Pacific National Exhibition

PACIFIC NATIONAL EXHIBITION (PNE), originally the Vancouver Industrial Exhibition, is an annual agricultural–industrial-entertainment fair held at Hastings Park, VANCOUVER. From its beginnings in 1910 as a small exhibition designed to promote Vancouver's economic development, it grew to include a midway, an amusement park, concerts and major sports facilities. By 1930, when the New Westminster Exhibition closed following a fire, the PNE was the province's main exhibition. It was cancelled during 1942–46 when the military took over the park, using it initially as a transshipment point for residents of Japanese descent who were being interned (see JAPANESE, RELOCATION OF). The fair resumed in 1947 as the Pacific National Exhibition, with a new emphasis on entertainment. At the same time Hastings Park was renamed Exhibition Park. The Shrine Circus was added the following year, along with a Miss PNE beauty pageant. In 1954 Empire Stadium was built for the BRITISH EMPIRE AND COMMONWEALTH GAMES; afterwards it was home to the BC LIONS football team until it moved to BC PLACE STADIUM in 1983. Playland was added in 1958, replacing the smaller Happyland amusement park. Professional HOCKEY was also played on the grounds, first at the Forum, then from 1968 to 1995 at the PACIFIC COLISEUM. In 1973 the provincial government took control of the PNE board. At the beginning of 1997 the city took over the site, by then known as Hastings Park again, with plans to turn it into a large urban park. As a public consultation process continued, the 17-day fair celebrated its centennial in 2010. Among the special events was the return of the BC Lions to Empire Stadium; the team played its home games at the temporarily refurbished outdoor facility while its permanent home, BC Place Stadium, received a makeover.