional or contemporary games, investigate how sports shaped their local communities, or explore potential hybrids of physical and digital sports and the new opportunities for play as a bridge for different cultures.

PLAY TOGETHER

Play together delves into how play acts as a vital catalyst for social interaction and community building.

This sub-theme explores the power of playful shared experiences to cultivate interpersonal bonds, drive social cohesion and reinforce a sense of collective identity. Play has always, across cultures and generations, provided the basis for connection through gestures, movements, rhythms and stories that transcend language, age, ability and background.

From games and folklore to sports and music, Play together highlights how these integral elements of cultural heritage serve as powerful tools for preserving traditions and strengthening communities, besides them being joyful and entertaining.

Through shared rituals and collective performances, play becomes a space where cultural memory is kept alive, identities are affirmed, and a shared sense of belonging is built; it drives empathy, nurtures trust and inspires collective action.

By focusing on the role of play in celebrating and preserving traditions, this theme emphasises how engagement in communal play unites individuals across divides and reinforces the values that bind them.

Traditional and contemporary forms of play teach vital social skills, such as teamwork, patience, collaboration and negotiation, helping individuals learn to navigate roles and responsibilities within a group. In doing so, play mirrors the structures and expectations of social life, offering a safe, low-stakes context in which people can experiment, learn and grow together.

Crucially, Play together recognises play as a deeply egalitarian and inclusive activity. It creates accessible and participatory spaces where individuals of all backgrounds, regardless of language, physical ability, gender, religion, or social status, can engage equally. When intentionally designed, these spaces become fertile ground for dialogue, mutual understanding and solidarity.

Playful interactions help people learn to listen to each other, share responsibility and recognise the values they hold in common.

Sport and music are particularly powerful forms of play within this sub-theme. They gather small communities and global audience, becoming a space where differences are acknowledged, expressed and reconciled through shared rules and collective rhythm. They also model the balance between individual expression and collective coordination, offering metaphors for cooperation, resilience and shared purpose.

In time marked by disconnection, social fragmentation, cultural polarisation and a lack of dialogue, Play together presents play as a vital strategy for social healing and reconnection and invites us to explore how to harness the power of playful interaction to build bridges between people and communities, enabling more empathetic and just societies.

Ultimately, Play together reminds us that play is not merely an escape from the real world, but a way to engage with it, together. It is how we build bonds, express identities and form communities capable of facing the future, united in purpose and strengthened by trust.

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Presentation example: Using the relevant topics as a guideline, the participating nations can choose to present their folklore, local music, traditional games, sport activities and how music shaped their collective mentality through collective participatory activities.

Through testimonials, music or dance performances and exhibits featuring traditional music instruments, participants might prefer to tell their own local stories about using music to inspire change, resist hardships and promote cultural unity.

On the other hand, participants could approach sports as a vital factor in the cultural rituals of their society. In their response, participants might opt to teach the visitors their endemic games and recreational activities or showcase their local history of sports activities and present how they influenced social cohesion in challenging times.

Play

MUSIC

Music represents one of the most popular languages of play, enriching life and forming a common ground with members of our communities.

From spontaneous playing to elaborate compositions, music has an extraordinary impact on our brain development. Processing music stimulates all brain areas, with the most active engagement occurring not just through passive listening, but through active creation of music, showing its high cognitive potential.

Playing music has been strongly linked with the development of cognitive processes such as communication, language formation, memory, attention, concentration, and imitation. Music has been proven to reduce stress and offer a means of self-expression, valuable to the formation of our self-identity and self-affirmation through play. Music is powerfully linked with movement, inspiring us to dance and helping us achieve better body awareness and offering yet another form of self-expression through play.

In culture, music communicates emotions, and is a potent bearer of stories, messages and history of an individual or a group. Emotion shared through music can transcend cultural and language barriers, transforming the world as an agent of change.

Apart from helping us develop our individual identity through self-discovery and expression, music creates a sense of belonging to a community of like-minded people, highlighting the immense power of play and music to create a collective experience.

Participants might investigate the ways music shaped the development of humans through history, as well as our philosophical understanding of the world, analyse local music and songs to find how music was used to tell stories, or they might offer visitors an opportunity to try traditional instruments and dance through interactive exhibits.

How can participants intreprate the sub-theme Play Together

Play and collaboration

Exploring how play can develop empathy, understanding and compassion for others and strengthen social bonds and a sense of belonging, building strong communities and creating cultural unity.

