Our collective cultural worlds, whether in national societies or at a global level, are increasingly occupied with, and structured around, the staging of cultural and sporting events at all levels. This book analyses the biggest, most influential and most controversial types of events, namely 'mega-events', in particular recent Olympics and Expos. The study builds on the sociological, historical and empirical accounts of mega-events originally presented in Roche's influential work 'Mega-Events and Modernity' (2000). This new book addresses how mega-events have changed in recent times. The author argues that contemporary mega-events reflect the major social changes which now influence our societies, particularly in the West, and which amount to a new 'second phase' of the modernization process. This is particularly visible in the media, urban and global locational aspects of mega-events. Roche suggests that contemporary mega-events, both in their achievements and their vulnerabilities, reflect, in the media sphere, the rise of the internet; in the urban sphere, de-industrialisation and the growing ecological crisis; and in the global sphere, the relative decline of the West and the rise of China and other 'emerging' countries. This book investigates the way in which contemporary mega-events reflect, mark and influence social changes in each of these three contexts. It will be of interest to researchers, teachers and students in the fields of mega-events and events studies, and to professionals and policy-makers concerned with large-scale event projects.