The
Levant Fair was an international fair site next to the
Tel Aviv Port established in 1933 to showcase the accomplishments of the
pre-state Jewish community in the sphere of industry. After the success of the first fair, permanent structures were built on a plot of land at the northern end of Dizengoff street on the banks of the
Yarkon River. Fairs were held in 1934 and 1936 with pavilions and halls constructed for the participating countries. The chief architect was
Aryeh Elhanani. A flying camel became the official logo.
Richard Kauffmann planned the pavilion layout. Other leading architects were
Arieh Sharon and
Joseph Neufeld. The pavilions were designed in the
International Style. In 1959, the fairgrounds were moved to their present location on Rokach Boulevard, and the new site was inaugurated with an exhibition marking Tel Aviv's 50th Jubilee. In 1983, the convention center opened within the fairgrounds and at the end of 2003 the "Pavilion No. 1" was opened. It has 20,000 m2 of exhibition space and is the largest object of its kind in Israel and in the
Eastern Mediterranean. In 2010, the "round pavilion" in the fairground was demolished. In its place began the construction of a new 10,000-seat congress and convention center called "Bitan 2" (Pavilion 2), which was inaugurated in January 2015. The new pavilion hosted the
2018 European Judo Championships from 26 to 28 April. ==Entertainment==