PNE returns for 111th year with stripped down fair amid COVID-19 pandemic

The Pacific National Exhibition kicked off its 111th summer fair on Saturday, though the event will be limited in comparison to previous years.

PNE president and CEO Shelley Frost said the 2021 event is operating at about 25 per cent capacity, in order to maintain COVID-19 safety protocols.

“We just wanted to make sure people felt comfortable and good about their experience, so it’s primarily outside,” she said.

“The footprint is a little bit smaller, but the shows and stuff that we have are still going to be a lot of your favourites, you’re going to be able to see SuperDogs, you’re going to be able to see live shows, you’re going to be able to see logger shows.”

Attendees will need to purchase their tickets online in advance for a set date, but will not have a time limit on how long they can visit on that day.

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Safety precautions on site will include multiple hand-washing and sanitization stations, a majority of outdoor exhibits and masked staff.

Guests won’t have to wear a mask, but they are encouraged.

1:53 PNE set to return with COVID-19 restrictions

According to Frost, in a normal year, the PNE supports about 9,500 direct and indirect jobs.

That’s been truncated to “a few thousand” this year, due to the event’s limited size. But Frost said she was confident the event would still break even and said she was hopeful it could even end up slightly in the black.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been tough on the PNE’s bottom line. In 2020, organizers were forced to cancel the in-person fair, and stage a small, drive-through event in its place.

The PNE and the City of Vancouver (which technically owns the fair, though it is operated as a non-profit) have been pushing the federal government for an exemption to regulations that prevented the event from getting federal pandemic subsidies.

Frost said she has been in ongoing consultations with Ottawa on loosening those restrictions.

“Which really makes the future look quite solid, and I hope to be able to come back and confirm that in the not-too-distant future,” she said.

You can get tickets for the fair at PNE.ca.