The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair (RAWF), also known as The Royal, is an annual

agricultural Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created f ...

fair A fair (archaic: faire or fayre) is a gathering of people for a variety of entertainment or commercial activities. Fairs are typically temporary with scheduled times lasting from an afternoon to several weeks. Fairs showcase a wide range of go ...

that is held in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

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 ...

, Canada during the first two weeks of November. It was inaugurated in 1922 in the

Coliseum The Colosseum ( ; , ultimately from Ancient Greek word "kolossos" meaning a large statue or giant) is an elliptical amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome, Italy, just east of the Roman Forum. It is the largest ancient amphitheatre ...

, on the grounds of

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, ...

. It has since been expanded to also take up the

Enercare Centre Enercare Centre, formerly known as the Direct Energy Centre and originally the National Trade Centre, is an exhibition complex located at Exhibition Place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is used by the Canadian National Exhibition and the Royal ...

and remains an important exhibit for

livestock Livestock are the Domestication, domesticated animals that are raised in an Agriculture, agricultural setting to provide labour and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, Egg as food, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The t ...

breeders.

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

, as

Queen of Canada The monarchy of Canada is Canada's form of government embodied by the Canadian sovereign and head of state. It is one of the key components of Canadian sovereignty and sits at the core of Canada's constitutional federal structure and Wes ...

, was the fair's royal patron. Members of the Canadian Royal Family have also been guests of honour at the fair. It is the largest indoor agricultural fair in the world.

History

Following the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, a group of farmers led by W. A. Dryden, from

Brooklin, Ontario Brooklin is a community in the town of Whitby, Ontario, Whitby, Ontario, Canada, north of central Whitby, at the south junction of Ontario Highways Highway 12 (Ontario), 12 and Highway 7 (Ontario), 7. While Brooklin proper is confined to a specifi ...

, sought to create a national agricultural exhibition, partly to set national standards for the judging of domestic animals. Together, they formed the Agricultural Winter Fair Association of Canada and quickly received, in 1920, permission from King

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936. George w ...

for use of the prefix ''royal''. In 1920, the City of Toronto approved the construction of a new livestock arena on the Toronto Exhibition Grounds to house the new fair and other uses. Plans called for the first mounting of the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair to take place in 1921, but this was delayed when a heating system for the new arena could not be installed in time. The first show thus opened on 22 November 1922, drawing to its livestock competitions 17,000 entries from several

provinces A province is an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outside Italy. The term ''provi ...

and the United States. The fair then, save for the years when Canada was embroiled in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, consistently provided for farmers a forum to display equipment, discuss new trends, and showcase wares. In 1965, significant changes were introduced by the federal Department of Agriculture, which had been a longtime sponsor of The Royal. Both the number of livestock classes for each breed and the number of entries per breeder were reduced; new judging standards were set, emphasizing the utility of the breed; buildings were renovated, and the Winter Garden Show and Horse Show were given more prominence, the latter attracting some 75,000 viewers. For the fair's 75th anniversary in 1997 a commemorative stamp was issued by

Canada Post Canada Post Corporation (, trading as Canada Post (), is a Canadian Crown corporation that functions as the primary postal operator in Canada. Originally known as Royal Mail Canada (the operating name of the Post Office Department of the Can ...

. Due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, the 2020 and 2021 editions of the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto were cancelled, as was the case for that summer's

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), ...

and the

Canadian International Air Show The Canadian International Air Show (CIAS) is an annual air show in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The show is an aeronautical display of military, government and civilian aircraft, primarily from Canada and the United States. The show takes place al ...

, also held at Exhibition Place.

Programme

Today, the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair sees over 320,000 visits including exhibitors, and international and local guests of all ages. Over 6,000 animals arrive in Toronto each November, including over 4,900 head of cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, rabbits, and fancy bird, and over 900 horses and ponies, plus numerous displays of crops and vegetables, educational exhibits, and feature attractions. The latter include The Royal Culinary Academy, which provides demonstrations and interactive opportunities for the public, food sampling, along with a wide variety of other education and entertainment features each day and evening. Evening events at the Fair include the iconic Royal Horse Show, dining in The Royal's food venues, where guests can enjoy delicious cuisine made with the best of local products. Additionally, The Royal Animal Theatre showcases animals at work and play, including sheep-herding, goats on the go, Spirit of the Horse, rabbit jumping, and The SuperDogs. The Royal Horse Show features top international equestrians and has been a cornerstone of the fair since its inception. Throughout the fair, guests are encouraged to feed and touch over 60 animals in the Petting Farm, discover the journey food takes from farm to fork, ask questions at one of 13 education centers—including beekeeping, alpaca and llama farms, dairy cow milking—and visit the barns to see animals and meet exhibitors.

References

External links

*
The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair / La Foire agricole Royale d'hiver
1979, Archives of Ontario YouTube Channel {{Exhibition Place Agricultural fairs in Canada Recurring events established in 1922 Organizations based in Canada with royal patronage Fairs in Ontario Exhibition Place Equestrian sports competitions in Canada Festivals established in 1922 Fall in Canada

History

Programme

See also

References

External links