A spur-of-the-moment decision resulted in a wonderful evening at the PNE. We joined forces with our wonderful neighbours and took the kids to the PNE on a Friday night. I expected utter chaos and overwhelming crowds…not so! We had a glorious night filled with giggling kids, mini donuts, face painting, and Beatles tunes.
We arrived around 4pm and found FREE parking – whoot whoot! We decided to skip the craziness that is Playland (I much prefer to go when the PNE is not on and the lines aren’t quite so epic in length). Our evening adventures started in the big red barns. Petting bunnies, peering at baby chicks and ducks, and listening to pigs oink delighted all of our kids. Great fun was had in the Kidz Discovery Farm; the kids got to be farmers for an hour. Their adventures started with the donning of aprons and the planting of seeds. Next it was through the grain silo and on to milking a cow. The kids each picked a bucket to fill with treasures: a carton of milk, a tomato or carrot, a jar of honey, an apple, an egg, a hamburger, a fish, and a bag of wool. At each station us parents tried to rapidly read signs, educate the kids about the specific aspect of farming, and ensure only one item was added to their bucket. Lots of laughter was had by all!
Our boys’ favourite section was at the end of the Kids Discovery Farm…the pedal tractors! If we had let them, they’d still be there riding in circles around the hay bales. We managed to lure them away with the promise of SuperDogs! Last year was my first time – ever – seeing SuperDogs. Apparently I have been living under a rock. I was most impressed and was eagerly awaiting the show this year. I’ll be honest, while this year’s show was entertaining, it didn’t seem to have the same wow-factor as last year’s performance. Regardless the show is still most entertaining and definitely worth a visit.
We took time to feed the kids and have their faces painted. As you can see one of my kids requested a full-face puppy dog…a black dog with white spots. While it was cute I practically needed a scouring pad to get the paint off at the end of the evening. Oh, be sure to stop by the West Jet tent…they are giving out FREE sunglasses!
Our evening concluded listening to the Beatles tribute band, Revolver, at the B stage. The venue was PACKED as the concert marked the 50th anniversary of when Beatles visit to Vancouver. The little kids had fun dancing and running in circles while us adults sipped warm drinks and enjoyed the great tunes.
It was a late night for the kiddos, but a fun night for all! The PNE runs until September 1st. Be sure to purchase your tickets online as there are additional savings and you can skip the lines.