Rhythm and movement

Exploring the connection of music, sport and play and how the rhythm ehances performance and enjoyment through spontaneity and experimentation.

Play and cultural exchange

Analysing the impact of globalisation on play culture and the potential for intercultural dialogue through play

Play and society Analysing how playful activites can support societies in addressing society-specific challenges and how it supports democratic participation.

Play and diversity Examining how sports and music create safe space for respecting diversity, equity and inclusion through play.

Sport, solidarity and shared goals

Exploring the social function of team sports in cultivating cooperation, resilience and mutual respect across diverse communities.

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Approaches for Sub-theme Considerations

Each sub-theme has previously presented relevant topics in tackling challenges, showcasing achievements, and involving participants in their programme.

The theme is further elaborated and refined through approaches that can help participants understand play as an agent of change.

While all seven approaches can be connected to each sub-theme, not all of them carry equal thematic weight across all three. Some are core drivers of a particular sub-theme’s narrative and goals, while others function better as supporting frameworks or specialised angles.

To adequately grasp the many layers of EXPO 2027 Belgrade’s theme, Play for Humanity, each participant should use the following methodology.

APPROACH APPROACH DESCRIPTION

Cognitive development approach

This approach explores how play influences aspects of cognitive development, including critical thinking and problem-solving skills, concentration, memory and attention skills, understanding rules and forming strategies within play, as well as necessary language and communication skills.

Design and artistic approach

This approach highlights the vital role of play in creative processes, helping us unlock our full creative potential through creative expressions.

Technological and engineering approach

This approach examines the notions of play inherent in innovation efforts: experimenting prototyping, DIY solutions, iterative processes and out-of-the-box thinking.

Sociocultural approach

This approach focuses on the social aspect of play, seen as a setting for establishing new and maintaining old relationships with others. By bringing new perspectives, play instils the notions of diversity, cooperation, sharing as well as accessibility and inclusivity, creating a more just environment.

Biological and evolutionary approach

This approach examines how play, through physical activity and movement, shaped and strengthened our physical skills, increased our energy levels, built strength and endurance, and honed fine motor skills for precision work.

Philosophical and theoretical approach

This approach focuses on underlying causes of play as an inherent human capacity. Through our development, play equipped us with crucial skills that help us understand the dual nature of anxiety and excitement when faced with novel and unknown scenarios.

Environmental and urban planning approach

This approach analyses how play can positively impact designing the spaces we live in, leading to better integrated and resilient cities in partnerships with local government, as well as new awareness and understanding of our environment.

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PARTICIPATION MATRIX

Since play is an inherently versatile and universal aspect of human life, participants are encouraged to adopt an interdisciplinary perspective when developing their content and exhibits.

The Participation Matrix serves as a guiding framework which helps define clear objectives and illuminate the diverse ways in which play impacts individuals, communities and society as a whole.

By combining different approaches and connecting them to the chosen sub-themes, participants are invited to provoke thought, inspire innovation and challenge existing narratives, showcasing the transformative potential of play across disciplines and cultures.

APPROACH POWER OF PLAY

TOPICS

PLAY FOR PROGRESS

TOPICS

PLAY TOGETHER

TOPICS

EXHIBITION EXAMPLE

Cognitive Development Approach

Analyse how play contributes to cognitive growth, including problem-solving, creativity, language development, divergent thinking, imagination and ideation.

Examine how intrinsic motivation, often associated with play, can lead to sustained innovation efforts.

Study how sports and music participation contribute to cognitive skills such as memory, problem-solving, and spatial reasoning.

(Sub-theme: Power of Play) A maze of interconnected puzzles and minigames that visitors must solve to navigate the exhibit.

Design & Artistic Approach

Explore how play contributes to the development of creative skills in children and how these skills evolve over time.

Explore how artistic forms of play, like painting, sculpting, improvisational theatre, or making music, facilitate creative expression and artistic innovation.

Exploring how creativity fuels the creation of different strategies and approaches to sport.

(Sub-theme: Play for Progress) A series of collaborative canvases that the visitors can use for creative expression.

Technological & Engineering Approach

Examine the relationship between digital play, technology, and creativity, including the development of video games, virtual reality, and interactive media.

Explore how maker culture, DIY approaches, playful prototyping, and iterative design processes are used in technology and engineering to innovate and refine products.

Investigate how technology has impacted sports participation, training, and performance, as well as the creation, distribution, and enjoyment of music.

