PNE announces 2023 Fair programming
New Programming, Beloved Favourites and Marquee Musical Acts Highlight The PNE Fair!
The Pacific National Exhibition (PNE) is thrilled to announce its 2023 Fair programming. The annual Fair, which will be held from August 19 to September 4, is British Columbia’s longest running and largest ticketed event. “The PNE Fair is thrilled to be back in full operation with an extensive entertainment offering. There is truly something unique for people of all ages,” says President and CEO Shelley Frost. “We have an array of great new entertainment and attractions and can’t wait for everyone to experience what we have in store this summer.” The 2023 Fair will continue with its tradition of showcasing a diverse entertainment lineup featuring appearances by internationally acclaimed musicians and performers as well as custom designed programming created specifically for the PNE Fair.
Summer Night Concerts
PNE Fair guests will enjoy sensational performances this year featuring some of music history’s biggest names in Pop, Rock, and R&B as well as emerging artists whose stars are on the rise. “We are thrilled with this year’s lineup,” says PNE Fair Creative Director Patrick Roberge. “We really wanted every night to be filled with Summer Fun. There are musical offerings for fans of every genre, with a mix of Grammy winners, rap icons and Fair fan favourites, we know fairgoers will have an incredible experience.” The Summer Night Concerts will run every evening the Fair is open, starting on Saturday August 19 on the Chevrolet Stage in the PNE Amphitheatre. All concert goers will need a Fair Gate Pass as well as a paid concert ticket. There will be a combination of reserved seats for superfans and standing room only floor tickets. Ticket prices will range from as low as $20.00. Tickets go on sale on Friday, May 26th. Fans interested in purchasing a ticket to a Summer Night Concert should visit: www.TicketLeader.ca for more details and show specific pricing. Opening weekend includes two of your favourite SNC performers, with TLC and Boyz II Men returning to the PNE Amphitheatre. Later, Jason Derulo and Yung Gravy & bbno$ will get the party going. The star power continues with Billy Idol, Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo, and the Stars of Drag, an all-ages extravaganza hosted by Crystal Methyd and featuring Alyssa Edwards and Raja. If you’re here for the nostalgia, then grab your tickets for Aqua, Boney M featuring Maizie Williams, Doug and the Slugs with the VSO, or Pink Martini featuring China Forbes! Canada’s own Billy Talent, Tenille Townes, Walk off the Earth, and Blue Rodeo round out the stellar line-up.
Complete listing of the 2023 Summer Night Concert Series:
Saturday, August 19 – TLC Sunday, August 20 – Boyz II Men Tuesday, August 22 – Tenille Townes Wednesday, August 23 – Boney M featuring Maizie Williams Thursday, August 24 – Yung Gravy & bbno$ Friday, August 25 – Billy Talent Saturday, August 26 – AQUA Sunday, August 27 – Billy Idol Tuesday, August 29 – Pink Martini featuring China Forbes Wednesday, August 30 – Doug and the Slugs with the VSO Thursday, August 31 – Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo Friday, September 1 – Jason Derulo Saturday, September 2 – Stars of Drag Sunday, September 3 – Walk off the Earth Monday, September 4 – Blue Rodeo: 30 Years In July
2023 Entertainment and Attractions
Just For Laughs This year, we have partnered with Just for Laughs Comedy to bring you several nights of unparalleled comedic talent in the Pacific Coliseum. We will be announcing these exciting headliners in June. Immersive Monet Art Exhibition NEW! More than 400 of Claude Monet’s artworks are thrillingly brought to new life in Beyond Monet, a unique and exhilarating multimedia experience. This family-friendly immersive exhibition wraps guests in light and colour that focuses and refocuses into the flowers and landscapes of Monet’s brilliant masterpieces. Free with admission Knights of Valour Back by popular demand — prepare yourself for entertainment worthy of a King and Queen. With full contact, un-choreographed, real live jousting, this is a thrilling show of horsemanship, bravery and chivalry like you’ve never seen before. Come and see your knights in shining armour as they ride into battle – it’s positively medieval! Daily: 1:00pm, 3:00pm & 7:15pm*Please note, no 1:00pm show on August 19th, 20th and 22nd Free with admission Best of the West Archery Championships NEW! For the first time ever the PNE will be hosting the Best of the West Archery Championships from Saturday, August 26th – Sunday, August 27th. Come out to the Agrodome and watch the top 5 archers in each field. Free with admission
