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Canadian National Exhibition: History of the CNE

Updated · 5 min read

The Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) is an annual fair held on the Lake Ontario waterfront in Toronto. It began in 1879 as the Toronto Industrial Exhibition, took its present name in 1912, and runs for 18 days in late August, according to The Canadian Encyclopedia. The grounds are known today as Exhibition Place.

From travelling fair to permanent grounds

The Canadian Encyclopedia traces the exhibition to an agricultural fair that moved among the towns of Canada West in the 1840s. In 1878 the City of Toronto leased 20 hectares (about 50 acres) of lakefront land as a permanent fairground. The City’s cultural heritage landscape assessment adds that the site hosted the Provincial Agricultural Fair in 1878 before being chosen in 1879 to host the Toronto Industrial Exhibition each year. The first Toronto Industrial Exhibition opened there in 1879. About 100,000 people attended, and admission was 25 cents. Of the 23 wooden buildings on the grounds, all but the Crystal Palace were devoted to agriculture.

The site had a longer history. The official Exhibition Place history records that the French built Fort Rouille there in 1750 and destroyed it in 1759 to keep it from English troops. The Cultural Landscape Foundation adds that an obelisk marks the fort’s site, and that the Officers’ Quarters of the British military post later known as Stanley Barracks date from 1841. The Scadding Cabin, built in 1794, was moved to the grounds from the east bank of the Don River in 1879. The older military post is covered in the article on Fort York.

Growth and new buildings

The Canadian Encyclopedia records two early technical firsts: in 1882 the encyclopedia says the fairgrounds were the first to be lit by electricity, and in 1883 J. J. Wright introduced an electric railway there. The Crystal Palace burned in 1906 and was replaced by the brick and stone Horticultural Building. By 1912, the year of the new name, the grounds covered 141 hectares and included an amusement park. The Cultural Landscape Foundation gives the present Exhibition Place as a 78-hectare parcel, so the figure depends on the date and on how the grounds are measured.

The Foundation reports that a Toronto architect redesigned the western grounds in the early twentieth century, and that the surviving halls from 1905 to 1912 show the influence of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Alfred Chapman designed the expansion of the eastern grounds in the mid-1920s.

The Princes’ Gates

The ceremonial entrance at the east end is the Princes’ Gates. Exhibition Place says the architect Alfred Chapman was commissioned to develop a fifty-year plan for the east end of the grounds, which was never fully implemented, and that he designed the Princes’ Gates in 1927. The Canadian Encyclopedia reports that Edward, Prince of Wales, and his brother Prince George opened the gates in 1927. Exhibition Place gives the date as August 30, 1927. The Canadian Encyclopedia describes nine pillars, meant to stand for the nine provinces of 1927, flanking a central arch topped by a figure by Charles McKechnie. Exhibition Place describes nine Doric columns on each side of the arch, so the two sources differ on the count. The Encyclopedia adds that after a major restoration in 1987 the gates were designated under the Ontario Heritage Act.

Timeline of Exhibition Place

  • 1750: the French build Fort Rouille. 1759: they destroy it.
  • 1841: Officers’ Quarters of the British post later called Stanley Barracks built.
  • 1878: the City leases 20 hectares for a fairground.
  • 1879: first Toronto Industrial Exhibition.
  • 1906: the Crystal Palace burns.
  • 1912: renamed the Canadian National Exhibition.
  • 1922: Coliseum Arena built.
  • 1927: Princes’ Gates open.
  • 1929: Automotive Building opens.
  • 1931: Horse Palace built.
  • 1942 to 1946: grounds used by the federal government in wartime.
  • 1947: the fair resumes.
  • 1962: Better Living Centre built.

The grounds in the Second World War

According to CNE Heritage, in spring 1942 the board of the CNE Association agreed to give the grounds and buildings to the federal government for wartime use, on the understanding that no fair would run. Soldiers were housed in the buildings, including the Horse Palace stalls, which were fitted with double-decker bunks. The Automotive Building became the naval barracks and recruiting office of HMCS York. The war ended in 1945, but the military did not leave until May 31, 1946, so the next exhibition could not be held until 1947.

The fair in the twentieth century

The Canadian Encyclopedia says grandstand shows usually had Canadian themes, and that during both world wars they stressed effort, loyalty, and victory. The encyclopedia also lists Marilyn Bell’s 1954 swim across Lake Ontario among the events linked to the fair. The same article reports attendance of about 1.3 million visitors a year, and in later years the fair adopted an environmental plan in 2004 and an organic recycling program in 2008.

Exhibition Place also hosts other events through the year. The official site records that the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair came to the grounds with the Coliseum in 1922. Dates, admission, and programming of the fair change every year, so the CNE’s own website should be consulted for the current season.

Frequently asked questions

When was the Canadian National Exhibition founded?

The first exhibition, then called the Toronto Industrial Exhibition, opened in 1879.

When did it become the CNE?

The name Canadian National Exhibition was adopted officially in 1912.

Why did the CNE stop during the Second World War?

The CNE Association gave the grounds to the federal government in 1942 for military use. The military left on May 31, 1946, and the fair returned in 1947.

What are the Princes’ Gates?

They are the monumental east entrance to the grounds, opened in 1927 by Edward, Prince of Wales, and Prince George, and designated under the Ontario Heritage Act after a restoration in 1987.

Last verified: October 2026

Sources

  1. James H. Marsh, “Canadian National Exhibition,” The Canadian Encyclopedia, Historica Canada
  2. Exhibition Place, “Facts & Figures” (official history page)
  3. The Cultural Landscape Foundation, “Exhibition Place”
  4. CNE Heritage, “H.M.C.S. York, circa 1943”
  5. City of Toronto, “Exhibition Place Cultural Heritage Landscape Assessment”, Exhibition Place Cultural Heritage Landscape Assessment
Cite this page

APA: History of Toronto. (2026, October 25). Canadian National Exhibition: History of the CNE. https://historyoftoronto.ca/blog/canadian-national-exhibition-history

MLA: “Canadian National Exhibition: History of the CNE.” History of Toronto, 25 Oct. 2026, https://historyoftoronto.ca/blog/canadian-national-exhibition-history. Accessed .

Chicago: History of Toronto. “Canadian National Exhibition: History of the CNE.” Last modified October 25, 2026. https://historyoftoronto.ca/blog/canadian-national-exhibition-history.

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