(Sub-theme: Play Together) A setting with loose, movable objects that can be moved and shifted around freely by visitors in order to create structures and engage in constructive play.

Sociocultural Approach

Explore how play fosters social skills, empathy, and cooperation, as well as the development of identity and self-esteem.

Investigate how play is intertwined with cultural practices, rituals, and traditions, contributing to cultural creativity and community building, and its variability across cultures.

Examine the cultural and societal importance of sport and music, and how they can strengthen communities, promote social cohesion, increase accessibility and inclusivity and celebrate a shared identity and heritage.

(Sub-theme: Play Together) Interactive installations that pair up visitors with strangers in order to solve puzzles and encourage collaboration while working towards a common goal.

Biological & Evolutionary Approach

Study the evolutionary roots of play behaviour in humans and other animals.

Assess the role of play in promoting physical health and preventing sedentary behaviour.

Analyse how physical activity and articulation of sound influenced our biological structure and redefined our evolutionary path.

(Sub-theme: Power of Play) A teenager-focused adventure arena containing obstacle courses that promote physical activity and well-rounded development in teens and young adults.

Philosophical & Theoretical Approach

Analyse the deeper philosophical aspects of play, such as its relationship to freedom, creativity, and the human condition.

Investigate the ethical dimensions of sports, examining issues of fairness, justice, and the moral implications of competition and sportsmanship.

Approach sports and music as a form of aesthetic expression, studying the beauty, grace, and artistry inherent in athletic movements and performances, as well as the philosophical aesthetics of melody, harmony, rhythm, and timbre, and consider how musical compositions elicit aesthetic experiences.

(Sub-theme: Power of Play) The exhibit focuses on personal testimonials of distinct figures as well as ordinary people who share their stories about play and how it helped them grow and flourish.

Environmental & Urban Planning Approach

Examine how the design of physical environments, including parks and playgrounds, can promote or hinder play opportunities for children and communities.

Explore innovative solutions in the field of architecture and urbanism that promote play and environment awareness.

Discuss the importance of outdoor and nature-based play for creating a sense of togetherness in a shared environment, leading to higher environmental awareness and sustainability.

(Sub-theme: Play for Progress) A pavilion built as miniature city where the visitors can participate in the design process, re-examining the current understanding of our urban environment and advocating for more spaces for play, recreation, art, culture, etc.

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EXAMPLE NO.1

EXAMPLE NO.2

EXAMPLE NO.3

HOW TO DEVELOP THE PAVILION TOPIC?

When developing their topic, participants should select one or more sub-themes that align with their area of interest and choose one or more approaches to serve as investigative frameworks. These approaches can be tailored to reflect local cultural contexts, and participants are encouraged to explore the theme through multiple perspective to enrich the depth and relevance of their contributions.

To illustrate how sub-themes and approaches can be combined and better understood while crafting a participant response, several potential pavilion examples follow:

Sub-theme: Play for Progress

Approach: Design and Artistic Approach

Topic: The Role of Curiosity: Investigating How Curiosity Drives Innovation Through Playful Exploration and Play-Based Learning Environments and Examining the Relationship Between Playfulness and the Willingness to Embrace Uncertainty..

Exhibit: Visitors are introduced to an arrangement of basic geometrical shapes scattered around the pavilion. Through modular and constructive play visitors are invited to create their own furniture, and learn in a playful way about physics, mechanics, statics, while also nurturing resilience through trial and error.of play on brain activity and brain plasticity, both in children and in adults.

Sub-theme: Power of Play

Approach: Biological and Evolutionary Approach

Topic: Play as a Phenomenon: Exploring the Theoretical and Empirical Foundations of Play, Its Cognitive, Emotional, and Social Benefits.

Exhibit: Upon entering the pavilion, the interactive exhibit simulates a brain scan for every visitor, showing passive, normal levels of brain activity. The visitors are then encouraged to explore games dispersed across the pavilion. At the exit, they encounter the second brain scan simulator that will show heightened brain activity, exploring the various neurobiological and developmental benefits of play on brain activity and brain plasticity, both in children and in adults.

Sub-theme: Play Together

Approach: Sociocultural Approach

Topic: Play and Cultural Exchange: Analysing the Impact of Globalisation on Play Culture and the Potential for Intercultural Dialogue through Play.

Exhibit: A showcase of different traditional musical instruments, such as sitar, tabla and harmonium, that can be explored by the…