The Flying Fools High Dive Show
Fun for all ages! These incredible world class divers will make you laugh and make you gasp as they dive from incredible heights. Don’t close your eyes and hold your breath as you watch acrobats plunge from 80 feet in the air. Daily: 2:00pm, 3:30pm & 6:30pmFree with admission
SuperDogs™️ presents Barkade
The SuperDogs celebrate the greatest video games of all time in a live-action show that’s fast-paced, interactive, heart-warming and hilarious! Help them level up as they run, jump and play their way across a landscape of legendary games with a SuperDogs twist: from Doggie Kong to Petris, Super Mario Barkers to World of Woofcraft. Experience the fun of these amazing canine athletes in their wonderful show! Daily in the Pacific Coliseum: 12:30pm, 2:30pm, 6:00pmFree with admissionBlue’s Dance Party Come sing and dance with Blue the Bear and his friends in this interactive multimedia dance party! Daily at the BCAA TOONCITY stage: 1:30pm & 4:00pmFree with admission Super Action Academy! Calling all recruits! This musical stage show is perfect for the whole family – if you’re ready for an adventure, come sing along and join the fun! But be on high alert; someone is trying to infiltrate the Academy! The SAA needs a hero, and that hero is YOU. Daily at the BCAA TOONCITY stage: 12:30pm, 2:30pm & 5:00pmFree with admission Animal Antics NEW! When the sun goes down, join us for a laugh and watch funny pet videos on the big screen nightly at ToonCity. Bring some popcorn and enjoy funny flicks! Nightly at the BCAA TOONCITY stage: 7:30pmFree with admissionRemix Inferno – A Pyro Music Spectacular NEW! Join us for a brand new, never seen nightly pyro music celebration! Feel the beat as high-flying hits erupt into hot musical mash-ups in the sky. Nightly at Festival Park: 9:30pmFree with admission
Cultural Showcase
On stage at Festival Park, join us for a cultural mosaic of dynamic dancers, exhilarating musical performers and other special guests! This celebration of British Columbia’s diverse cultural landscape will delight fairgoers of all ages. Daily at Festival Park: 1:00pm, 3:00pm, 4:30pm & 6:00pmFree with admissionDueling Pianos Back by popular demand, it’s Dueling Pianos! A music experience unlike any other, don’t miss Canadian Event Awards Entertainer of the Year as two piano players will crank up the sound in Festival Park, playing everything from hard rock and 80’s retro to the latest Top 40! Request your favourite tune, raise a glass and sing-a-long – it’s a roaring good time every night at Dueling Pianos. Nightly at Festival Park: 7:00pm, 8:15pm & 9:45pmFree with admissionFor The Love Of Drag A tribute show of Legendary Icons. This 30-minute energetic show features a cast of drag queens who not only recreate but duplicate the likenesses of stars ranging from Freddie Mercury and Dolly to Shania, Lady Gaga, Diana Ross and more. Daily at the Coca-Cola Stage: 4:30pm & 6:00pmFree with admission SCHOOL OF ROCK’S BIG GUITAR ROCKOUT Be part of something big this summer and rock out at the PNE in the Summer of ’23! The Pacific National Exhibition and School of Rock Vancouver have partnered to set a record for the most guitarists playing together at the Pacific Coliseum – and you can be part of it! Join over 500 musicians who will bring the Pacific Coliseum to life on August 27th with Bryan Adam’s hit “Summer of ‘69”! Everyone from beginner to advanced guitarists can register to participate in this huge event! All you need is an electric guitar and a small guitar amp. School of Rock Vancouver will provide the music transcriptions, online tutorials and more through their revolutionary School of Rock Method App, so you can learn and practice before the big day. Register now: http://bigrockout.com Sunday, August 27th, 4:30pm – Pacific Coliseum PNE Prize Home Lottery Display Win a house! Win a car! Visit the PNE Prize Home Lottery Display and learn about all the amazing features of this year’s Grand Prize. The