Canadian National Exhibition

Canadian National Exhibition
The CNE on August 31, 2012
Genre	Provincial fair/Agricultural and entertainment
Dates	18 days from mid-August to Labour Day (September)
Venue	210 Princes' Boulevard
Location(s)	Exhibition Place in Toronto, Ontario
Years active	138
Founded	1879
Attendance	1.54 million (2016)
Website
www.theex.com

The Canadian National Exhibition (CNE), also known as The Ex, is an annual event that takes place at Exhibition Place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, during the 18 days leading up to and including Canadian Labour Day Monday. With approximately 1.5 million visitors each year, the CNE is Canada’s largest annual fair and the fifth largest in North America. The first Canadian National Exhibition took place in 1879, largely to promote agriculture and technology in Canada. Agriculturists, engineers, and scientists exhibited their discoveries and inventions at the CNE to showcase the work and talent of the nation. As Canada has grown as a nation, the CNE has also changed over time, reflecting the growth in diversity and innovation, though agriculture and technology remain a large part of the CNE today. To many people in the Greater Toronto Area and the surrounding communities, the CNE is an annual family tradition.

The CNE is held at Exhibition Place, which is a 192 acres (78 ha) site located along Toronto’s waterfront on the shores of Lake Ontario and just west of downtown Toronto. The site features several buildings and structures, many of which have been named as significant under the Ontario Heritage Act. There are several outdoor live music venues on-site including the permanent CNE Bandshell. All of the roads are named after the Canadian provinces and territories. The site includes a football stadium, parks, fountains, plazas, a rose garden, statues and parking lots. Both the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) and GO Transit provide public transit service to Exhibition Place.

The 18-day fair itself consists of a mix of shopping areas, exhibits, live entertainment, agricultural displays, sports events, casino, and a large carnival midway with rides, games and food. The Canadian International Air Show on Labour Day weekend has been a feature of the fair since 1949.

Several buildings house exhibits and displays from vendors, government agencies and various industrial associations. These include the International Pavilion of products from around the world, and the Arts, Crafts and Hobbies building of crafts, collectibles and unusual items. The Enercare Centre complex holds the international pavilion, a garden show, the SuperDogs performances and a sand-sculpting competition. It also has exhibit space used for agricultural or industrial displays and a live stage. The Food Building houses a large number of vendors of food from many cultures, reflecting Toronto's multicultural population. The Better Living Centre building is used for a casino on one side, and a farming display on the other. The CNE continues its tradition of agricultural produce competition and the winners are displayed in the Better Living Centre, along with a butter sculpting competition. Other exhibit areas are used differently in different years. There are a large number of vendors outside along the streets of the fair offering discount and unusual products. Some exhibits are only held for a few days of the year, such as the cat show. The 1792 "Scadding Cabin" log cabin display dates back to the first year of the fair and is the only time the cabin is open for display.