About Us

The Vancouver Island Exhibition takes place each August at Beban Park in Nanaimo. Join us and celebrate the best in agriculture, local food, and entertainment from across Canada.

Agricultural Awareness
To present an annual agricultural exhibition and related events that encourages awareness and improvement; cultivation and creation of agriculture, livestock, horticulture, floriculture, home arts and hobbies, in our community

Educate & Encourage
To educate the public and to encourage young people, especially 4-H clubs, to understand and appreciate the value and importance of agriculture in their communities and their everyday lives.

Amuse and Amaze!
To provide facilities for and promotion of entertainment and amusement of citizens of all ages. VIEx is a family friendly venue!

Support Local Communities
To help the entire community grow by including, promoting and improving the knowledge of various community groups, industrial, commercial, mechanical and household arts.

History of the Vancouver Island Fair in Nanaimo

Did You Know… ?
The Vancouver Island Exhibition (VIEx) Fair started over 127 years ago and continues to be an annual event; instrumental to advancing the education of agriculture, showcasing local farmers and 4-H clubs, and reminding our community of the importance of agricultural awareness. As farming changes and land becomes more urban, we need to keep our farms alive. To provide top quality products and to encourage the education of the past, present and future in all areas of agriculture. While many professionals show their pride in their products and wares at our festival (with cause!), it is the children that most impress the fair goers. Bright eyed children and animals are a winning combination. Take a step back with us to celebrate and remember the simple, but important things in life.

Above all else, the VIEx values, and is, a Family.
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Our country Fair is more than just entertainment. At the VIEx festival, everyone of every age can participate. From displaying jams, jellies and livestock to showing heirloom quilts, artwork, pumpkins, prize flowers, home grown zucchini, fresh baked cookies and pies there’s no end to the contributions that can be, and are, made by local Vancouver Island families and businesses. Many painstaking but loving hours go into every item and animal on display, with the hopes of encouraging others to learn different crafts and skills; and to especially excite beginners to try new things that can enhance life skills and self-sufficiency. Our Fair – YOUR fair – is a place to come with family and friends, a place to have fun and honour accomplishments.

Entry fees are kept very low, as is the prize money. The intent has never been to make the winners rich by having or making the best, the biggest or the most expensive entry, but to enjoy the variety of talents and efforts put forth by our neighbours and to honour your, and your neighbours, accomplishments.

The VIEx Fair is presented each year by a core group of hard working volunteers, who donate many hundreds of hours to carefully organize this annual 3 day event. Many community minded corporate sponsors lend or donate countless services, too numerous to mention. The Fair would like to thank all of these supporters in the community for their efforts, be it financial, material, hard work, time or effort. With your kind generosity, we are excited to welcome you back this year.

We wish all exhibitors the best luck with your entries and extend an invitation to everyone to come to our Fair, view the many animals, exhibits and shows, to relax and just have fun!