Canadian National Exhibition

Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) is an annual event held at Exhibition Place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The CNE grew out of an annual late summer fair at a time when Toronto was the centre of a farming community. It is now the oldest and largest annual fair in the world.

Related Topics:
Exhibition Place - Toronto - Ontario - Canada

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Prior to the CNE, a major agricultural fair was held in a different city every year in the province of Ontario. In 1878, Toronto hosted the fair, and it was a major success with over 100,000 visitors. Based on the success, local politicians and business groups lobbied for a permanent summer fair to be held yearly in Toronto. This was fought by other Ontario communities that feared the loss of business from having to compete with a major fair. The traveling fair allowed rural communities to get exposure that they would not normally have had.

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The Toronto operators won and the first 'permanent' fair was held in 1879 as the Toronto Industrial Exhibition at what is now the Exhibition Place grounds. The current grounds covers a total of 260 acres (1 km²) of land facing Lake Ontario, in the west end of Toronto.

Related Topics:
1879 - Exhibition Place - Acres - Lake Ontario

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The CNE was not held between 1942 and 1946, when the land and its facilities were turned over to the Department of National Defense as a training ground. After World War II, it was used as a demobilization centre.

Related Topics:
1942 - 1946 - World War II

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Over the years the CNE has changed extensively to meet the needs of the growing and changing demographics of Toronto and Southern Ontario.

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