It was a place I hadn’t visited in more than 40 years.
After spending some time at the Canadian International Air Show, I decided to wander over to the Canadian National Exhibition for a walkabout and a trip down memory lane.
The CNE is celebrating its 147th year, running from August 21 through today, September 7, 2026.
And on Saturday, it was packed.
That didn’t surprise me. What did surprise me was talking to a few vendors who said Saturday was exceptionally busy compared with the previous days. Clearly, plenty of people still consider a trip to the Ex part of their summer tradition.
For me, it was simply great to walk around, take in the sights and see what had changed over the decades.
The rides looked absolutely amazing.
Of course, my days of climbing aboard most of them are long gone. I’m quite happy to keep both feet firmly planted on the ground and watch someone else get tossed around at an alarming speed.
One thing that immediately stood out was how clean the entire CNE was.
Staff were polite, friendly and accommodating, and despite the huge crowds, the grounds were generally well maintained.
But then there was the cost.
And that’s a different story.
Admission was $30, while an all-day ride pass would set you back another $75.
Maybe that’s simply par for the course these days. But when you consider the price of admission, rides, food and everything else, a family outing to the Ex can get expensive very quickly.
And then there were the lineups.
They were incredibly long.
Paying $75 for an all-day ride pass might not sound unreasonable if you’re going to spend the entire day going from ride to ride.
But if you’re spending a good chunk of that day standing in line, the value starts to look a little different.
Then came the food.
Prices ranged from what you might expect at a major event to what can only be described as a nightmare.
I watched one father approach a hot dog stand and order two foot-long hot dogs.
The attendant had to explain the price because there were no signs indicating what they cost.
When she told him they were $30 each, the reaction was immediate.
The line disappeared.
His wife summed it up rather well, saying it seemed like “Disney World prices.”
And she wasn’t wrong.
Even a game of Whack-A-Mole was $10.
Ten dollars to hit some plastic moles.
Maybe I’m showing my age, but I remember when going to the Ex meant spending a few dollars and not having to think too hard about whether something was worth the price.
But times have changed.
And perhaps that’s the biggest realization I had during my return visit after more than four decades.
The CNE has changed dramatically.
The rides are bigger. The crowds are bigger. The prices are certainly bigger.
But there are still familiar things about the Ex that haven’t changed.
There is still the noise, the excitement, the smell of food drifting through the air, the rides spinning overhead and the feeling that something is happening everywhere you look.
There are families making memories, kids seeing things for the first time and people simply enjoying the spectacle.
For someone who hadn’t been there in 40 years, it was actually pretty special to see it again.
Would I go back?
Probably not.
After four decades, I figured one visit was enough.
But I’m glad I went.
It was great to see the Ex again — to see how much it has changed, how much it costs, how much bigger it has become and, in some ways, how much it really hasn’t changed at all.
Sometimes, it’s worth going back just to see if the memories still match reality.
And in this case, they did.
Just with a much bigger price tag.
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
