Pacific National Exhibition PNE

Planning to attend PNE for the Fright Nights? here is what it was like for us on a Tuesday night in October:
We got our tickets online but it still took us about 30 minutes to go through the entrance line-​up. Once we were inside, there were HUGE line-​ups to enter the haunted houses, and most of the rides. We had to spend over 1 hour (no exaggeration!) at the line-​up for each of the two things we did first after entering the park and it was mainly due to the fact that they had this other type of ticket, called Express ticket, and those with this more expensive type of ticket had a second line-​up. They wouldn’t let the people with the regular ticket in unless the express line-​up was empty! You can guess what it was like to stand in the lines for so long in the cold!
Up until 11 pm we only got to do one ride and one haunted house. After 11 o’clock the park was way less crowded, so we were able to do a few more rides and haunted houses in the remaining 1 hour before they shut everything down at 12 am!
SO my take is that either buy the more expensive type of ticket and grin at the people while you stand in your faster line-​up (yes, even with the express ticket you’d often have to stand in a line-​up — that goes much faster than the regular line-​up)!
Or just go there between 11pm to 12am!

***2015 review***
Looks pretty much like the same as last year. Food is insanely overpriced, so didn’t try anything other than the usual mini donuts ($ 5 a bag, $ 10 for 3 bags). The bee beard lady was definitely cool to look at though.
This year the music lineup isn’t anything too special in my books. Boyz II Men are back again (worth seeing if you didn’t already see in 2014), but nobody else really stuck out on the list.
What WAS worth seeing though — the Beatles memorabilia exhibit ($ 3 on top of fair admission). If you’re a Beatles fan, this was definitely something special. I read somewhere that the value of the items displayed are some $ 100M. Yes, 9 digits. Certain things that caught my eye:
John Lennon’s Rolls Royce, with the trippy floral patterns
Replica of the Cavern, where the Beatles first played before they made it big
Brian Epstein’s (Beatles manager) business card — 1 of only 2 known surviving examples
Breakup letter directed to Paul’s lawyer, officially disbanding the Beatles
John Lennon’s final autograph, signed for Mark Chapman who would murder John a few hours later
The Beatles exhibit alone was worth the fare admission. I would’ve gladly paid $ 10 – 20 on top to see those items. Not everyday where one can see so many culturally significant items in one place.

«You’re from Toronto; you won’t like the PNE,» I was told before I visited.
I don’t what those people were talking about. I had an absolute BLAST at the PNE! Good food, rides, shows, games… and most importantly… a BEER garden! What’s not to love?
Admission is $ 16 at the gate, but if you buy online, it’s cheaper AND you skip the long line to buy said tickets! Also, if you’re a BCAA/​CAA member, tickets are only $ 11.20 online. Pro tip: take the Skytrain instead of driving, especially if you’re planning to go the last weekend of summer. Trying to find parking is a nightmare. We ended up parking about 20 minutes away (where we actually did find free parking) and walked. If you don’t mind walking, this isn’t a bad option.
The beer garden also had a sweet deal online: $ 10 for admission plus the cutest little beer cup and three drink tickets. You give a beer vender a drink ticket and they put beer in your cup. Want more tickets? They’re only $ 1.50 each!
After spending way too much time at the beer garden, I subsequently spent way too much time in super long lines for the women’s washroom. The PNE needs more washrooms! It seemed like every washroom I went to only had 3 stalls in it and at least 20 – 40 women lined up outside waiting for a stall. What’s up with that?
Still had a great time: Ate some amazing ribs and doughnuts, lost all my money on games, recorded a video «for» a news station (it was a fun video that gets emailed to you) and then stood in line for over an hour and a half (I’m not kidding) for the Wooden Roller Coaster. Another pro tip: if you want to enjoy the rides, go to Playland when the PNE isn’t open. Although the Wooden Roller Coaster was a ton of fun (and dangerous. I got off the ride with battle wounds) I’m not sure it was really worth the hour and a half wait.
Due to the long lines, 4 instead of 5 stars. I definitely need to go again next year though! All in all, an awesome day out!