grand prize package totals over $2.3 million and includes a West Coast modern home that has already been constructed on its Langley property. You can also win 3 Chevrolet vehicles, 2 Cadillac vehicles, 2 seven-day cruises, a travel trailer, Harley-Davidson motorcycle, and a Beachcomber hot tub package. The house might not be on-site but your dreams of winning are! Taste Showcase NEW! The Taste Showcase is in an indoor venue featuring an expanded Safeway Cooking Stage which offers demonstrations from local culinary talent and daily programming, as well as a culinary market selling specialty food goods and kitchen accessories. Grab a drink at the bar and stay for a chill evening of live music. Dinosaurs Around the World From Imagine Exhibitions, Dinosaurs Around the World invites you to grab your prehistoric passport! In this captivating outdoor exhibition, visitors will be whisked back in time on a dinosaur adventure and a tour of an Earth that’s very different from the one we inhabit today. Free with admission Canoe Cultures The Canoe Cultures Society is an Indigenous-led non-profit society dedicated to the art and culture of the Canoe. Come to see live demonstrations of traditional Canoe carving techniques as young Indigenous carvers demonstrate their skills on a new canoe and display completed canoes. Also learn how Indigenous peoples preserved their Salmon at the fish-drying rack and explore the traditional Indigenous arts and crafts at our Indigenous Artists demo. The Market Located in the Forum, the indoor shopping hub showcasing over 90 different vendors features a wide variety of products and services. Visitors can spend hours browsing and exploring booths carrying everything from soaps, bed sheets, massage cushions, skin care and cleaning supplies to exciting new products like visual art pieces and bespoke jewelry.
AGRICULTURE AT THE FAIR
One of the most popular areas of the annual Fair. The agricultural area goes back to the very first Fair in 1910 and remains at the heart of the Fair today. Get up close to your favourite barnyard animals and learn about the importance of British Columbia’s agricultural sector at the Kidz Discovery Farm, the 4-H Festival, the PNE Chef’s Garden, and other displays from our partners at the BC Dairy Association, BC Cattlemen’s Association, BC Egg Marketing Board, and BC Chicken Marketing Board among others. Crowd favourite Pig Races will also be entertaining guests with their entertaining daily live race to the feed pan! 4-H FestivalThe PNE is excited to welcome over 300 members from BC 4-H from all over the province to our 4-H Festival, kicking off the Fair August 19-22. Ranging in age from 9 to 19 years old will be showing their 4-H projects at the final festival of their 2023 season. August 19th-22ndPNE Livestock BarnsFree with admission Kids Discovery FarmNestled inside Farm Country is the place where kids can try their hand at becoming a ‘farmer for an hour’ in the Kids Discovery Farm, showcasing 10 sectors of agriculture with different interactive activities! Try your hand at milking a cow, pedaling a tractor, collecting eggs and harvesting apples in this exciting exhibit! PNE Livestock BarnsFree with admission AGRI-A’MOO’SEMENT Where fun and learning find each other in our livestock barns! Try your hands at Archery, take in the Magic Bean Agriculture Show and hop on a Pony Ride. The Barns promise to a’moo’se you while at the Fair!!! PNE Livestock BarnsFree with admission
ON-THE-STREET
Watch for music, comedy and street celebrations throughout the Fairgrounds daily including:
- El Gleno Grande
- PNE Pep Band
- Los Dorados Mariachi, Canada’s premier mariachi ensemble
Free with admission Dates and Pricing The 2023 Fair will run from August 19 until September 4 from 11am until 11pm. The Fair will be closed on Monday, August 21 and August 28.Fair Gate PassesSave $5 on adult gate passes and $2 on Youth, Child and Senior gate passes if you buy in advance!
| Adult (19-64) | $ 25.00 |
| Youth (13-18) | $ 16.00 |
| Child (4-12) | $ 9.00 |
| Senior (65+) | $ 16.00 |
| 3 & under | $ FREE |
Ride Passes Save $5 on ride passes if you buy in advance!
| Thrill Seeker | $ 55.00 |
| Fun Pass | $ 44.00 |
| Ride Coupon (each) | $ 2.00 |
| Ride Coupon Book (30 tickets) | $ 54.00 |
| Rapid Pass (add-on) | $ 32.00 |
For more information about PNE Fair visit: www.pne.ca
