Pacific National Exhibition

Infobox festival
festival_name = Pacific National Exhibition or PNE



caption =
location = Vancouver, British Columbia
years_active = 98
dates = mid to late August to early September
genre = fall fair
website = [http://www.pne.ca 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, it remains at Hastings Park for the foreseeable future.

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 an 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)
* Coliseum (1968)
* Garden Auditorium (1930s)
* Livestock Barns (1930s)
* Marketplace
* Urban Change Pavilion
* Wooden Roller Coaster (1958)

Lost Buildings of the PNE

* Armed Services Display Building 1950s
* Aquarium
* Athletic Field (1910)
* The Baby Dipper
* Baby Dipper
* Band Stand
* 1950s BC Pavillion - later as BC Sports Hall of Fame
* Dining Hall
* Dip the Dips 1915
* Directors' Dining Room
* Display Barn
* District Display Exhibit
* Empire Stadium - now Empire Field
* Feed Store
* Ferryboat Wharf (1910)
* Food Building - now part of the Sanctuary parkland
* Forestry Hall 1913
* Fountain
* Giant Dipper
* Grandstand (1910)
* Green House
* Happyland Carousel Building
* Horticultural Building
* Industrial Building 1910 - later as The Women's Building
* Livestock Judging Pavilion
* Manufacturers' Building - also Machinery Hall and later as Transporation Building 1910
* Mineral Exhibit
* Miniature Railway
* Post Office
* Poultry & Pigeon building 1950s
* Press Bureau
* Pure Foods Building 1930s
* Race Track and Stables (Around 1905.)
* Racing Paddock
* Refreshment Stands
* Roller Land Forum 1930s
* Sheep Stables
* Shoot the Chutes
* Showmart 1929 - 45,000 sq ft building used for concerts and other events; now part of the Sanctuary parkland
* Skid Road (Midway) (1910)
* Stable Restaurant
* Stock Judging Building
* Streetcar Station (1910)
* Swine Building 1950s
* Vaudeville Stage

Transportation

Early fair goers arrived by streetcar (until 1958) via Renfrew Street. Today, the park can be reached by car (with 2 parking lots to the north and 1 at the southwest end) and transit (via Translink buses).

The park only major street is the Historic Miller Drive. Renfrew Street and Hastings Street form the west and south boundaries of the park.

Entrances

* Main Entrance Gate - Hastings and Renfrew Street
* Coliseum Gate - bus loop at Pacific Coliseum
* Miller Gate - Miller Drive
* Playland Gate - Hastings Street

ee also

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

References

* [http://cec.chebucto.org/ClosPark/HappLand.html Happyland]
* [http://vancouver.ca/pnepark/ PNE Park]
* [http://vancouver.ca/pnepark/history.htm Hastings Park History]

External links

* [http://www.pne.ca PNE Homepage]