The 128th C.N.E. Now Open

The first family passed through the Princes’ Gate Friday morning for the official opening of the Canadian National Exhibition.

“It is just exciting to be the first family to officially open it up to something that you’ve been a tradition of every single year,” Cheryl Marcelo, a member of the lucky clan, said.

The grand old lady by the lake brings feelings of excitement, but also small twinges of sadness as it marks the unofficial end to summer for many families.

The gates officially opened at 10am Friday morning and up to 100,000 people a day are expected to rush through the turnstiles to take in the performances, the rides, and, of course, those tiny powdered doughnuts.

Mayor David Miller was there for the 128th official opening and outlined some of his favourite things about the annual fair.

“I’m a quiet guy on rides. I come for the games, the food – those little tiny doughnuts. But my kids love the roller coasters so for me I’ll go on any roller coaster anywhere, anytime,” he said.

But the mayor noted the end-of-summer event is about much more than rides, games and food.

“What I think it does is it puts us in touch with our traditions. Every time I come to the EX I feel like a little kid again. It’s great. When you see the people here, you see families from across Toronto, from every background. Next year will be better with the National Soccer Stadium, great concerts. So things are improving every year. That’s why it’s such a great tradition.”

When you enter the grounds you’ll find a lot of the old standards – many of the rides you love, the fun food you’ve been craving all year, performances like the Air Show, the Super Dogs and the Human Cannonball – but there are a number of new editions.

A team from Milan has designed a piazza inside the Princes’ Gate. There are acrobatic performances by Cirque Envol, an exhibit of Barbie Dolls here from Taiwan and the Canadian Support Our Troops campaign.

C.N.E. General Manager Dave Bednar said the fair has gone through some hard times in the past with S.A.R.S. and the 2003 blackout, but the Toronto tradition always seems to bounce back.

“Thank you Toronto and thank you residents of Ontario. Your support of the EX is just fantastic,” he said.

“We have good years and bad years. 2005 was not quite as good as 2004, so we’re due for an up year this year.”

The fair runs until Labour Day.


Here’s what you need to know if you’re heading down to the EX:

Admission Prices

$12 General

$8 Seniors and Kids under 13

Free for kids two and under

$35 for a family pass (two adults and two kids, or one adult and three kids)
You can purchase tickets at the gate or at any Zellers, The Bay, Shoppers Drug Mart, Lowblaws or GO Transit location.

The admission price covers everything but the rides.

Special Offers

If you purchase a ticket for the opening three days (18, 19, 20) you’ll get a free ticket to return any other day.

Hours

Gates Open 10am to 10pm

Grounds Open 10am to Midnight

Buildings 10am to 10pm

Casino Noon to 6am

Midway 11am to Midnight (Weekdays) and 10am to Midnight (Weekends)

Labour Day

Gates Open 10am to 7pm

Grounds Open 10am to 10:30am

Buildings 10am to 9pm

Casino Noon to 8pm

Midway 10am to 10:30pm

Fireworks 9:30pm

For more information, click here.


The 10 Things You Never Knew About The C.N.E.
 
 
*The C.N.E. wasn’t always the Canadian National Exhibition. Its original name was the Toronto Industrial Exhibition, which started in 1879. It didn’t get its more famous moniker until 1904.
 
*The Horticultural Building was once used as a giant morgue. It happened in 1949, after a fire disaster onboard a ship called the Noronic docked at Toronto Harbour. At least 100 people died and the building was secured to allow next of kin to I.D. their loved ones.
 
*There were actually four Exhibition Stadiums. All of the first three burnt down until the one that would eventually become the first home for the Blue Jays was put up in 1947. It was demolished in 1999.
 
*While it seems like it comes every summer, there were at least a few years when the C.N.E. wasn’t held at all. Between 1942 and 1946, the grounds were taken over by the Department of National Defence for training purposes. 
 
*The Ex has been used as a location for dozens of films, commercials and TV shows. Among the big screen productions that made use of the Lake Shore facility: “Detroit Rocks City”, “Driven”, “Bait”, “Between Strangers”, and “Ararat”.
 
*One of the all time record holders for appearances at the Grandstand was the Beach Boys. They performed no less than 11 times at the venue from 1974-1990.
 
*For a place that really only gets attention for a few weeks a year, the Ex is huge. It covers 196.6 acres, but if you include the parking lots, it actually takes up 260 acres.
 
*Probably the most common mistake made about the C.N.E. is the name of that infamous entrance that welcomes visitors. It’s the Princes’ Gates, not the Prince’s Gates or the even more common Princess Gates. It was named in honour of Princes Edward and George, who opened them on August 30, 1927.
 
*But that’s not the only odd thing about the structure. It was originally supposed to be labelled with the mouthful-like name of The Diamond Jubilee of Confederation Gates. Thankfully, when officials learned the two royal brothers were coming for a visit, they re-thought the title.
 
*So just what is that thing on top of the Gates? It’s actually the Goddess of Winged Victory, a different take on a classic Greek sculpture discovered in 1863. She’s holding a Maple Leaf in her hand – the Canadian national symbol.
 
Source: Board of Governors Of Exhibition Place

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