The Canadian National Exhibition (CNE)| Opening Day at the CNE 2023! | Toronto 4K Walk (Aug 2023)

Source: Wikipedia
The Canadian National Exhibition (CNE), also known as The Exhibition or The Ex, is an annual event that takes place at Exhibition Place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on the third Friday of August leading up to and including Labour Day, the first Monday in September. With approximately 1.5 million visitors each year, the CNE is Canada's largest annual fair and the fifth largest in North America. The first Canadian National Exhibition took place in 1879, largely to promote agriculture and technology in Canada. Agriculturists, engineers, and scientists exhibited their discoveries and inventions at the CNE to showcase the work and talent of the nation. As Canada has grown as a nation, the CNE has reflected the growth in diversity and innovation, though agriculture and technology remain a large part of the CNE. For many people in the Greater Toronto Area and the surrounding communities, the CNE is an annual family tradition.
The CNE is held at Exhibition Place, which is a 192 acres (78 ha) site located along Toronto's waterfront on the shores of Lake Ontario and just west of downtown Toronto. The site features several buildings and structures, many of which have been named as significant under the Ontario Heritage Act. There are several outdoor live music venues on-site including the permanent CNE Bandshell. All of the roads are named after the Canadian provinces and territories. The site includes a football and soccer stadium, parks, fountains, plazas, a rose garden, statues and parking lots.
The site was reserve lands for British and later Canadian military and was the site of Fort Rouillé, an 18th-century French fort. The area was cleared of forest in the early 19th century for use by the Toronto Garrison of Fort York. The Exhibition received permission to use part of the site in the 1870s and expanded to use the whole site by the 1920s. In the 1950s, the site was expanded south of Lake Shore Boulevard by landfill, and reduced in size on its northern boundary by the construction of the Gardiner Expressway.
Shows and attractions
The 18-day fair itself consists of a mix of shopping areas, exhibits, live entertainment, agricultural displays, sports events, a casino, and a large carnival midway with many rides, games and food. The Canadian International Air Show on Labour Day weekend has been a major feature of the fair since 1949, held over Lake Ontario just south of Exhibition Place.
Toronto's oldest standing structure, Scadding Cabin, a log cabin dating to 1794 is open to the public during the CNE
Several buildings house exhibits and displays from vendors, government agencies and various industry associations. These include the International Pavilion of products from around the world, and the Arts, Crafts and Hobbies Building of crafts, collectibles and unusual items. The Enercare Centre complex holds the international pavilion, a garden show, the SuperDogs performances and a sand-sculpting competition. It also has exhibit space used for agricultural or industrial displays and a live stage. The Food Building houses a large number of vendors offering food from many cultures, reflecting Toronto's multicultural population. The Better Living Centre building is used for a casino on one side, and a farming display on the other. The CNE continues its tradition of agricultural produce competition and the winners are displayed in the Better Living Centre, along with a butter sculpting competition. Other exhibit areas are used differently in different years. There are a large number of vendors outside along the streets of the fair offering discount and unusual products. Some exhibits are only held for a few days of the year, such as the cat show.
The 1792 "Scadding Cabin" log cabin display dates back to the first year of the fair and is the only time the cabin is open to the public.[4]
The Canadian National Exhibition includes a carnival midway in the northeast corner of Exhibition Place.
The carnival midway has a large children's area in the northwest corner of the park, with smaller rides suitable for children under 12. The main area is situated west of the Enercare Centre and has several dozen rides, including thrill rides, roller coasters, swing rides and a log plume ride. Along several pathways of the midway area are games of "skill", games of chance and many carnival food vendors. The CNE operates a "sky ride", with chairs similar to ski-lift chairs, to carry riders from one end of the midway to the other.