Canada: Agricultural Fairs, Farm Tours & Stays

While Canada’s agricultural history started with the European homesteaders who converted the forest and prairie grasslands into farms of all shape and sizes.  To celebrate the harvest each year cities and town across Canada hosted Fall Fairs.  The annual agricultural exhibitions are still the largest and most important community event in many Canada’s towns and cities. I thought it would be fun to look at what are some of the various Fall Fairs across Canada.

Originally Fall Fairs showcased food harvested from the local area (e.g. largest pumpkins, tomatoes, zucchini etc.) as well as livestock shows often by the local 4H clubs. There would also be competitions for the best quilt, pie and other homemade goods. Horse and tractor pulls and maybe even some horse racing and other competitions would be featured.  In fact, Millarville a hamlet of 58 people (30 minutes south of Calgary) has a Race Club dating to 1905 and Millarville Racing and Agricultural Society to 1907.

And yes, there might even be some betting. Today, Canadians have lots of new betting sites available.

Millarvile, Alberta hosts a summer farmers’ market, an annual agricultural fair and horse racing.

Fun Facts:

In Canada, the first agricultural society was formed in 1765 in Nova Scotia. Ontario followed suit in 1792 with the Agricultural Society of Upper Canada based at Niagara on the Lake. From the Ontario strongholds, the concept of agricultural fairs spread west with the early homesteaders.

Some sources indicate Canada’s oldest Fall Fair is the Williamstown Fair which first took place on the streets of Williamstown, Ontario (90 minutes east of Montreal) in 1808. However, the Hants County Exhibition in Windsor Nova Scotia claims to be 259 years old and claims to be one of the oldest continuously held fairs in North America. The Mitchell Fall Fair, known as the “Biggest Little Fair’ in Ontario celebrates is celebrating its 169th anniversary this year.  

Probably Canada’s best known agricultural fair internationally is the Calgary Stampede & Exhibition which dates to 1886. Today it combines not only the mandatory agricultural exhibits, but a rodeo, chuckwagon races, midway, 100+ music shows, Elbow River Camp (Indigenous people celebration) and Grandstand Show and Fireworks. 

Almost every major city in Canada has an annual agricultural exhibition, celebrating the end of summer and its agricultural and ranching history. In Toronto it is the Canadian National Exhibition and Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, in Winnipeg it is the Red River Exhibition, London has the Western Fair and Vancouver has the Pacific National Exhibition. 

Photo credit: Calgary Stampede

Last Word

Today, there is a diversity of Farm Tours that allow the public access to local farms to allow those living in the city to better appreciate the complexity of farming today.  A unique tourist adventure is to book a farm stay holiday.  

In 2023, the whole agriculture and agri-food system employed 2.3 million people, provided 1 in 9 jobs in Canada and generated $150.0 billion (around 7%) of Canada's gross domestic product (GDP).