The CNE 2026: Let’s Go to The Ex

Canada’s biggest fair returns to Exhibition Place — 18 days of rides, concerts, the Air Show and legendary food

📍 Get Directions 🎟 Hours & Tickets

The Ex is a Toronto end-of-summer tradition dating back to 1879 — a sprawling fair packed with a giant midway, the Bandshell concert series, the Canadian International Air Show over Labour Day weekend, and food you’ll only find here.

🎢 Midway rides 🎤 Bandshell & NXNE stage ✈️ Air Show 👨‍👩‍👧 Family-friendly

💡 Buy advance-sale tickets online before August 20 to save on gate prices — and take GO or the TTC if you can, it’s far easier than driving.

Why Go Hours & Tickets See & Do Music Getting There Tips FAQ

✨ Why The Ex Is Worth It

For a lot of Torontonians, the CNE is simply how summer ends. It has been running since 1879, which makes it one of the oldest and largest annual fairs anywhere — and every August it takes over Exhibition Place on the lakeshore for 18 straight days.

What keeps people coming back is the sheer scale of it. There’s a giant midway with rides and games, the Bandshell hosting free-with-admission concerts, agricultural shows and a working farm, food buildings full of both classics and the wonderfully over-the-top novelty items the Ex is famous for, plus shopping, competitions and exhibits spread across the grounds.

And then there’s the finale: the Canadian International Air Show roars over the waterfront on the closing Labour Day weekend, a tradition almost as old as the fair itself. Whether you come for the rides, the concerts, the food, or just the atmosphere at dusk when the midway lights up, there’s a reason the Ex has stuck around for well over a century.

🎟 Hours & Tickets

The CNE runs daily from August 21 to September 7, 2026. Hours are the same each day until the Labour Day finale, when the fair closes earlier.

Ticket Prices

🎪 What to See & Do

There’s far more here than you can fit into a single day. A few of the headline attractions and returning favourites for 2026:

Plus, all across the grounds:

🎢 Midway rides & games 🍔 The Food Building 🚀 CNE Space EXperience 🏳️‍🌈 CNE Drag Brunch 🛍 Shopping & marketplaces 🏆 Competitions & exhibits 🎨 Arts & crafts displays

🎤 Music at the Bandshell

The Bandshell in Bandshell Park is the CNE’s live-music heart, hosting concerts most nights that are free with your grounds admission. For 2026, the CNE has teamed up with North by Northeast (NXNE) for a landmark music partnership, bringing an NXNE-programmed stage to the fair.

If you want a guaranteed spot up front, the Bell SOUNDSTAGE at the Bandshell offers a Front Row VIP add-on with a reserved viewing area, a private lounge and bar access — note that gate admission is separate and still required.

🚗 Getting There

The CNE is at Exhibition Place, north of Lake Shore Blvd W between Strachan and Dufferin, right off the Gardiner Expressway. Parking is tight and traffic heavy during the fair, so transit is genuinely the easier way in.

🚆 GO Transit: Take a GO train straight to Exhibition GO Station — you arrive right at the grounds. The simplest option from across the GTA.

🚋 TTC: The 509 Harbourfront (from Union) and 511 Bathurst reach Exhibition Loop at the east end; the 504B King and 29 Dufferin bring you to the Dufferin Gate Loop at the west end.

🚲 Cycling: The Martin Goodman / Waterfront Trail runs right past the grounds, with bike parking at the Dufferin Gate and the Princes’ Gates. Official 2026 driving-parking details are posted on theex.com closer to opening.

💡 A Few Things Worth Knowing

🎟 Buy advance tickets before Aug 20. Advance-sale pricing online is cheaper than the gate, and it saves you queuing to buy once you arrive.

🚆 Take GO or the TTC. Exhibition GO Station drops you at the door. Between parking cost and Gardiner traffic, transit is usually faster and cheaper.

💧 Bring a refillable water bottle. There are water-refill stations around the grounds, and drinks inside can be pricey on a hot August day.

📅 Mind the Labour Day hours. The final day closes early — gates shut at 5 p.m. with no re-entry after — so plan an earlier start if Sept 7 is your day.

🍽 Come hungry. The Food Building and the annual novelty-food lineup are half the point of the Ex — pace yourself and share plates to try more.

❓ Common Questions