The Provincial Agricultural Fair of Canada West was an annual provincial agricultural fair held in various places in

Canada West The Province of Canada (or the United Province of Canada or the United Canadas) was a British colony in British North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, in the Report ...

and after 1867 in

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

. The fair was established in 1846 and sponsored by the Provincial Agricultural Association and the Board of Agriculture for Canada West. It replaced an earlier attempt in 1792 by the Agricultural Society of Upper Canada founded in Newark (now

Niagara-on-the-Lake Niagara-on-the-Lake is a town in Ontario, Canada. It is located on the Niagara Peninsula at the point where the Niagara River meets Lake Ontario, across the river from New York (state), New York, United States. Niagara-on-the-Lake is in the R ...

, Ontario) in 1792. The fair was mainly an agricultural themed show featuring horses and domesticated animals from around what was still a very rural pre-Confederation

. It would last until 1878 as it met competition with large number of local fairs that emerged across some towns and counties in

and eventually succeeded by the

Canadian National Exhibition The Canadian National Exhibition (CNE), also known as The Exhibition or The Ex, is an annual fair that takes place at Exhibition Place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on the third Friday of August leading up to and including Labour Day (Canada), ...

in 1879.

List of Provincial Agricultural Association of Canada West/Ontario

From 1858 the fair rotated between Toronto, Kingston, Hamilton and London in the same sequence for the duration of the fair's existence. Following Toronto's decision to create a permanent fair (Toronto Industrial Exhibition or now the

), the provincial fair was replaced by the

Dominion Exhibition The Dominion Exhibition was an exhibition held annually in Canada from 1879 to 1913. Every year the federal government awarded the role of host of the exhibition to one of the country's larger fairs. The first exhibition was held in Ottawa ...

from 1879 until 1913. The remaining cities that continue with their existing fairs are: * Kingston: continued with the Frontenac Agricultural Society Fair that began in 1825 on an irregular pattern to 1925, thereafter the Kingston Fair has been held annually * Hamilton: the closest fair in the city has been the Ancaster Fall Fair held since 1850 * London: continued with the Western Fair that began in 1868 and operating since 1885 as the only fall fair in the city

Other fairs

A list of annual agricultural and/or country fairs in Ontario created before or after the establishment of the provincial fair: * Williamstown Fall Fair 1812–present, Williamstown, ON is the oldest continuing fall fair in Ontario and replacing an unnamed fair that was held in town since 1808 * Kingston Fall Fair - 1912–present, operated by the Kingston and District Agricultural Society. A revival of the previous Midland Fair which operated from 1830 until 1880. * Norfolk County Fair and Horse Show 1840–present, Simcoe, ON * East Middlesex Agricultural Fair - 1841. Held annual fairs until 1868 at north-west corner of Talbot and Oxford - London, ON * Aberfoyle Fall Fair 1842-present, Guelph, ON * Richmond Fair 1844-present, Ottawa, ON * Scarboro Fair 1844 to early 20th Century, Scarborough, ON * Aylmer Fari 1849-present, Alymer, ON * Ancaster Fair 1850-present, Jersyville, ON * Brigden Fair 1850-present, Brigden, ON * Schomberg Fair 1850–present, Schomberg, ON * Armour, Ryerson & Burk's Falls 1881-present, Burk's Falls, ON * Barrie Fair 1853-present, Thornton, ON * Brampton Fall Fair 1853–present, Brampton, ON * Binbrook Fair 1853-present, Binbrook, ON * Brampton Fall Fair 1853-present, Caledon, ON * Beaverton Fall Fair 1855-present, Beaverton, ON * Spencerville Fair 1855-present, Spencerville, ON * Aruther Fall Fair 1856-present, Arthur, ON * Bayfield Fair 1856-present, Bayfield, ON * Arran Tara Agricultural Society 1857-present, Tara, ON * Beaver Valley Fall Fair 1870-present, Clarksburg, ON * Beachburg Fair 1857-present, Beachburg, ON * Beeton Fall Fair 1857-present, Beeton, ON * Brooke-Alvinston Watford Fall Fair 1857-present, Alvinston, ON *

Markham Fair Markham Fair is one of Canada's oldest country fairs, an annual event established in 1844. It is located in Markham, Ontario and hosted by the Markham and East York Agricultural Society. With over 700 volunteers working on more than 70 committees, ...

1857–present, Markham, ON * Almonte Fair 1858-present, Almonte, ON * Bolton Fall Fair 1858-present, Bolton, ON * Bobcaygen Fair 1859-present, Bobcaygeon, ON * Avonmore Fair 1860-present, Avonmore, ON * Burford Fair 1860-present, Brant, ON * Brussels Fall Fair 1861-present, Brussels, ON * Blackstock Fair 1865-present, Blackstock, ON * Bracebridge Fall Fair & Horse Show 1867-present, Bracebridge, ON * Western Fair 1868–present, London, ON * Bonfield Fall Fair 1890-present, Bonfield, ON * Brooklin Spring Fair 1991-present, Brooklin, ON * Acton Fall Fair 1913-present, Acton, ON *

Royal Agricultural Winter Fair The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair (RAWF), also known as The Royal, is an annual agricultural fair that is held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada during the first two weeks of November. It was inaugurated in 1922 in the Coliseum, on the grounds of Exh ...

1922–present, held in Toronto at

Exhibition Place Exhibition Place is a publicly owned mixed-use district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located by the shoreline of Lake Ontario, just west of downtown. The site includes exhibit, trade, and banquet centres, theatre and music buildings, monuments, ...

in the Colisium
Rockton World's Fair
1852-present, Rockton, ON Other annual fairs around Canada and the United States: * Hants County Exhibition c. 1765 and annual since 1815 - Windsor, NS *

Great New York State Fair The New York State Fair, also known as the Great New York State Fair, is a 13-day showcase of agriculture, entertainment, education, and technology. With midway rides, concessionaires, exhibits, and concerts, it has become New York's largest a ...

1841 - NY State * Provincial Agricultural Fair of Lower Canada - created in 1847 with Montreal hosting fair in 1853 but since ended. Expo Richmond Fair is the only visible and annual fall fair remaining in Quebec (since 1856) * Royal Manitoba Winter Fair 1882 - Winnipeg, MB *

Pacific National Exhibition The Pacific National Exhibition (PNE) is a nonprofit organization that operates an annual 15-day summer fair, 12-day winter fair, a seasonal amusement park, and indoor arenas in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The PNE fair is held at Hastings ...

1910 - Vancouver, BC *

Canadian Western Agribition Canadian Western Agribition, otherwise known as simply Agribition, is an annual agricultural trade show held at REAL District in Regina, Saskatchewan, typically held during the last week of November. History The first Agribition show was held i ...

1971 - Regina, SK other annual agricultural events in Ontario *The International Plowing Match held annually since 1913 in a different location in Ontario each year, has become the largest outdoor agricultural and rural fair in North America.

References

{{reflist Agricultural fairs in Canada Exhibitions in Canada Recurring events established in 1846 Annual fairs History of agriculture in Ontario