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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – February 2, 2024
RE: VIEx Date Change to September 20 th , 21 st , & 22 nd , 2024

In 2024 The Vancouver Island Exhibition (VIEx) Celebrates 130 Years as Nanaimo’s largest and oldest event!
On October 6 th , 1894, the very first Exhibition was held at City Park Pavilion in Nanaimo. The original mission of the organization was to present a fall fair with entries to the Home Arts divisions and Livestock Divisions plus an auction.


The VIEx’s Goals today are 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, and agricultural awareness in our community. 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. To provide facilities for and promotion of entertainment and amusement for citizens of all ages and finally, to help the entire community grow by including, promoting, and improving the knowledge of various community groups, industrial, commercial, mechanical, and household arts. These goals were as important and valuable in 1894 as they are today and the VIEx board works tirelessly to reach these goals each year.


Over the last several years the VIEx has faced many challenges including overcoming a global pandemic,
challenges with break-ins and vandalism over the years, the barns being closed due to their age and not
meeting current building code to safely occupy and the overall poor condition of the buildings, and ensuring we can bring in all the attractions that you, our community, want to see at the fair.


In 2019 the VIEx had to change weekends, at that time it was imperative that we hire a midway
company that can provide the rides and entertainment that met our needs. There are only two Midway
companies that operate in Western Canada – Shooting Star Amusements and West Coast Amusements
(WCA). WCA was the larger and more reliable midway company but to have them here we had to change the dates to accommodate. The major downside to this, for us, was that we would now be on the same weekend as the Comox Valley Exhibition (CVEX) and since 2019 has resulted in us losing a significant amount of participation and entries to our Livestock & 4-H Divisions.


The VIEx recognizes this change has a significant impact to how the park operates in the fall and is
committed to planning the event with careful thought and consideration given to the other community
organizations that will be using the park on this weekend. In order to ensure that all activities and
events are accommodated the VIEx will continue to work closely and collaboratively with the City of
Nanaimo and other community user groups that use Beban Park.


The 130th Vancouver Island Exhibition will be held on September 20th , 21st & 22nd , 2024.
 

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We live, work and play on the traditional territories of the Coast Salish Peoples – Snuneymuxw, Snaw-naw-as, and Stz’uminus – and pay respect for that privilege. Huy ch q’ua.

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