You know when summer is going to be officially over is when PNE begins and ends. Heard many things about the PNE being similar to Toronto’s CNE and I got to experience my first PNE visit.
The PNE is pretty similar when compared to the CNE. Having been to the CNE plenty of times in Toronto I was sort of expecting the PNE to be the same. Pretty much everything about the outdoor fun fare is pretty on par with the Toronto’s CNE. Despite imo the CNE still has more variety to offer in terms of food, attractions and vendors when in market place. There are plenty of artery clogging and massive calorie gaining foods everywhere there. There’s rides, animal shows, outdoor live stage entertainment and they also had a designated craft beer tasting event there as well.
During the labor day long weekend there were alot of people that day and lines were long (as expected). General admission was a bit pricey as it was $ 16 per person, and their after 9 pm is only $ 5. I found that, going after 9 pm when admission is slashed down to $ 5 is not worth it since the PNE would close around 11 or maybe 12 midnight. The CNE has the same promo which they allow everyday that the fair is running during the weekdays after 5 pm it is only $ 6.
Generally its a fun a place indeed to check out and enjoy the last couple of days of summer and try out some funky food that you normally wouldn’t eat on a daily basis and play some games. Good place for good times.

Prepare for rain… lots of rain, little to no cover, only a few places to smoke and overpriced food. That being said every time I go I have fun.

My family and I come here every year for PNE, its like one of the family traditional summer events. We came here on a free admission day and boy it was like a war zone!!! Traffic was not moving to the parking lot. If you want to get a 16 $ parking spot, you better get there early in the morning, or else you will be stuck in traffic forever trying to get in the lots. They have new exhibits like Hall of Heroes, Dinosaurs and Peter Pan play. They still have the Farm Animals and Super Dogs. I always eat their BBQ chicken at Henry’s, cotton candy, mini donuts and elephant ears. We always check out the market place last because we don’t have to lug things around if we have anything to buy. Despite the fact that it was a war zone on a free admission day i still highly recommend PNE as it brings me lots of childhood memories. IF you don’t want bad traffic and long line-​ups, just avoid going on free admission days and you can get discount at ⁷⁄₁₁ (around 3 $ off).

Came here yesterday for free due to the forecasted rain.
We arrived shortly after 11 am & walked in.
There were less vendors in the marketplace this year so it didn’t feel crowded.
New this year is the Rabbit Agility trials… cute.
Saw the pig races; it’s 25 mins of the guy talking & 5 mins of the races.
SuperHeroes exhibit — quite interesting & they made it like a mini Science World, something for all ages.
SuperDogs has a Hollywood theme this year otherwise it’s the same show.
Saw Peter Pan; best place to sit is facing the stage. Row 19 has more legroom. The show is 90 mins long without an intermission.
We had the Red Velvet mini-​donuts with a cream cheese glaze on a skewer $ 6.00 for about 11 donuts. This is a lot to eat for 1 person. I think it was also a better deal than the cinnamon mini-​donuts for $ 5.00
Tim Hortons has a van near the Tim Hortons digital venue + near the Shaw tent: $ 1.25 for a small coffee or hot chocolate. This is the best deal ever because on site, they charge $ 3.75 for drinks, $ 7.00 for cotton candy (Do they think this is Disney ?)
Freebies: Dairyland organic milk: Lactose-​free, strawberry/​chocolate near the Garden Auditorium, Casa di Mama pizza near the SuperHeroes exhibit, Organic lollipops in interesting flavours at the VanCity booth outside the barns, Armstrong Cheese near the dinosaurs exhibit. They have cheese cubes + a delicious Red Pepper Jelly with green apple & medium cheddar grilled cheese sandwich.

I come here every year and I have to say there is nothing special about this place. Admission is $ 16 and I do not think its really worth that price. Unless this is your first time here. I come here every year and I have seen it when it first costed $ 2 going up to today’s price.
The super dogs is the same year after year. The rides are pretty much the same. THey do have more rides during the fair then Playland.
But I actually really go to the Fair for their food. They have the awesome perogies meals, the fried oreo cookies or fried mars bar. Basically all junk food. But once a year and so what da heck.

Price of admission is still $ 16 at the gate.
TIP: Buy online for $ 3 off or at 7 – 11 and Shoppers Drug Mart.
Food is still a big thing at the fair, but price grabbing is their game. Don’t buy from the PNE run stands as they will run you $ 10 – 20 for some items. It’s always best to eat beforehand.
The entertainment is somewhat more appealing with Superheros, The Beatles and Peter Pan: The Broadway Musical as part of their 2015 lineup.
A summer tradition of spend well over $ 100 per day. Go PNE Go!

