Pacific National Exhibition

Pacific National Exhibition
Location(s)	Vancouver, British Columbia
Years active	98
Date(s)	mid to late August to early September
Genre	summer fair
Website	PNE Homepage

The Pacific National Exhibition is an annual 17 day summer fair in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It usually begins in mid-to-late August, and ends in early September.

History

The exhibition has been held in Hastings Park since it first took place in 1910. It was opened by then Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier as the Industrial Exhibition. The biggest attractions of the two-week fair are its numerous shops, stalls, performances, a nightly fireworks show, and the PNE Prize Home. The highest attendance the fair has recorded was 1.1 million in 1986. The PNE was once the second largest fair after the New York State Fair.

Other than the fair, Hastings Park is also the home of Playland, a horse racetrack (which also bears the name Hastings Park), the Pacific Coliseum (an ice hockey arena), the PNE Forum, and the PNE Agrodome. It was formerly the site of Empire Stadium, which has been demolished and replaced with a public soccer field. It is also the location of Hastings Skatepark, a skateboard bowl located to the south of the Pacific Coliseum.

The PNE has played an important role in the history of Vancouver. From its beginnings as a showcase for the region's agriculture and economy, it has grown immensely. This growth has resulted in many questions about the fair's future at Hastings Park. Beginning in 1997, the city has restored a large portion of the park. Many old fair buildings have been demolished and replaced by a more natural character. Although land was purchased in Surrey that was to become the fair's new home, the PNE has since transferred ownership from the province to the city of Vancouver and will remain at Hastings Park. The PNE is a registered charity.

World War 2

From 1942 to 1946 the PNE was closed and like the Canadian National Exhibition served a military training facility for the duration of World War II.

Restoration of Hastings Park

During 1997-1998, the PNE grounds was transformed with the demolition of a number of buildings including the Food Building, Showmart and the Poultry Building. This gave way to the Sanctuary, a parkland setting with a pond. The pond itself restored part of a stream that once flowed in the park out to the Burrard Inlet.

List of buildings at the PNE

Following the plans to revitalize Hastings Park, many of the PNE's historic buildings were demolished.

A list of the buildings and structures presently used for the PNE:

• Administration Building (1950s)
• Agrodome (1963)
• Garden Auditorium (1930s)
• Livestock Barns (1930s)
• Pacific Coliseum (1968)
• Rollerland (1930s)
• Vancouver Forum

Lost Buildings of the PNE

Transportation

Early fair goers arrived by streetcar (until 1958) via Renfrew Street. Today, the park can be reached by car (with a parking lot to the north west, north east, south east, and one south which is across the street from Playland's entrance) and public transit.

Technically Historic Miller Drive, which runs east to west through the grounds, is a city street. Renfrew Street and Hastings Street are form the west and south boundaries of the park.

Entrances

• Main Entrance Gate - Hastings and Renfrew Street (Gate 1)
• Coliseum Gate - bus loop at Pacific Coliseum (Gate 5)
• Miller Gate - Miller Drive (Gate 10)
• Playland Gate - Hastings Street (Gate 13)

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Pacific National Exhibition

• Expo 86 in Vancouver
• Expo 67 in Montreal
• Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto
• Calgary Stampede in Calgary
• Conklin Shows - midway operator

References

• Happyland
• PNE Park
• Hastings Park History

External links

• PNE Homepage