Let’s Go to The Ex!

Pictured above are the Princes’ Gates, entrance to the Canadian National Exhibition, better known as the CNE or, more fondly, The Ex, Canada’s largest fair. It began in 1878 as an agricultural fair, with 100,000 people attending for the admission price of 25 cents.

Today an estimated 1.3 million people visit the CNE, generating more than $50 million in revenue for Toronto, and over $70 million for the Province of Ontario.

It's held for 18 days at the end of August. It covers 192 acres along Toronto’s waterfront and features shopping areas, exhibits, live entertainment, a casino, and of course the midway with a plethora of games, rides and food. There’s also the Kid Zone, which features entertainment for children as well as scaled down rides and games.

I’m not sure how old the daughter was when we first started going to The Ex, but it became an annual ritual for the two of us. It always seemed like the perfect way to end the summer. Then the daughter started on her road to higher education and string of trips to The Ex was broken.

This year seemed like a good idea at the time for the whole family to celebrate the end of summer with a trip to The Ex. So on the weekend we drove to Oshawa, then boarded the GO train to Exhibition Place.

The crowds were absolutely insane.

The above picture as taken before the crowds got bad. None of us were comfortable with the crowds, especially on the midway. And the lines for anything were also insane.

However, we’re nothing if not a family of troopers. We started in the Enercare building, which featured a display of garden gnomes:

A seaworld exhibit created with roses:

And a video gaming area:

We rested our tired feet by sitting on the bleachers provided for viewing some robot wars:

And later stood in the most incredibly long line I’ve ever seen to see the Super Dogs. In fact, we were more than twice as long in the line as we were watching the show.

While the hubby and I checked out the Craft and Hobby building, the daughter and son-in-law took the granddaughter to the kid zone. Overhead the U.S. Blue Angels and the Canadian Snow Birds made sure there was no napping on the job. Those jets passing overhead were LOUD!

While it was wonderful to spend the day together as a family, I have to be honest and say that none of us were sorry to board the train back to Oshawa. I would love to go on another family adventure, but maybe something a little less people-y. And maybe indoors. With air conditioning.

The Ex has certainly changed a lot since the daughter and I used to go. That it’s more expensive is a given – everything’s more expensive since the pandemic. And there doesn’t seem to be as much to see.

Would I go again? I’d probably give it another try. But I think I’d suck it up and drive all the way there – our travel time was way too long. And never again on a weekend.