BURST
This year’s Fair at the PNE kicks off on Saturday, and you know what that means? That’s right, there’s a 30 per cent chance of showers.
The rainy day forecast on the fair’s opening day has kicked up many well-worn jokes about how if there’s rain on a summer day in Vancouver, the PNE must be on.
But a closer look at Environment Canada data shows the fair’s reputation for soggy weather is undeserved.
Environment Canada meteorologist Brian Proctor crunched the data at Vancouver Harbour station in downtown Vancouver during fair days between 2014 and 2024 and found fairgoers were more likely to ride the coaster and eat mini-doughnuts while dry, rather than wet.
The maximum number of rainy days is six, and that’s happened four times over the last decade: In 2015, 2016, 2019, and 2024.
The driest fair during this period was in 2017, when there was zero rainfall recorded.
The next driest was in 2020, although few participants were able to enjoy the weather in its glory. That year, the first after COVID-19 hit, the fair was a drive-thru experience where people remained in their cars to maintain social distancing.
The wettest fair happened in 2015, when 47.4 millilitres of rain fell over six days.
Last year was another six-day event, when about 25.5 mm of rain fell, a lot of it on Saturday, Aug. 24, while a rainfall warning was in effect.
Longtime PNE spokesman Laura Ballance said she’s not surprised that data shows rainy days are not the norm.
“It’s more of an urban myth than fact,” she said. “I always joke and tell people it’s not true, there’s no basis for that. But this year it looks like we might get some rain. We’ll see.”
The fair operates rain or shine. The only time the Hastings Park fairgrounds were closed was in August 2015, when heavy rain and strong winds pummelled the region, causing widespread power outages and forcing the closure of Stanley Park.
Ballance said there’s still plenty of things to do in the fair, even if there are showers.
“Our benefit is we have a lot of our features indoors — in the Coliseum, the Astrodome, the Forum building, the livestock barns. We have quite a bit of covered space that provides us both sun cover and rain cover.”
For some, rainy days at the fair is one of the city’s best kept secrets as the rain keeps the crowds away.
But it’s undeniable that many of the fair’s activities and participants’ best memories and traditions are best in dry conditions, so organizers are keeping their fingers crossed for sunny days this season.
“We are a 15-day event in a 17-day window,” said Ballance, as the fair is closed on the first two Mondays.
“We do budget for rainy days within that. We cross our fingers and hope they are not on key days because rain does affect attendance.”
Environment Canada said the rain is expected to start Friday night in Metro Vancouver, but ease up a bit on Saturday.
“I don’t think it’ll be a continuously rainy kind of day,” said Proctor, adding there’s even a possibility of a bit of sun amid the on-and-off-again showers.
Rainfall during The Fair at the PNE, 2014-2024
2014: 2 days of rain, 6.2 mm
2015: 6 days of rain, 47.4 mm
2016: 6 days of rain, 20.7 mm
2017: 0 days of rain
2018: 3 days of rain, 3 mm
2019: 6 days of rain, 16.7 mm
2020: 1 day of rain, 0.9 mm
2021: 5 days of rain, 23.9 mm
2022: 2 days of rain, 6.1 mm
2023: 4 days of rain, 28.6 mm
2024: 6 days of rain, 25.5 mm