CELEBRATE TOGETHER: SOUTHWESTERN ONTARIO'S 150th WESTERN FAIR

LONDON, ONTARIO — September 21, 2026: As the last person left the gates of the Western Fair last night, we said farewell to the 149th edition.  It’s always a little bittersweet to see it end. And yet, there is so much to look forward to: next year marks a major milestone for our signature event, and we can’t wait to celebrate together.

The Fair has never been a thing you watch. It is a thing you do together. September 10-19, 2027, marks Western Fair’s 150 and we want to celebrate everyone and everything that makes the fair so magical. To mark the big event, we are unveiling an anniversary logo and an invitation to come and “Celebrate Together”.  

"Celebrate Together isn't a slogan we invented for an anniversary. It's a description of what actually happens here every September, and what has happened here for a century and a half," said Reg Ash, CEO Western Fair Association. "The 150th belongs to all of southwestern Ontario. We're just the ones who are entrusted to make it happen."  

A new look for a milestone year  

The anniversary logo draws on one of the oldest traditions of the Western Fair: the Home Arts competitions.  The quilt was the inspiration for the logo and is symbolic of the connection between different fabrics and designs which come together to form something beautiful and useful.  By connecting all generations and cultures together in one celebration, we’re recognizing that the Western Fair is part of the fabric of Canada.  

150 Fairs in 160 years  

The 150th Western Fair arrives 160 years after the Western Fair Association was chartered on April 23, 1867, ten weeks before Confederation took effect.  

The ten-year gap between those numbers is the reason the invitation matters.  

The Western Fair has been cancelled ten times — eight during the Second World War, when the fairgrounds were handed to the Department of National Defense and became an army manning and training depot, and twice during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the same grounds held a 180-bed field hospital and then one of Ontario's first mass vaccination clinics. That clinic ran 518 days and delivered 235,407 doses before closing in December 2023.  

"Ten times in our history, people couldn't gather here to celebrate our community and every one of those times, these grounds were doing something the public needed more," said Reg Ash, CEO. "That's why the invitation for 2027 is what it is. Celebrating together is not something to take for granted. It’s something that our community continues to do.”  

Celebrating the future

“Our history is built on your memories,” said Heather Blackwell, WFA Culture Liaison.  Grandparents who rode the Zyclon roller coaster and now watch their grandkids take on the Crazy Mouse roller coaster. Five generations of farmers displaying their crops and livestock, the Grandstand regulars, the local crafters, and the volunteers who work tirelessly behind the scenes.

As Western Fair Association (WFA) prepares for a major milestone, over the next year, its team will endeavour to celebrate everything that has made the fair so magical.  “We hope when the big event arrives fair fans are with us and they have brought someone new to experience the wonder of Western Fair for the very first time,” said Blackwell. “This is an important ask of our community, by inviting the old to bring the new to Western Fair 150, the 2027 fair becomes the one a brand-new generation makes memories at and will pour their community spirit into.”  

WFA hopes that 150th attendees will become the organizers, volunteers, members, parents and children that keep the tradition alive. 

“Western Fair is focused on the future and the people who support us today will set the foundation for the next 100 years. That’s an important goal as we mark this anniversary, embrace our purpose and strategize on how we can contribute to the communities we serve for generations to come,” said Blackwell.  

Held build the fair archive

Beginning today, the Western Fair Association is inviting Londoners to help build a community archive ahead of the 150th.  

Photographs, ribbons, programs, ticket stubs, midway wristbands (and the stories that go with them). We ask for submissions to be digital, with stories and photographs of the memorabilia so they will be woven into programming and storytelling through the countdown to September 2027.  

"There is no complete record of 150 Fairs, and there never will be, because most of it lives in people's basements and in their memories," said Angela Hawkins, Director of Marketing and Communications. "We'd like to borrow it. Celebrating together starts with remembering together." 

Anyone can share material to 150 [at] westernfairdistrict.com (150[at]westernfairdistrict[dot]com) 
 

The 150th Western Fair  

The 150th Western Fair runs September 10 – 19, 2027 at the Western Fair District, 845 Florence Street, London. Programming details and ticket dates will be announced through 2027.  

About the Western Fair

The Western Fair is a ten-day agricultural fair held every September in London, Ontario, and is one of Canada's oldest community traditions. Recognized as a Top 100 Event in Ontario, the Fair features midway rides, agriculture education, attractions, competitions, community showcases, live music, motor sports and food.  

About Western Fair District  

Western Fair District is a year-round, not-for-profit agri-food organization dedicated to celebrating community and agriculture. Through events, entertainment, agriculture, racing, sport and community programming, Western Fair District brings people together while reinvesting in programs and initiatives that support London and the surrounding region.