One of the highlights of the summer is attending the Vancouver Island Exhibition at the Beban Park Fair Grounds in Nanaimo, BC. This Vancouver Island annual country fair is a big hit for all ages.  The purpose of the VIEX is to bring the public together to further awareness of the agricultural community that is an important part of our everyday lives.

Vancouver Island Exhibition (VIEX)

The VIEX is normally a three-day event, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. This year it opened Thursday night allowing visitors to join in the fun a day earlier.

Highlights include:

• Extensive displays of animals with cattle, rare breeds, mini-horses, a milking parlour, Llamas, Alpacas
• Entertainment on the main stage
• Skateboard competition and roller derby demo
• Commercial Expo displays
• Home arts
• Yukon Dan gold panning
• Haunted house
• Sheep herding demos
• Mini-horse show
• Heavy horses and drill team
• Dog show and agility show
• Midway show with games of chance and rides

VIEX Livestock Displays

The livestock displays are always a hit especially the parts where the children can mingle and pet the animals.

A highlight is the Heritage breeds dedicated to conservation and promotion of traditional breeds of farm animals.

There is ample display space with separate buildings for:

• cattle
• horses
• goats
• rabbits
• chickens

Amusement Park Area

Always hit with the younger crowd is the amusing park with rides for everyone from young children to teenagers who seem to be defying death in extreme rides.

Commercial Expo

The commercial Expo is held in the Cliff McNabb Arena were local businesses have booth and are demonstrating their products and services.

Hungry or Thirsty?

There is a food court and with many different vendors on-site providing refreshments, ice cream, burgers, dogs and a number of sugar filled goodies only found at a country fair.

Nanaimo Accommodations

There are a number of hotels, motels and bed & breakfasts to pick from including our sponsors, Best Western:

The BEST WESTERN Northgate Inn is located at the hub of Vancouver Island and offers incredible value and an ideal location to area sights and businesses. Guests enjoy beautifully appointed rooms, fully equipped with high-speed internet, refrigerator, microwave and satellite television. Select rooms feature king size beds or Jacuzzi® suites, and the BEST WESTERN Northgate Inn features meeting and banquet facilities that can accommodate up to 75 people.

Contact info: BEST WESTERN Northgate Inn, 6450 Metral Drive, Nanaimo, British Columbia, V9T 2L8, CA. Toll Free: (800) 661-0061 Local: (250) 390-2222 Fax: (250) 390-2412. The email address for the BEST WESTERN Northgate Inn is info@bestwesternnorthgate.com.

Re-published from www.amazingvancouverisland.com under creative commons license.