Lobster on a Stick at the CNE 2026

The Canadian National Exhibition is on from August 21 to September 7, 2026 this year.  We bought our admission tickets online using the husband’s corporate discount which came to $25.38 per person (the corporate ticket price is $19.47, then a $2.99 online processing fee, and then tax).  The online price has stayed the same from last year, where one regular adult pass is $26.55 + $2.99 fees + tax = $33.38.  If you have a Presto card, you can also get savings on your ticket.  If you buy your ticket at the gate, it’s $30.

Children under 4 years old are free.  We used the free kid’s pass which is for ages 4 to 12 (it had to be downloaded prior to August 21 in order to be used).

CNE 2026 admission prices at the gate

Free hair colouring (spray) at Great Clips

CNE 2026 grounds

We went there on Opening Day on Thursday, August 21st.  We got there at 11:25 a.m. and paid $45 to park on the grounds (next to Medieval Times, which was convenient for being next to the kids’ zone).  There were lots of parking spots.

We didn’t do a lot this year and weren’t ambitious to check off zealous food lists this year either.  We did much more in years past.  Things change as time goes on and especially when we have three young kids under five in tow.

The Farm at the Better Living Centre building

Kids’ AgVenture: be a farmer for a day!

The first thing we checked out was The Farm as usual for the kids to do hands-on farm activities.  You collect various items from the different stations and then get to ride a tractor car at the end.  Kids get a ribbon and activity book for completing the adventure.  We did the rubber duck racing, ball throwing, planted a seed in a pot that we could take home, corn maze, bean bag toss, giant Connect-4, sorting litter into the appropriate receptacles, and other assorted activities.  There are many farm animals like cows, alpacas, and lambs on display.

Urban Edge: Ice Skating & Acrobatic Show

After this, it was time for the 2 p.m. ice skating show featuring Elvis Stojko and other acrobats and dancers.  It’s a nice 30-minute show in an air-conditioned coliseum where almost any seat in the house is a good view.  Make sure to go early to get a spot.  It opens 15 to 30 minutes before the show starts.

We explored the rest of the Coca-Cola Coliseum after this by visiting Liquidation Nation, Uncle Terry’s Booth, and a stall that sold books and toys that were super cheap.  The Science Centre had a cool space experience too!

CNE Space Experience: lunar living room

We headed towards the Food Building for a late lunch/early dinner.  I wasn’t in the mood and didn’t have the motivation this year to try much of the new “crazy” foods and preferred to stick to some fair food classics that I had never tried before.

Food Building hours

Chicken Tenders booth on Prince’s Blvd

First one was the Chicken Tender Poutine from the Chicken Tenders booth outside on Prince’s Boulevard.  This was $24 but a big portion and very tasty and savory.  I liked how big most of the chicken tenders were, the squishy cheese curds, and the abundant gravy.  This was a solid poutine!

Chicken Tender Poutine $21.24+tax = $24

The husband got the Original Korean corn dog from Gangnam Style Korean Dogs.  This was moderate.  The corn dog itself tasted chewy like an mochi donut which I didn’t expect.  The Parmesan cheese and mayonnaise sprinkled on the corn dog was good.

Gangnam Style Korean Dogs

Original Korean corn dog $11.99+tax = $13.54

Matt’s

I got a Ginger Lemonade from Matt’s.  I don’t like it when stores don’t display their prices and you have to ask.  It makes me think that they change their prices at any moment, ripping off customers.  This was a small size for $10 plus tax.  It was not gingery enough and didn’t taste very strongly of lemonade either.  I would avoid ordering this.

Ginger Lemonade $10+tax = $11.30

American Original Seafood booth

I got a Fish Taco for the first time at CNE.  This was 3 fish tacos for $15.69 from the American Original Seafood stand.  This was an unexpectedly long wait as the cashier seemed new to the job and I guess the cooks just took a while to make everything.  This was a good deal, considering how everything else at the CNE is priced high.  I was really impressed with the taste and quality of the fish taco!  The tortilla was soft and the battered fish was so crispy on the outside and flaky and tender on the inside!  Yum!

