The CNE Is Going Out of This World in 2026: Here’s What’s New

Toronto’s biggest end-of-summer tradition just got a serious upgrade. The Canadian National Exhibition returns August 21 to September 7, and this year’s new programming leans hard into the spectacular. Think 80-foot-high dives, a 20-foot illuminated moon, and a Deaf ringmaster leading a first-of-its-kind inclusive circus.

More than 1.4 million visitors make the CNE an annual tradition, and the 147th edition is packing in new attractions alongside longtime favourites like the Ice Skating & Acrobatics Show with Elvis Stojko, the SuperDogs, and Classic Championship Wrestling.

The CNE Space EXperience

Canada’s largest immersive space exhibit lands at this year’s fair, built around the country’s role in the Artemis II mission. Visitors can step into an astronaut’s world through hands-on interactive exhibits, explore The Artemis II Journey photo exhibition — presented with the Canadian Space Agency and funded by the Province of Ontario, and stand beneath a 20-foot illuminated moon featuring hourly aerial acrobatic performances timed to lunar projections.

Right alongside it, the CNE Gaming Garage returns with a space theme, including an Astronaut Fitness Challenge and a 17-foot screen where visitors’ drawings come to life as playable characters. (Daily, Enercare Centre – Hall B – Northside)

The Big Dip High-Dive Show

A CNE pastime from the early ’60s is making a dramatic comeback. Elite divers will climb platforms up to 80 feet and plunge into a 40,000-gallon pool right at the Princes’ Gates, with nighttime performances that see divers descending in flames. (Daily, Princes’ Gates)

A Bigger, Broader Music Lineup

Beyond the free headlining concerts at the Bell SOUNDSTAGE at the Bandshell presented in partnership with Billboard Canada and Rolling Stone Canada, music fans have two new stages to check out. The brand-new NXNE Stage, born from a partnership with North by Northeast, showcases some of Canada’s most exciting emerging artists nightly alongside the Collective Tap Yard beer garden. And the Spotlight Stage brings international acts to the CNE for the first time, including Japan’s Double Dutch dance sensation HARIBOW and OMNIUM, a bilingual inclusive circus led by Malik Paris, the first-ever Deaf ringmaster, performing alongside legendary showman Johnathan Lee Iverson.

Snowbirds’ Final Flight

The 77th Canadian International Air Show returns over Labour Day weekend (Sept. 5–7) with a lineup that includes the RCAF’s CF-18, USAF F-16 demonstrations, and the CNE debut of the Pink Jet and Jack Aces Aerobatic Formation Team. It’s also a bittersweet milestone: the beloved Snowbirds will fly one of their final performances before a multi-year hiatus.

More New for 2026

• Kitchen Studio Workshops — Learn from pastry chef Anna Olson, plus fresh pasta and matcha classes, every Saturday in Enercare Centre Hall A
• Enchanted Forest Immersive Experience — A new fantasy world in Kids’ World at Centennial Park, alongside a K-Pop tribute circus show and character meet-and-greets
• Standardbred Sulky Rides & Goat Yoga — New additions to The Farm, including a VR harness race simulator and a sand sculpture honouring the UN’s Year of the Woman Farmer
• CNE Drip — A new café and merch shop in the Music Building serving Canada’s Fair Blend coffee
• CNE Drag Brunch — Back by popular demand at Acqua Supper Club (Aug. 30, ticketed) with queens Tynomi Banks, Jada Hudson, Midas, Destiny Doll, and Rico Rico
• The 125th Cat Show — Over 100 cats compete for Best in Show (Aug. 29–30, Enercare Centre)
• Exhibition City Walking Tour — A new hour-long look at the CNE grounds’ hidden history (weekdays 11:30 a.m., Princes’ Gates)

Giving Back

The CNE Foundation Grand 50/50 returns with a guaranteed minimum jackpot of $250,000. Proceeds support student scholarships, community grants, and the Smiles on Faces Program, which gives children with critical illnesses and their families an all-expenses-paid CNE visit.

The 147th annual CNE runs August 21 to September 7, 2026, at Exhibition Place. Advance-sale tickets are on sale now with savings of up to 35% if purchased before August 20. For the full schedule and more information, visit TheEx.com.