The Canadian National Exhibalso known as The Ex, is an annual event beginning in August that takes place at Exhibition Place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada during the 18 days leading up to and including Canadian Labour Day Monday. Approximately 5.3 million people visit Exhibition Place each year with 1.3 million visitors attending the CNE alone, making it Canada’s largest fair and the seventh largest fair in North America. The first Canadian National Exhibition took place in 1879, largely to promote agriculture and technology in Canada. Agriculturists, engineers and scientists exhibited their discoveries and inventions at the CNE to showcase the work and talent of the nation. As Canada has grown as a nation, the Canadian National Exhibition has also changed over time, reflecting the growth in diversity and innovation.

Address: Canadian National Exhibition, Press Building, Exhibition Place, 210 Princes’ Boulevard, Toronto, ON M6K 3C3
E-mail: info@TheEx.com

Canadian National Exhibition

The Toronto International Film Festival is the leading public film festival in the world, screening more than 300 films from 60+ countries every September. In 2010, 339 films from 59 countries were screened at 32 screens in downtown Toronto venues. In the last few years, total attendance at TIFF has exceeded 260,000, with 287,000 public and industry admissions in 2009. The festival begins the Thursday night after Labour Day (the first Monday in September in Canada), lasting for eleven days. Many Hollywood studios premiere their films at TIFF due to the festival's easy-going non-competitive nature, relatively inexpensive costs (when compared to European festivals), eager film-fluent audiences and convenient timing. Notable films to have had their world or North American premiere at TIFF include Chariots of Fire, The Big Chill, Husbands and Wives, Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould, Downfall, Sideways, and Crash.

General Inquiries: customerrelations@tiff.net

The Calgary Stampede is an annual rodeo, exhibition and festival held every July in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The ten-day event attracts over one million visitors per year and features one of the world's largest rodeos, a parade, midway, stage shows, concerts, agricultural competitions, chuckwagon racing and First Nations exhibitions. Organized by thousands of volunteers and supported by civic leaders, the Calgary Stampede has grown into one of the world's richest rodeos, one of Canada's largest festivals and a significant tourist attraction for the city. Calgary's national and international identity is tied to the event. It is known as the "Stampede City", carries the informal nickname of "Cowtown" and the local Canadian Football League team is called the Stampeders. The city takes on a party atmosphere during Stampede: office buildings and storefronts are painted in cowboy themes, residents don western wear and events held across the city include hundreds of pancake breakfasts and barbecues.

Mailing Address: Box 1060, Station M, Calgary, AB, T2P 2K8, Canada
E-mail: info@calgarystampede.com

A bull riding contestant at the Calgary Stampede rodeo
Photograph by Chuck Szmurlo

Winterlude is an annual festival in Ottawa, Ontario and Gatineau, Quebec that celebrates winter. The event is one of Ottawa's most important tourist draws, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. Winterlude is a very large festival of outdoor activities including public skating and skating displays, ice sculpture competitions, 60 miles (100k) of Rideau Canal skating thru the gothic city, musical concerts, children's play areas, largest ice playground, an 'ice lounge', and numerous off-site events. Winterlude is most famous for the Rideau Canal, which is cleared for ice skating displays and musical concerts. Confederation Park, better known as Crystal Garden, is the site for the ice sculpture competition, the ice lounge and musical concerts. Dow's Lake also has a large skating area and hosts various activities. Related activities include special exhibits at numerous Ottawa museums and special events in the Byward Market,

General Inquiries: Client Services — Contact Centre, National Capital Commission, 202–40 Elgin Street, Ottawa ON K1P 1C7
E-mail: info@ncc-ccn.ca

Just for Laughs is a comedy festival held each July in Montreal, Quebec, Canada founded in 1983. It is the largest international comedy festival in the world. Each day, street performers, "New Vaudevillians" and other acts both vocal and visual perform throughout the city, particularly in the "Latin Quarter", an area known for its theatres, cafés and boutique shopping. In the evenings, the nightclubs and live venue theatres offer special programs supporting the performers. Although Just for Laughs attracts spectators from around the world, many of those in the audience are talent scouts, booking agents, producers and managers from the entertainment industry. Performing at the festival is one of the biggest opportunities for undiscovered talent to showcase their act in front of industry professionals. Montreal is often referred to as the City of Festivals. The Just For Laughs Festival certainly ranks among the most popular in the city for both residents and tourists. If you are planning to be in Montreal during the month of July, you will quickly realize that, although busy, this is a great time to visit the city. There is so much going on with the festival’s events, and you will also want to make time to enjoy sightseeing in the city as well.

Contact: Just For Laughs, 2101 St. Laurent Blvd. Montreal, Quebec H2X 2T5

Quebec Winter Carnival

The Quebec Winter Carnaval Festival is a festival held in Quebec City. The festival's events include a winter amusement park, with attractions such as skiing, snow rafting, ice sculptures, snow sled slides and outdoor shows and it is usually held in February. After being held on and off for over half a century, the Quebec City Carnival has been held uninterruptedly since 1955. Although numerous public or private parties, shows and balls are held across the city, some of them set up outside in the bitter cold, and are testimony to the Québécois' fabled joie-de-vivre. The outdoor dance parties are set at the Ice Palace with other events. Also not part of the official program of Carnival but worth a visit or a stay, the Quebec city unique Ice Hotel open every year from early January to late March with its bar, night club, exhibition galleries and ceremonial church.

Address: Carnaval de Québec, 205, Boulevard des Cèdres, Québec (QC), Canada, G1L 1N8
Phone number: (418) 626-3716