3 fish tacos for $15.69+tax = $17.73

Lobster on a Stick booth

I had passed by the Lobster on a Stick booth and was intrigued by this new item.  The long line-up of people deterred me from getting it.  However, my mom expressed interest in it so when I passed by the booth again and there was a shorter line, I got it.  It was cash only and $27 after tax.  It was a tempura battered Canadian lobster tail on a stick and deep fried.  It was served with Old Bay kettle chips, garlic butter, herb white sauce, and a fresh lemon wedge.  I really enjoyed the lobster tail with butter.  I love lobster any day and any time, so this was a nice treat to try. ^_^  I’m glad we got it.

Lobster on a Stick $23.90+tax = $27

Close-up

The husband got fried pickles and deep fried gnocchi from Fritta.  I didn’t expect him to get more fried foods lol.  The fried pickles were good.  The deep fried gnocchi was also good!  I didn’t expect that.  It was savory and tasted good with the parmesan sprinkled on top of it.  There was some gravy too.. no wonder why I liked it. 😆

Fried pickles $6.95+tax = $7.85

Fried gnocchi $12.95+tax = $14.64

Booster Juice booth

The husband also got the new KD Smoothie from Booster Juice.  I had seen and watched the reels on Instagram where almost every influencer was panning this item, saying it did not taste good.  It was a smoothie made with KD Shaker Original Cheese Flavour, mangos, pineapple juice, skim milk, and vanilla frozen yogurt — an unlikely combo of fruits and cheese powder basically.  And you know what?  It actually tasted really good.  The mango and pineapple flavours stood out, making the drink quite refreshing in the hot climate of the Food Building and it was thirst-quenching after all of the fried foods we had eaten.  There was a slight cheese aftertaste, but it wasn’t noticeable.  In fact, my mom didn’t even notice it until I mentioned that there was cheese in it.

Kraft Dinner Smoothie (large) $9.89+tax = $11.18

Close-up of the concoction

This was a large size for $11 — which was a better deal than the Ginger Lemonade!  So even though I was appalled that my husband ordered it, it turned out to be the highlight of all the items we ordered!  It was cheap, refreshing, and a new concoction we had never tried before, which makes it a CNE winner in my books.  There’s also a smaller size for $6.69.  The large size was perfect for sharing. 👌

Playground near the kids’ zone

It was starting to get dark outside by the time we left the Food Building.  The last to-do was for the kids to run around and play at the playground in the kids’ zone.  It was unfortunate we weren’t able to make time to see the other shows that were on during the day like the Big Dip High Dive Show, K-Pop Tribute Cirque Show, or the other ones as they looked interesting and unique.

Reid’s Dairy ice cream stand

I ended off the night with a soft serve vanilla cone from one of the ubiquitous Reid’s Dairy ice cream stands.  The price for a small cone this year was $8, up from last year’s $7.  It’s upsetting to see the price going up year after year… but yet I keep buying it for tradition’s sake and because I just wanted some ice cream to end the night.  The vanilla soft serve was a bit watery than expected and more on the sweet side.

Soft serve vanilla cone $8 (no tax)

Here are some unique foods I spotted around the CNE grounds and in the Food Building:

Szechuan Sizzle ice cream from Caf-eh To

Bacon Cloud Fries and Edible Dirty Soda from Bacon Nation

Spicy Dill Pickle Cotton Candy outside the Food Building

The only other item from this year’s list that I was interested to try was the S’mores Deep Fried Slice from Pizza Pizza.  Influencers reported this large slice of fried pizza that was both savory and sweet to be $13, which is a great deal considering its gigantic size.

Leaving CNE at 9 p.m.

This year’s CNE trip was very mid.  I think it could have been better if we planned out our time in advance.  Hopefully next year’s experience will be more fun.

Also, because it was Opening Day, there were a lot of crowds and people everywhere.  It was difficult to navigate at times.  I also noticed the staff in the Food Building were very inexperienced which made for a long wait — the longest we’ve ever waited when ordering food at the Food Building.  It’s also best to eat there early like at 10 to 11 a.m. when the crowds haven’t arrived yet.