The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair (RAWF), also known as The Royal, is an annual

agricultural Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating Plant, plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of Sedentism, sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of Domestication, domesticated species created food ...

fair A fair (archaic: faire or fayre) is a gathering of people for a variety of entertainment or commercial activities. Fairs are typically temporary with scheduled times lasting from an afternoon to several weeks. Types Variations of fairs incl ...

that is held in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, Canada during the first two weeks of November. It was inaugurated in 1922 in the

Coliseum The Colosseum ( ; it, Colosseo ) is an oval amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome, Italy, just east of the Roman Forum. It is the largest ancient amphitheatre ever built, and is still the largest standing amphitheatre in the world t ...

, on the grounds of

Exhibition Place Exhibition Place is a publicly owned mixed-use district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located by the shoreline of Lake Ontario, just west of downtown. The site includes exhibit, trade, and banquet centres, theatre and music buildings, monuments ...

. It has since been expanded to also take up the

Enercare Centre The Enercare Centre, formerly known as the Direct Energy Centre and originally the National Trade Centre, is an exhibition complex located at Exhibition Place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is used by the Canadian National Exhibition and the Roya ...

and remains an important exhibit for

livestock Livestock are the domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to provide labor and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The term is sometimes used to refer solely to animals ...

breeders.

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

, as

Queen of Canada The monarchy of Canada is Canada's form of government embodied by the Canadian sovereign and head of state. It is at the core of Canada's constitutional Canadian federalism, federal structure and Westminster system, Westminster-style Parliamentar ...

, was the fair's royal patron. Members of the

Canadian Royal Family The monarchy of Canada is Canada's form of government embodied by the Canadian sovereign and head of state. It is at the core of Canada's constitutional federal structure and Westminster-style parliamentary democracy. The monarchy is the founda ...

have also been guests of honour at the fair. It is the largest indoor agricultural fair in the world.

History

Following the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, a group of farmers led by W. A. Dryden, from

Brooklin, Ontario Brooklin is a community in the town of Whitby, Ontario, Canada, north of Central Whitby, at the south junction of Ontario Highways 12 and 7. Brooklin was located primarily in rural area about two decades ago, but it is now part of the urban Wh ...

, sought to create a national agricultural exhibition, partly to set national standards for the judging of domestic animals. Together, they formed the Agricultural Winter Fair Association of Canada and quickly received, in 1920, permission from King

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936. Born duri ...

for use of the prefix ''royal''. Sir Robert Borden speaking at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair (50539802973) (cropped)

In 1920, the City of Toronto approved the construction of a new livestock arena on the Toronto Exhibition Grounds to house the new fair and other uses. Plans called for the first mounting of the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair to take place in 1921, but this was delayed when a heating system for the new arena could not be installed in time. The first show thus opened on 22 November 1922, drawing to its livestock competitions 17,000 entries from several

provinces A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outsi ...

and the United States. The fair then, save for the years when Canada was embroiled in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, consistently provided for farmers a forum to display equipment, discuss new trends, and showcase wares. In 1965, significant changes were introduced by the federal Department of Agriculture, which had been a longtime sponsor of The Royal. Both the number of livestock classes for each breed and the number of entries per breeder were reduced; new judging standards were set, emphasizing the utility of the breed; buildings were renovated, and the Winter Garden Show and Horse Show were given more prominence, the latter attracting some 75,000 viewers. For the fair's 75th anniversary in 1997 a commemorative stamp was issued by

Canada Post Canada Post Corporation (french: Société canadienne des postes), trading as Canada Post (french: Postes Canada), is a Crown corporation that functions as the primary postal operator in Canada. Originally known as Royal Mail Canada (the opera ...

. Due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

the 2020 and 2021 editions of the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto were cancelled, as was the case for that summer's

Canadian National Exhibition The Canadian National Exhibition (CNE), also known as The Exhibition or The Ex, is an annual event that takes place at Exhibition Place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on the third Friday of August leading up to and including Canadian Labour Day, ...

and the Canadian International Air Show, also held at Exhibition Place.

Programme

Today, the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair as a whole sees over 320,000 visits including exhibitors, international and local guests. Over 6,000 animals arrive in Toronto each November, including over 4,900 head of cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, rabbits, and fancy bird, and over 900 horses and ponies, plus a display of crops and vegetables, educational exhibits, and feature attractions. The latter include the Burnbrae Food & Lifestyle Stage, which hosts local and international chef challenges, food sampling, and a wide variety of entertaining and decorating demonstrations during the day. Evening events include craft beer and cider competitions and Royal Champions Day, where guests can sample wine, cheese, and jams; the President's Choice Animal Theatre showcasing animals at work and play, including sheepherding, goats on the go, Spirit of the Horse, rabbit jumping, and President's Choice Superdogs; and the Royal Winter Gallery, which hosts top artists who demonstrate their different styles and techniques along with the opportunity for guests to learn to draw animals. The Royal Horse Show is a gala event that has been a cornerstone of the fair since its inception. Throughout the fair, guests are encouraged to feed and touch over 60 animals in the Pizza Pizza Petting Farm, discover the journey food takes from farm to home in the aMAZEing Food Journey, ask questions at one of 13 education centres—including beekeeping, alpaca and llama farms, dairy cow milking—and visit the barns to see animals and meet exhibitors.

References

External links

* {{Exhibition Place Agricultural fairs in Canada Recurring events established in 1922 Organizations based in Canada with royal patronage Fairs in Ontario Exhibition Place Equestrian sports competitions in Canada Festivals established in 1922 Fall events in Canada

History

Programme

See also

References

External links