Royal Winter Fair Opens Its 104th Edition at Exhibition Place, With Rodeo and World Cup Show Jumping Ahead

The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair is back at Exhibition Place for its 104th edition, opening Friday for a 10-day run that ends Sunday, Nov. 15. The fair scheduled an official ribbon-cutting for noon Friday in the Enercare Centre's Heritage Court, with Ontario Rural Affairs Minister Lisa Thompson, Mayor Olivia Chow, Royal CEO Cyrus Cooper, Royal president and chair Joe Parker and Chief Margaret Sault of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation listed to attend.

Opening-day photos from Xinhua showed breeders clipping cattle, a swine show, giant pumpkins on display and children petting goats as the fair got under way.

Bringing 'the country to the city'

First held in 1922, the Royal bills itself as the world's largest combined indoor agricultural fair and international equestrian competition, and it typically draws more than 260,000 visitors a year, according to organizers cited by TorontoToday. Other estimates run higher: the Toronto Sun put typical attendance at about 275,000 over 10 days, and Northern Ontario Business said the event welcomes upwards of 300,000 people.

The scale is considerable. The fair's 360 vendors, more than 900 horses and 2,500 cattle take over about one million square feet at Exhibition Place, the Sun reported. Cooper told the paper the key to the fair's longevity is a desire for a simpler time in the country's busiest city. "People want to take a break from their phones, take a break from their devices, they want to celebrate all things food related, all things equine sport related and get close to animals," he said. "Every year, the No. 1 thing (that draws visitors) is the animals."

That is why the petting farm keeps growing, Cooper said. This year's animal ambassadors are Sugar and Spice, twin two-year-old Angora goats owned by longtime exhibitor Becky Vissers; Cooper said they will be "on site every day," according to the Sun.

Horses, a rodeo and a World Cup

The fair fills the Enercare Centre and the Coca-Cola Coliseum. Its centrepiece, the Royal Horse Show, features show jumping, dressage, indoor eventing and heavy horse competitions, TorontoToday reported. Friday's opening night included an indoor eventing challenge, the first round of the Canadian Show Jumping Championship and an opening ceremony marking the Lunar New Year's Year of the Fire Horse, according to the Royal Horse Show schedule.

The equestrian program builds to the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup Toronto on Nov. 14. The Royal Rodeo, which Cooper calls Toronto's only rodeo, follows on Western Day, Nov. 15, with Heartland star Amber Marshall co-hosting, TorontoToday reported. The fair's own release adds a Chinese lion dance to the horse show entertainment, plus mini chuckwagon racing with miniature ponies and a Farmers vs. First Responders obstacle-course showdown.

Food, butter sculptures and a northern pavilion

Away from the ring, visitors can watch sheep-herding demonstrations and the SuperDogs, see butter sculpting and square dancing, and sample Ontario butter, cheese, honey, maple syrup and preserves at the Champions Showcase. The Chef's Table cooking classes cost $28 a person, with general admission sold separately, TorontoToday said. Organizers also highlight a University of Guelph showcase, a Dairy Farmers of Ontario education centre called School of Moo, and an expanded Holiday Market, the release says, with St. Nick stopping by for photos from Nov. 12 to 15.

Thirty-nine producers from the north are taking part in the 7,000-square-foot Northern Ontario Agri-food Pavilion, including fruit growers, brewers, cheesemakers and makers of skin care products and woollen goods, Northern Ontario Business reported. The pavilion, launched in 2001, has more than tripled in size and is funded this year with $833,726 from FedNor.

Getting there

The fair is open 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays and Mondays, per TorontoToday. Horse Show tickets include same-day general admission to the fair.

Anyone heading down this weekend should check transit first. CityNews reported that Line 2 subway service between St George and Broadview is replaced by shuttle buses Saturday and Sunday, and that there is no GO train service on the Lakeshore East or Stouffville lines this weekend, with buses replacing trains.