The fair included exhibitions, activities, performances, films, art, and food presented by 62 nations, 35 U.S. states and territories, and 1,400 organizations and companies.

[12] The Flushing Meadows site had been selected because of its large size and central location,[13] and because the city already owned 586 acres (237 ha) nearby.

[14] The New York City Board of Estimate approved the use of Flushing Meadows as a fairground on September 23,[15] and Moses directed municipal draftsmen to survey the site.

[20] State lawmaker Herbert Brownell Jr. introduced legislation in January 1936, which allowed the WFC to lease Flushing Meadows from the city government.

[7] The project remained stalled during early 1936,[25][26] but the New York State Legislature ultimately voted in April to allow the city to lease out Flushing Meadows.

[41] The construction of the fairground involved leveling the ash mounds, excavating Meadow and Willow lakes, and diverting much of the Flushing River into underground culverts.

[67] The WFC announced details of the fair's master plan that October, which called for a $125 million exposition themed to "the world of tomorrow".

[84] Whalen announced plans in June 1937 for a 280-acre (110 ha) amusement zone at the south end of the fairground,[85] and work on the first non-commercial pavilion, the Temple of Peace, began in July.

[115] In conjunction with the fair, La Guardia issued a proclamation declaring April 1939 as "Dress Up and Paint Up Month" in New York City.

[116] Sixteen thousand workers were putting final touches on the site by mid-April,[117] and foreign nations were delivering $100 million worth of exhibits to the fair.

[126] Free emergency services were provided on site by dozens of doctors and nurses,[127] and there were six first-aid stations, a mobile X-ray machine, and five ambulances.

[133] Manhattan's borough president, Stanley M. Isaacs, had wanted the WFC to give students free admission, but Moses opposed the proposal.

[149][150] At La Guardia's behest,[151] the New York City Board of Education operated guided tours in which school classes could visit the fair for free.

[171] A writer for Variety magazine said local residents tended to avoid the fair's restaurants and that the amusement area deterred visitors with more refined tastes.

[172] In September 1939, the WFC began inviting foreign exhibitors to return for the second season,[173] and it notified the city government of its intention to extend its lease.

[186][193] Most of the fair's 2,800 employees were reassigned to other positions,[191] though the WFC hired a skeleton crew and allocated $3.3 million to maintain the fairground during the off-season.

[249] The WFC had drawn up detailed plans for clearing the site by the beginning of October,[250] and the corporation's executive leadership oversaw the site-clearing process.

[260][141] The plan called for wide tree-lined pathways converging on the Trylon and Perisphere, the fair's symbol and primary theme center.

[304] The Amusement Area was located south of the World's Fair Boulevard, on a horseshoe-shaped site surrounding Meadow Lake,[114] and it was divided into more than a dozen themed zones.

[93][305] The Amusement Area contained numerous bars, restaurants, miniature villages, musical programs, dance floors, rides, and arcade attractions.

[316] In addition, Queens-Nassau Transit Lines bought 55 buses to serve passengers heading to the fairground,[319] and a water taxi service traveled to the fair from City Island, Bronx.

[374] Three of the sculptures were intended to be preserved after the fair: Robert Foster's Textile, Lawrence Tenney Stevens's The Tree of Life, and Waylande Gregory's Fountain of the Atom.

[212] Other objects included Vermeer's painting The Milkmaid,[377] a pencil sharpener,[378] the White Manna diner,[379] General Motors' model city Futurama,[378][303] and the Nimatron computer game.

[390] During the fair's first season, there were complaints that the food was too expensive;[153] one New York Times report found that restaurants were charging as much as $2.50 (equivalent to $54.76 in 2023) for à la carte meals.

[392] Participating countries, U.S. states and territories, New York counties, businesses, and organizations were given special theme days at the fair, during which celebrations were held.

[284][424] However, many nations could not send their exhibits back home due to World War II,[424][425] and President Roosevelt had temporarily frozen the assets of seven foreign exhibitors whose countries had been invaded.

[430] In response, U.S. representative John J. Delaney introduced legislation in October 1940 to allow these workers to remain in the U.S.[425][431] Several countries in German-occupied Europe donated or lent their World's Fair exhibits to institutions across the United States.

[459] In 1964, one New York Times writer said the 1939 fair had been envisioned in an era "that had in its calendar no World War II, no Hiroshima, no Korea, no fires in Africa and Asia".

[11] To limit excessive real-estate development around the fairground, city officials requested in early 1936 that the neighborhoods around Flushing Meadows be rezoned as residential areas.

These ephemera include print media such as guidebooks, posters, and programs, in addition to everyday objects such as pens, ashtrays, maps, and puzzles.