Cowichan Exhibition

The Cowichan Exhibition is the Cowichan Valley's beloved agricultural fair, filling Cowichan Exhibition Park in North Cowichan for a weekend each September with the sights, sounds and flavours of country life. Now in its 158th year, it is one of Vancouver Island's longest-running fairs — a genuine harvest-season tradition that brings the whole valley together to celebrate farming, food and homegrown talent as summer turns to fall.

It is a fair in the fullest, most authentic sense. Barns and halls fill with prize livestock and judged catalogue entries covering everything from produce and preserves to flowers, baking, quilts and crafts, entered by growers and makers young and old. Crowd-pleasing logger sports — a nod to the valley's forestry heritage — see competitors race through axe-throwing, sawing and pole-climbing events, while the Kid's Corral and family activities keep younger visitors busy. Add live entertainment, demonstrations, a midway feel, and vendors and concessions across the grounds, and you have a full day out for all ages. The Cowichan Valley is Vancouver Island's farm-and-wine country, and the Exhibition is where that identity is on proudest display. It is easy to reach in the Duncan area, midway between Victoria and Nanaimo, and pairs naturally with a valley weekend of wineries, cideries, farm gates and the murals of nearby Chemainus. Bring the family, cash for the concessions and catalogue, and plan to spend the afternoon soaking up one of the Island's most authentic community events.