Always fun to be had at Vancouver’s oldest fair.
Free concerts nightly with international recording artists.
Fair food galore
BUT… they have some BIG ISSUES if you are trying to collect passes, or comp tickets. It seems as the staff are not very organized. Alot of staff do not know even what they are doing. We asked about collecting tickets at Gate 1 and if we were in the correct place. The person said «I don’t know». All the while we were standing at Gate 1. Collecting tickets & backstage passes, same thing, sent us to multiple different places when all the while the passes were at the booth we first went to.
Makes for a pretty frustrating time. But if you are just going to wonder around and take in the Fair this seems fine, be careful asking for directions or Info though.

PNE fair 2014 rocked!
My other half and I came here during the time it was free admission. We didn’t touch any of the rides but still had a wonderful time.
Food wise there were a lot of food options. You can still find your typical fair food like hot dogs, corn dogs, popcorn, donuts, etc but there were also food trucks like brick oven pizza, cannoli etc. There was an area designated for just BBQs, briskets, ribs and it was fascinating to watch the lineups and the trophies won over the years for best BBQ.
The price show home had a line up and so was the Coca Cola van/​booth where you can get your name tattooed on the aluminum bottle as a souvenir.
I enjoyed touring the farm country and seeing different farm animals. I especially enjoyed the simulated farm tour where kids get a bucket and can «shop» by picking fake eggs, dairy, apples (the shopping items would be later returned when they exit) etc. They even have a fake dairy cow with rubber nipples where kids can pretend to milk cow! How educational is that. Your first boob experience other than your mom’s.
We also spent a good chunk of time window shopping under one of the dome buildings. It was like a mini consumer goods trade show. They have anything from Titanium pans (which cost an arm and a leg and don’t work well), bras, kitchen gadgets like slicers, vita mix, knives of various materials, eye massager, BBQ grill mat, mops, steamers, dish soap/​laundry soap, jewelries and more.
We didn’t check out game of thrones exhibit. The lineup was insane. We skipped out on the music series as it was still early in the day. The shows were full so we skipped that as well.

They finally added police traffic enforcement unlike early on in the fair. My guess is it was due to complaints.
The Mystical India musical was a real disappointment. Horribly choreographed. Dancers out of synch with each other. They even had a black dancer, not that there is anything wrong with that.
Superdogs is now only 28 minutes. It was much longer before.
Many merchants, sponsors, exhibitors shut down or leave before 10 PM yet the Fair is open until 11 PM, Playland even longer.

Beware the Game of Thrones bait and switch.
The PNE has made a big deal about their Game of Thrones exhibit. But they won’t tell you that once you’ve used your ticket to enter the fair, you’ll find that the exhibit is full for the day.
This is clearly a regular occurrence as they have printed signs for this. I visited midweek and had this problem, so people’s chances of seeing the exhibit on the weekend are even lower.
What really frustrates me, there are clearly fewer people queuing up in the evening versus midday. This is probably due to people getting tickets early in the day but not being able to stay for their time. And yet, the PNE does nothing to make use of this extra capacity.
As for their suggestion to come another day, why would I buy more tickets to visit the PNE again, only to be disappointed another time? Though, I’m sure the PNE would be happy for the extra tickets sales, which is why they aren’t upfront on their website about your chances of getting in.

PNE Fair 2014 …
I understand that things cost. That it is expensive to rent space as a vendor at the yearly fair which is then reflected in the price of everything from the soft cone to the pulled pork saturated in delicious sauce. But tell me. Isn’t the point of selling TO SELL???
As I walked passed the row of BBQ vendors this year., becoming intoxicated by the delectable symphony of meaty smoke, I noticed the prices and was instantly sober. Are you kidding me? $ 23 for a slab of pork? After I just paid $ 16 to walk through a gate?
Just imagine BBQ vendor brings 100 slabs of pork with the intention of making $ 23 per. But only manages to move 50 because no one is willing to pay the asking price… So he makes $ 1,150 but still has 50 slabs of pork. to take back with him to wherever uneaten pork goes…
Wouldn’t it make more sense to bring down the price to let’s say $ 9.99 … Which would then give leeway for patrons to buy 2 or 3 sides to go with it plus drinks? I mean these vendors don’t seem to have ever shopped at Walmart! It’s a really simple business model… Lower the price = moving more product!!! Invariably it will result in more profit …
I bet ya all the vendors this year will ultimately complain that sales were down!!! Well… If you’re charging $ 5.00 for a cone of ice cream that I can get at McDonalds for $ 1.24… You can keep your frozen carbohydrates and bored employees as I shuffle by without even considering your tasty treat!
Here’s a fact that some of you vendors might want to keep in mind… We as patrons want to spend money when we come the fair but we hesitate when you try to make fools out of us with your criminal prices!!!
P. S. Those little donuts are not worth $ 5 per bag!!! And I remember when the line ups were so long you’d have to wait and wait to get some… This time around… There were no line ups…
We might be passive Canadians, but we sure as hell aren’t stupid.

