Provincial Agricultural Fair of Canada West

The Provincial Agricultural Fair of Canada West was an annual provincial agricultural fair held in various places in Canada West and after 1867 in Ontario.

The fair was established in 1846 and sponsored by the Provincial Agricultural Association and the Board of Agriculture for Canada West. It replaced an earlier attempt in 1792 by the Agricultural Society of Upper Canada founded in Newark (now Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario) in 1792.

The fair was mainly an agricultural themed show featuring horses and domesticated animals from around what was still a very rural pre-Confederation Ontario. It would last until 1878 as it met competition with large number of local fairs that emerged across some towns and counties in Ontario and eventually succeeded by the Canadian National Exhibition in 1879.

List of Provincial Agricultural Association of Canada West/Ontario

From 1858 the fair rotated between Toronto, Kingston, Hamilton and London in the same sequence for the duration of the fair's existence.

Following Toronto's decision to create a permanent fair (Toronto Industrial Exhibition or now the Canadian National Exhibition), the provincial fair was replaced by the Dominion Exhibition from 1879 until 1913.

The remaining cities that continue with their existing fairs are:

• Kingston: continued with the Frontenac Agricultural Society Fair that began in 1825 on an irregular pattern to 1925, thereafter the Kingston Fair has been held annually
• Hamilton: the closest fair in the city has been the Ancaster Fall Fair held since 1850
• London: continued with the Western Fair that began in 1868 and operating since 1885 as the only fall fair in the city

Other fairs

A list of annual agricultural and/or county fairs in Ontario created before or after the establishment of the provincial fair:

• Williamstown Fall Fair 1812–present, Williamstown, ON is the oldest continuing fall fair in Ontario and replacing an unnamed fair that was held in town since 1808
• Kingston Fall Fair - 1912–present, operated by the Kingston and District Agricultural Society. A revival of the previous Midland Fair which operated from 1830 until 1880.
• Norfolk County Fair and Horse Show 1840–present, Simcoe, ON
• East Middlesex Agricultural Fair - 1841. Held annual fairs until 1868 at north-west corner of Talbot and Oxford - London, ON
• Aberfoyle Fall Fair 1842–present, Guelph, ON
• Richmond Fair 1844–present, Ottawa, ON
• Scarboro Fair 1844 to early 20th Century, Scarborough, ON
• Aylmer Fari 1849–present, Alymer, ON
• Ancaster Fair 1850–present, Jersyville, ON
• Brigden Fair 1850–present, Brigden, ON
• Schomberg Fair 1850–present, Schomberg, ON
• Armour, Ryerson & Burk's Falls 1881–present, Burk's Falls, ON
• Barrie Fair 1853–present, Thornton, ON
• Brampton Fall Fair 1853–present, Brampton, ON
• Binbrook Fair 1853–present, Binbrook, ON
• Brampton Fall Fair 1853–present, Caledon, ON
• Beaverton Fall Fair 1855–present, Beaverton, ON
• Spencerville Fair 1855–present, Spencerville, ON
• Aruther Fall Fair 1856–present, Arthur, ON
• Bayfield Fair 1856–present, Bayfield, ON
• Arran Tara Agricultural Society 1857–present, Tara, ON
• Beaver Valley Fall Fair 1870–present, Clarksburg, ON
• Beachburg Fair 1857–present, Beachburg, ON
• Beeton Fall Fair 1857–present, Beeton, ON
• Brooke-Alvinston Watford Fall Fair 1857–present, Alvinston, ON
• Markham Fair 1857–present, Markham, ON
• Almonte Fair 1858–present, Almonte, ON
• Bolton Fall Fair 1858–present, Bolton, ON
• Bobcaygen Fair 1859–present, Bobcaygeon, ON
• Avonmore Fair 1860–present, Avonmore, ON
• Burford Fair 1860–present, Brant, ON
• Brussels Fall Fair 1861–present, Brussels, ON
• Blackstock Fair 1865–present, Blackstock, ON
• Bracebridge Fall Fair & Horse Show 1867–present, Bracebridge, ON
• Western Fair 1868–present, London, ON
• Bonfield Fall Fair 1890–present, Bonfield, ON
• Brooklin Spring Fair 1991–present, Brooklin, ON
• Acton Fall Fair 1913–present, Acton, ON
• Royal Agricultural Winter Fair 1922–present, held in Toronto at Exhibition Place in the Colisium
• Rockton World's Fair 1852–present, Rockton, ON

Other annual fairs around Canada and the United States:

• Hants County Exhibition c. 1765 and annual since 1815 - Windsor, NS
• Great New York State Fair 1841 - NY State
• Provincial Agricultural Fair of Lower Canada - created in 1847 with Montreal hosting fair in 1853 but since ended. Expo Richmond Fair is the only visible and annual fall fair remaining in Quebec (since 1856)
• Royal Manitoba Winter Fair 1882 - Winnipeg, MB
• Central Canada Exhibition 1888–2010, in Ottawa
• Pacific National Exhibition 1910 - Vancouver, BC
• Canadian Western Agribition 1971 - Regina, SK

other annual agricultural events in Ontario

• The International Plowing Match held annually since 1913 in a different location in Ontario each year, has become the largest outdoor agricultural and rural fair in North America.

References