Our 157th Fall Fair is September 12, 13, and 14th, 2025
2025 Rules & Regulations
Please read carefully. Unless noted otherwise under a Division’s rules, these Rules & Regulations apply to all Divisions.
Admissions & Passes
a. 2025 Exhibition: Friday, September 12th, Saturday, September 13th, & Sunday, September 14th. The midway is open Thursday, September 11th through Sunday, September 14th.
b. All persons entering the grounds must pay admission.
c. The Grounds will be open to the public from 9 am to 9 pm on Friday & Saturday, and from 9 am to 4 pm on Sunday.
d. Mellor Hall & the Barns will be open to the public from 9 am to 8 pm on Friday and Saturday, & from 9 am to 4 pm on Sunday. Exhibitors can pick up their hall entries from 4:30pm to 6:30pm on Sunday.
e. Daily Admission: Thursday: $2/per person; Adult: Friday & Saturday $12; Sunday Adult: $10. Senior 65+ $9; Youth (12-17 years old) $10; Child (7 to 11) $7; 6 & under Free.
f. 4-H members with valid 4-H cards – no charge
g. Public Camping fees: $30 per day for a camping pass (gate admission is extra).
Camping in a designated area on the Exhibition grounds is available to exhibitors and the general public on a “first come” basis. Contact the Office.
Parking & Unloading
a. Only feed/livestock trucks & other service vehicles will be allowed on the park prior to 10 am daily.
b. Parking is available in designated areas outside Gate #3 (Buckerfield’s Gate).
c. Security is on site 24 hours from Thursday to Sunday.
Entries in General
a. Unless noted otherwise in a Category’s rules, entry forms must be received by due date listed in the catalogue page.
b. All entries must be submitted online or made out on the appropriate Exhibition form (photocopies acceptable). Please ensure that the exhibitor’s name and mailing address are correct.
c. Entry forms can be delivered or mailed to the Office: Cowichan Exhibition, 7380 Trans Canada Hwy, Duncan, BC V9L 6B1.
Office hours are 9am – 4pm, Monday – Friday.
Hall Entries
a. Unless noted otherwise in a Category’s rules, entry forms must be received by 5 pm on the day listed in the catalogue.
b. No exhibit can have been entered in a previous Cowichan Exhibition.
c. All exhibits must have been completed or grown by the exhibitor in the past two years.
d. No exhibitor can enter more than one exhibit in a class, except where specified in an individual Category.
e. The age of a child is as of January 1 of the current year.
f. Tags for Hall Exhibits will be issued when the entry form is submitted. Please make sure you have picked up your tags by 4:30 pm, on the deadline in the catalogue.
g. It is the exhibitor’s responsibility to enter the correct class. If any entry is obviously in the wrong class, it will be relocated at the discretion of the Category Chairperson.
h. Unless specified otherwise in a Category’s rules, all entries must be tagged & in place for judging by 5:30 pm, on the delivery dates specified in the Catalogue. Mellor Hall will be open for delivery between 10 am and 5 pm. Check the catalogue for the specific date.
i. Exhibitors must report to the Category Chairperson before leaving their entries on a display table.
j. Only judges & designated Exhibition volunteers will be permitted in Mellor Hall after 5:30 pm.
k. The Exhibition will not be responsible for items left after 6 pm on Sunday & cannot be held liable for any losses.
l. All food exhibits not picked up by 6 pm, Sunday will be discarded. Any hall entries left over by the exhibition will be donated to a local charity thrift store.
m. Any special awards (prizes) will be handed out at the end of the fair on Sunday.
n. Please bring your entry tag stubs for identification.
Commercial Exhibits & Concessionaires
a. Food concessions must be in place by 9pm on Thursday, September 11th. Commercial vendors must have their booths set up by 9am on Friday, September 12th. (please see your contract).
b. Space renters are fully responsible for their displays during the Exhibition’s open hours.
Liabilities and Obligations
a. Any exhibitor who violates any general or specific Category Rule shall forfeit any or all prize money & any awards made to them.
b, Exhibitors of animals, machinery in motion, & other exhibits liable to cause accidents, injury or damage to property or persons coming in contact with them, shall guard their exhibits & protect the public from coming in contact with them.
c. Every exhibitor shall indemnify the Cowichan Exhibition from & against all claims, demands, costs, charges & expenses which it may incur, suffer, or by reason of any accident or of any person being injured or suffering damage through or by reason of any such exhibit, performance or concession not properly guarded or the public not be protected from it. While the Board will take all reasonable precautions to ensure the safety of the exhibits sent to the Cowichan Exhibition, the owners themselves must take the risk of exhibiting them. Should any exhibit be accidentally injured, lost or stolen, the Board will give all assistance in their power towards its recovery, but will not make any payment for it.
d. No claims for injury to any person or property shall ever be asserted or suit be maintained against the Cowichan Exhibition, its Directors or their agents, by or on behalf of any visitor, exhibitor, or any person, firm or corporation, or their agents, representatives, servants, or employees, having license of privileges to visit or exhibit at the Cowichan Exhibition or occupying any space there on.
e. Any article or stand left in the buildings or on the park after the close of the Exhibition will be at the risk of the owner. The Cowichan Exhibition’s Board will recognize no accounts unless incurred by order of the Board.
Judging and Disputes
a. Judges will receive a letter informing them of their appointment & when, where & whom to report to on arrival at the Exhibition. A copy of the Category’s classes will be included with the letter. Judging will commence at the time stated in the Category’s rules.
b. The Judge’s decision/s will be final.
c. No person shall be allowed to act as a judge if he is in any way financially interested in the exhibits.
d. Chairpersons are not to judge their own Category.
e. Judges are not obligated to award any prize if the exhibit does not merit it. A single entry in a class does not guarantee a prize.
f. All Hall class protests must be made in writing, must state plainly the cause of complaint, and must be delivered with a deposit of $25 to the Exhibition Office by 6 pm before the fair ends.
h. In both cases, the deposit will be forfeited if the protest is not substantiated. The Exhibition’s Board of Directors shall be the final judge of all protests.
