What, when, and how much.
The Canadian National Exhibition — the Ex, to everyone who grew up here — runs Friday, August 21 through Monday, September 7, 2026. That's 18 straight days at Exhibition Place on the waterfront, ending on Labour Day. It is open every one of those days.
On a regular day the grounds are open 10 a.m. to midnight and the buildings 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. The one day that breaks the pattern is Labour Day itself — more on that below. Advance admission is $25.11 and an advance Ride All Day pass is $51.66 (both include the processing fee; HST is added at checkout), on sale through August 20. Children 4 and under get in free, and there's a free downloadable Kids' Pass for ages 5–13.
The CNE says buying in advance saves up to 35% versus the gate. Official gate-day pricing had not been posted as of mid-July; GO Transit's promo page lists a base gate rate of $30 admission and $85 Ride All Day, which is worth treating as unconfirmed until the CNE publishes its own numbers. Either way, the advance window is the cheaper move if you already know your date.
From central North York, the Ex is closer than it feels — a subway ride and a single GO stop, and you're standing at the gates.— North York Guide
The North York angleGetting there without a car.
This is the part the official pages bury and the part that matters most from up here. Exhibition Place has its own GO station literally at the fairgrounds, so the smart play from North York is transit, not the parking lot. Two routes do the job:
Line 1 to Union, then GO one stop
Ride the subway south to Union Station, then take a GO train one stop to Exhibition GO — which opens right onto the grounds at the GO/TTC Gate. The CNE calls GO "the easiest way to get to the CNE," and it's hard to argue: "Get off at the Exhibition GO Station and you are here."
Line 1 to Union, then the 509 streetcar
Prefer to stay on one TTC fare? From Union, take the 509 Harbourfront streetcar west to the Exhibition Loop, a short walk from the gates. It's a single tap from your North York station all the way in.
Plan on roughly 45 to 60 minutes door to gate from central North York — Sheppard–Yonge or North York Centre down Line 1, then the short hop from Union. Treat that as an estimate and check the TTC and GO trip planners the morning you go; timing varies by station and time of day.
GO also stacks a few perks worth knowing: kids ride GO free year-round, a $10 weekend day pass covers unlimited GO travel on Saturdays, Sundays and statutory holidays (handy for a family on Air Show weekend), and PRESTO Perks layers on discounted CNE tickets for GO riders. For cyclists, there's bike parking at the Dufferin and Princes' Gates, with the Martin Goodman Trail running right past.
Labour Day is a short day — and driving is the expensive way in.
Labour Day, September 7, winds down early: gates close at 5 p.m. and no re-entry stamps are given after 3 p.m. Don't plan an evening on the closing day. And on parking — the CNE hadn't posted 2026 rates by mid-July, but Exhibition Place base parking ran about $18 a day in 2025 with event surge pricing climbing toward $45 during big draws. Transit is cheaper and drops you at the gate.
What's on in 2026.
Two of the best things at the Ex cost nothing beyond admission. The 77th Canadian International Air Show — Canada's largest and longest-running — flies Saturday, September 5 through Monday, September 7, roughly 12:00 to 3:40 p.m. each day over the waterfront. It's free with your gate ticket, and it's the single biggest reason the final weekend is the busiest of the run.
Every Bell SOUNDSTAGE concert at the Bandshell is free with admission, too. The early 2026 lineup names Lupe Fiasco on opening night (Aug 21), LIGHTS (Aug 22), Shaggy (Aug 23), The Trews (Aug 27), Silverstein (Sep 3) and Tom Cochrane (Sep 5), with more acts to be announced. New this year: an NXNE Stage spotlighting breakout artists, and a paid Front Row VIP add-on (from $40) if you want reserved front-of-stage viewing.
Elsewhere on the grounds, 2026 adds a brand-new SuperDogs show, "Fairy Tails," plus the interactive CNE Farm and the returning HorseCapades program. The perennials are all back: the Food Building, the midway with its 60-plus rides (per one transit guide), the Gaming Garage, the ice-skating and acrobatic show, championship wrestling and the casino. The CNE typically announces its new-food-vendor list in August, so the headline eats for 2026 aren't public yet — that's a check-back-later.
The strategyPicking your day.
As general guidance rather than gospel: weekday mornings early in the run are the quietest, and the final Air Show weekend is the peak. If crowds stress you, aim for a Tuesday or Wednesday in the first week; if the Air Show is the whole point, embrace the crowds on September 5–7 and stake out the waterfront by late morning.
A few money-savers to bank:
- Buy before August 20 to lock the $25.11 advance rate instead of gate pricing.
- Bring the kids on the free passes — under-4s are free, and 5-to-13s ride on a free downloadable Kids' Pass.
- Stack the GO deals — kids go free, the $10 weekend pass covers the whole family's travel, and PRESTO Perks trims the ticket price.
- Arrive at 10 a.m. and hit the Food Building and midway first; save the rides, concerts and lights for the evening.
Whichever day you choose, the through-line is the same one this whole page is built on: from North York, the Ex is a subway ride and a single GO stop. Skip the parking headache and let the train do the work.
Planning a bigger week of it? See what else is on in Local Events, or check This Weekend in North York for what's happening right now.