Canadian National Exhibition
- Also known as:
- the Ex
Canadian National Exhibition (CNE), fair held annually since 1879 in Toronto. Generally lasting 18 days and ending on Labour Day (the first Monday in September), the event has historically showcased Canadian commercial and technological innovations, in addition to providing a wide variety of entertainment.
The fair is staged at Exhibition Place, a venue that covers about 200 acres (80 hectares) west of downtown Toronto, on the shore of Lake Ontario. One of the largest fairs in North America, it features concerts, ice and stunt shows, parades, shopping, carnival attractions, agricultural displays, talent competitions, a peewee baseball tournament, and an air show.
A provincial agricultural fair had been held at rotating locations throughout Ontario since the mid-19th century. When Toronto, which had hosted the fair in 1878, learned that henceforth the event would be held in Ottawa, it decided to stage its own fair, and the CNE was born. The fair was cancelled during World War II because the grounds were being used for military purposes. When it resumed in 1947, it began to lose its focus on agriculture and increasingly took on the characteristics of urban Toronto.
Exhibition Place is also the venue for other events, notably the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, and it was the site of the Hockey Hall of Fame (1961–93), Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame (1955–2006), and CNE stadium (since demolished), the former home of the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League and Major League Baseball’s Toronto Blue Jays. Canada’s first television broadcast emanated from the 73rd CNE on Aug. 22, 1952.