It seems sometimes that there are forces involved with the PNE that want it to fail so they can do something more profitable with the land. This was the first year, for me, that I really saw a very noticeable decline in the quality of the PNE. It made me stand back and wonder how much of my love for the PNE was simple nostalgia for days that are likely long over.
Everything people are saying in these reviews are true.
* A lot of empty space with hastily thrown up tarps that gave parts of the event a really cheap feeling.
* The price of food is insanely ridiculous and makes what you pay the movie theatres seem reasonable by comparison.
* So much of it seems the exact same, year after year. There was a brief period of time where they attempted to theme each year, but that has been given up on.
Again, I think there are those who want to see the PNE fail. They can think of 100 things better to do with the land than entertaining the city.
Why not reach our for more sponsorship? You cannot tell me there are not more brands out there who see the huge crowds that attend and not want a part of that action?
Again, why is there ZERO PNE merchandise? Not a single t-​shirt, pin, button, magnet or anything.
I really want to see the PNE succeed and how long I continue to attend will depend upon my nostalgia holding out.

Super Dogs — awesome!
Mosaic Music Series — great
Farm Country — great
Get Animated Exhibit — very good
Game of Thrones — meh

As far as fairs go, it’s above average. Rides are ok, some of the exhibits are good and of course there’s all the food.
This year, we went to the Game of Thrones exhibit. Aside from taking pictures on the Iron Throne and the Oculus Rift, the rest of the exhibit was underwhelming.
The food was ok. Had some mini donuts which are always good, had a pulled pork sandwich for lunch which was pretty ordinary, had a strawberry lemonade which was decent enough, had some ice cream where the scoops I think were done with teaspoons and a slush which was about 3 times as expensive as 7 – 11 for the pitiful size.
The marketplace is the marketplace. Some interesting stuff, some not so interesting stuff. Bought a dog brush and nail grinder there.
Superdogs is always super. Never really get tired of that one.
Timber was not what I expected. I really wanted the classic lumberjack competition, not a bunch of dancing with random lumberjackish things mixed in there.
And then we got tired and decided to leave. They need to have better maps where all the various food vendors are because on the way out we saw all the interesting food vendors… Mac’N’Cheese, Deep Fried Everything, Cannoli King etc etc. I would have wanted to try some of these instead.
Oh well, maybe next year.

Just gets worse and worse every year. There is literally nothing new to see and if you don’t want to bust your wallet for food, this place is most definitely not for you. Everything is severely overpriced and there literally is nothing else to do other than eat and watch the Peking Acrobats show. Also, the only reason why we even decided to come at all was because of the free admission (Tuesdays 11am — 1pm)
I came here with a few friends, didn’t buy ride tickets since we’ve gone so many times already and the prices are just ridiculous now. So after we watched the Peking acrobats we literally decided that shoving through crowds any longer wasn’t worth it. We left to get phở and spring rolls at a near by Vietnamese restaurants (Bao Chau on Hastings). I had more fun eating lunch than at the PNE.

This is a Vancouver institution. People flock to this weird place, are voluntarily robbed, and then told that they had a great time. It’s so confusing to me!
$ 16 for parking? $ 5 for a handful of chips? and so on and so forth. Who is the King of the PNE? I want all this money he is making.
I know this is not the forum, but I am big fat doing it anyway… none of the animals are happy in whatever that discovery centre thing is. They are all shaking and traumatized as kids yell and scream and poke them. As if pigs like being chased by a large moustachioed man screaming into a megaphone. I am not sure what good this is teaching our children?
It felt like I was at a really expensive Wal-​mart. Please tell me someone has received those emails? Deep fried food, expensive cheap drinks, pushing and shoving, expensive cheap stuffed animals, and so on.
Do I just sound like a dick? I do love the rides though.

Superdogs, mini-​donuts, candied apples, cotton candy, deep-​fried everything, cheap stuffed animal prizes, the Showmart, the P.N.E prize home and washed up rock bands from the seventies playing for free every night!
What’s not to love about the P.N.E?