In the 21st century, attendance at Vancouver's annual PNE fair has been much like its famed wooden coaster after the first peak — plenty of twists and turns, but ultimately heading in one direction.

A day after the 2025 Pacific National Exhibition ended, officials said 612,404 guests attended this year.

That's a four per cent decrease from 2024, but also lowest number for the PNE this century — outside 2020-22, when the fair's operations were significantly curtailed due to the pandemic.

Overall, attendance is down around 40 per cent from its peak in the 1970s to 1990s, when more than a million people would pass through the Hastings Park turnstiles for the combination of rides, attractions, concerts and nostalgia.

PNE spokesperson Laura Ballance said this year's attendance decrease was

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