Bargain Hunters: How to get into The Fair at the PNE for Free!

August 18, 2016
CL
ByCarrie Leslie
4 min read

The quintessential festival of the summer is kicking off this summer when The Fair at the PNE opens its gates for the 2016 season on Saturday, August 20, 2016. Running for two weeks until Monday, September 5 (Labour Day), the PNE offers up an amazing plethora of free concerts, mini donuts, super dogs, and lots of deep-fried delectable treats.

Entry into the Fair at the PNE will only cost you $17 at the gate (or $13 online), but this year the PNE has announced an abundance of options to get in the gates for free. So, save yourself a crisp $20 (to blow on a deep fried Mars bar), and use one of the tips below to get easy access into one of the best events of the summer…

pne vancouver 2016

Image courtesy of Frost Museum | Flickr.com

Option #1: Pokemon Go players get in for free on Saturday, August 20

Playing Pokemon Go is finally going to pay off! This Saturday, August 20 from 11am – noon, the PNE is inviting all players to show their app at the gate to get in for free!

All you have to do is show the Pokemon Go app on your phone to get free entry, so if you don’t want to download the game – just get a screen shot and save it to your phone.

For all the gamers, there will also be lures all over the park all day. There are also 3 gyms, over 30 pokestops and hundreds of Pokemon lingering around… If that sentence made no sense to you, time to start playing!

pne vancouver 2016

Image by Caelie_Frampton | Flickr.com

Option #2: Free gate admission for First Responders (+ guest)

A celebration for all the real heroes in the world. On Saturday, August 20 and Sunday, August 21 First Responders and a guest will receive free gate admission. This means that all current and retired police, RCMP, ambulance workers, firefighters, military, search & rescue and coast guards are welcome to get into the PNE for free.

This promotion is available for all day (11am – 10:30pm) for the opening weekend of The Fair.

pne vancouver 2016

Image by Caelie_Frampton | Flickr.com

Option #3: Free entry for all on Tuesdays

For 2016, The Fair at the PNE will be offering free gate admission for all guests on Tuesday, August 23 and Tuesday, August 30 from 11am – 1pm.

How will you spend the money you saved on gate admission? Perhaps by buying a blooming onion? Maybe chocolate-dipped bacon on a stick? Or there’s always the good ol’ bag of mini donuts!

vancouver pne 1957

From Vancouver Archives | the PNE fair gates in 1957

Option: #4 Seniors’ Day on Thursday, August 25

For those who are still a kid at heart, The Fair at the PNE will be offering free gate admission for seniors 65+ all day Thursday, August 25 from 11am – 10:30pm.

If rides and carnival games aren’t your thing, there will also be a festival park (tribute to Canadian summer), a craft beer festival, lots and lots of food, and the always excellent SuperDogs show.

More details about all the promotions available for the 2016 Fair at the PNE are located on the PNE/Playland website.

What’s your favourite part about The Fair at the PNE? Let us know in the comment section!

PNE
The Fair at the PNE
free entry
summer festival
concerts
mini donuts
super dogs
deep-fried treats
2016