Pacific National Exhibition
Encyclopedia
The Pacific National Exhibition is a non profit organization which hosts an annual 17-day summer fair, seasonal amusement park, and arena in Vancouver
, British Columbia
, Canada
. It usually begins in mid-to-late August, and ends in early September, usually Labour Day
.
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.
served as a military training facility for the duration of World War II
. During this time, the PNE barns, used to house livestock, were used to intern & process Japanese Canadians
from all over British Columbia. Here, they were imprisoned, and/or shipped off to other internment camps throughout British Columbia, and Alberta. The Momiji (Japanese word for Maple) Gardens, on the PNE grounds, serve as a reminder and memorial, for this dark chapter in Canadian history. The barns themselves are still used to house livestock during the annual fair, and serve as storage area to house some of the PNE's property the rest of the year.
.
A list of the buildings and structures presently used for the PNE:
Technically Historic Miller Drive, which runs east to west through the grounds, is a city street. Renfrew Street and Hastings Street
form the west and south boundaries of the park.
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It usually begins in mid-to-late August, and ends in early September, usually Labour Day
Labour Day
Labour Day or Labor Day is an annual holiday to celebrate the economic and social achievements of workers. Labour Day has its origins in the labour union movement, specifically the eight-hour day movement, which advocated eight hours for work, eight hours for recreation, and eight hours for...
.
History
The exhibition has been held in Hastings ParkHastings Park
Hastings Park is located in the northeast sector of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in a neighbourhood called Hastings-Sunrise. Its name references Hastings, B.C., also known as New Brighton, which lay at the end of the Douglas Road from New Westminster, founded as a resort and watering-hole...
since it first took place in 1910. It was opened by then Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
Sir Wilfrid Laurier as the Industrial Exhibition. The biggest attractions of the two-week fair are its numerous shops, stalls, performances, a nightly fireworks
Fireworks
Fireworks are a class of explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. The most common use of a firework is as part of a fireworks display. A fireworks event is a display of the effects produced by firework devices...
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
Playland (Vancouver)
Playland is an amusement park in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It is located in Hastings Park and is the oldest amusement park in Canada....
, a horse racetrack (which also bears the name Hastings Park
Hastings Park
Hastings Park is located in the northeast sector of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in a neighbourhood called Hastings-Sunrise. Its name references Hastings, B.C., also known as New Brighton, which lay at the end of the Douglas Road from New Westminster, founded as a resort and watering-hole...
), the Pacific Coliseum
Pacific Coliseum
Pacific Coliseum is an indoor arena, at Hastings Park, in Vancouver, British Columbia.Completed in 1968, at the former site of the Pacific National Exhibition, the arena currently holds 16,281, for ice hockey, though capacity at its opening was 15,713....
(an ice hockey arena), the PNE Forum
Vancouver Forum
The Vancouver Forum is an indoor arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It hosted the Pacific Coast Hockey League's Vancouver Canucks from 1948 to 1969. The arena holds 5,050 people...
, and the PNE Agrodome
PNE Agrodome
PNE Agrodome is a sports arena located in Vancouver, British Columbia. It was built in 1963 and holds 5,000 people or 3,260 when configured to use the hockey or lacrosse surface. It annually hosts the provincial high school boys' 'AAA' basketball championships...
. It was formerly the site of Empire Stadium
Empire Stadium, Vancouver
Empire Stadium was a multipurpose stadium that formerly stood at the Pacific National Exhibition site at Hastings Park in Vancouver. Track and field and Canadian football, as well as soccer and musical events, were held in the stadium. The stadium was originally constructed for the 1954 British...
, 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
Pacific Coliseum
Pacific Coliseum is an indoor arena, at Hastings Park, in Vancouver, British Columbia.Completed in 1968, at the former site of the Pacific National Exhibition, the arena currently holds 16,281, for ice hockey, though capacity at its opening was 15,713....
.
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
Surrey, British Columbia
Surrey is a city in the province of British Columbia, Canada. It is a member municipality of Metro Vancouver, the governing body of the Greater Vancouver Regional District...
