Urban social life has always been characterized by events. Some are extremely local in size, participants and impact; others are global from the point of view of the reso-nance, capacity of attraction, use of resources and flows they have. Festivals, fairs, major sporting events and exhibitions fall within this second definition. This entry aims to examine two types of events in particular: fairs and exhibitions. Although they are different in terms of duration, frequency and audience, nevertheless the social and eco-nomic functions they perform and also the consequences they have on the territory are in some ways similar. The transition from the industrial city to the post-industrial city, in fact, played a key role in making these events one of the strategies to be pursued for the construction of a new identity, in particular based on creativity and culture, for the repositioning of cities in the global competition, as well as to rethink fabrics, functions and to attract investments, for the dual capacity they have to stimulate and accelerate urban regeneration processes and to attract international interest, while also improving the image of the cities that host them.