The price of the Ex’s new VIP pass will make your head spin
Ex-goers can now choose between rent and rides
Wages are stagnant, grocery prices are up and Trump’s tariff war is threatening the very foundations of Canada’s economy. But, hey, anyone want to go foursies on an $1,800 VIP pass to the Ex?
Last week the CNE revealed its first-ever premium experience package, a panoply of perks including skip-the-line privileges, drink tickets, front-row seats to Bandshell performances, a storage area for personal belongings, a $50 voucher to sample this year’s Franken-foods and a limited-supply CNE collector pin set to commemorate the summer you turned bougie.
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Now about that price tag.
If last year at the Ex was all about supersized foods (see the foot-long mozzarella sticks and the giant doughnut), this year’s novelty attractions are XXL price tags. Each individual pass is $452.99, but passes must be bought in groups of four, which cranks the total up to $1,811.96.
That’s right: for the price of a month’s rent for the average Toronto one-bedroom, high rollers can spend a few hours looking down on fellow CNE revellers from the iconic Sky Ride, throwing up that giant mozzarella stick after riding the Gravitron, then sitting front-row to watch the CNE Superdogs or the iconic Acrobat Ice Dancing Show. (The VIP pass includes one but not both of these spectacles.)
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If this decision feels too arduous, pass holders can access a dedicated concierge team, there to help “curate” experiences and even to accompany VIPs on their CNE journey—at least those VIPs who find the prospect of a hungover student carnie escort appealing.
To be fair to the Ex, elitism has been infiltrating the theme park ecosystem for a while now. Disneyland first introduced the Fast Pass in 1999, and Canada’s Wonderland has its own version, which goes for $79 on top of the $45 park admission fee. That’s still considerably cheaper than the CNE’s VIP pass, but Wonderland’s doesn’t come with a commemorative pin set.
Courtney Shea is a freelance journalist in Toronto. She started her career as an intern at Toronto Life and continues to contribute frequently to the publication, including her 2022 National Magazine Award–winning feature, “The Death Cheaters,” her regular Q&As and her recent investigation into whether Taylor Swift hung out at a Toronto dive bar (she did not). Courtney was a producer and writer on the 2022 documentary The Talented Mr. Rosenberg, based on her 2014 Toronto Life magazine feature “The Yorkville Swindler.”