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 II
From 1942 to 1946 the PNE was closed and like the Canadian National ExhibitionCanadian National Exhibition
Canadian National Exhibition , 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 Labour Day Monday. With an attendance of approximately 1.3 million visitors each season, it is Canada’s largest...
served as a military training facility for the duration of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. During this time, the PNE barns, used to house livestock, were used to intern & process Japanese Canadians
Japanese Canadian internment
Japanese Canadian internment refers to confinement of Japanese Canadians in British Columbia during World War II. The internment began in December 1941, following the attack by carrier-borne forces of Imperial Japan on American naval and army facilities at Pearl Harbor...
from all over British Columbia. Here, they were imprisoned, and/or shipped off to other internment camps throughout British Columbia, and Alberta. The Momiji (Japanese word for Maple) Gardens, on the PNE grounds, serve as a reminder and memorial, for this dark chapter in Canadian history. The barns themselves are still used to house livestock during the annual fair, and serve as storage area to house some of the PNE's property the rest of the year.
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 InletBurrard Inlet
Burrard Inlet is a relatively shallow-sided coastal fjord in southwestern British Columbia, Canada. Formed during the last Ice Age, it separates the City of Vancouver and the rest of the low-lying Burrard Peninsula from the slopes of the North Shore Mountains, home to the communities of West...
.
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 (1956)
- AgrodomePNE AgrodomePNE Agrodome is a sports arena located in Vancouver, British Columbia. It was built in 1963 and holds 5,000 people or 3,260 when configured to use the hockey or lacrosse surface. It annually hosts the provincial high school boys' 'AAA' basketball championships...
(1963) - Garden Auditorium (1940)
- Livestock Barns (1929, 1941)
- Pacific ColiseumPacific ColiseumPacific Coliseum is an indoor arena, at Hastings Park, in Vancouver, British Columbia.Completed in 1968, at the former site of the Pacific National Exhibition, the arena currently holds 16,281, for ice hockey, though capacity at its opening was 15,713....
(1968) - Rollerland (a.k.a. Women's' Building, 1931)
- Vancouver ForumVancouver ForumThe Vancouver Forum is an indoor arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It hosted the Pacific Coast Hockey League's Vancouver Canucks from 1948 to 1969. The arena holds 5,050 people...
(1931)
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
Hastings Street (Vancouver)
Hastings Street is one of the most important east-west traffic corridors in the cities of Vancouver and Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada, and used to be a part of the decommissioned Highway 7A...
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 and Windermere Street (Gate 13)
See also
- Expo 86Expo 86The 1986 World Exposition on Transportation and Communication, or simply Expo '86, was a World's Fair held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada from Friday, May 2 until Monday, October 13, 1986...
in VancouverVancouverVancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,... - Expo 67Expo 67The 1967 International and Universal Exposition or Expo 67, as it was commonly known, was the general exhibition, Category One World's Fair held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, from April 27 to October 29, 1967. It is considered to be the most successful World's Fair of the 20th century, with the...
in MontrealMontrealMontreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America... - Canadian National ExhibitionCanadian National ExhibitionCanadian National Exhibition , 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 Labour Day Monday. With an attendance of approximately 1.3 million visitors each season, it is Canada’s largest...
in TorontoTorontoToronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from... - Calgary StampedeCalgary StampedeThe Calgary Stampede is an annual rodeo, exhibition and festival held every July in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The ten-day event, which bills itself as "The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth", attracts over one million visitors per year and features one of the world's largest rodeos, a parade, midway,...
in CalgaryCalgaryCalgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies... - Conklin ShowsConklin ShowsConklin Shows was the largest traveling amusement corporation in North America. The 75 year-old company operated 'fun fairs' at various summer agricultural shows across North America and is based in Brantford, Ontario and West Palm Beach, FL. The company has a long history in Canada, providing...
- midwayMidway (fair)A midway at a fair is the location where amusement rides, entertainment and fast food booths are concentrated....
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