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    Playland at the PNE

    2.9 (109 reviews)
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    Eric C.

    I love Playland. I grew up with Playland, but as a parent I now realize how much my parents loved me. Why? It's not cheap to bring your kid here. My favourite rides include the Coaster and the Swings which still give me thrills as a middle-aged man. It seems that every year I visit, the log ride or "Flume" is not running. It was perfect for hot days to cool off from being drenched as your log crashes into the water. There are a few new rides that look super intense and worth a try if that's your kind of thing. You can take a break from the rides and check out the midway filled with carnival games giving away stuffies of all shapes and sizes. I was disappointed to see the prices have become ridiculous though. Games are now crazy expensive. $5 -$6 a game is crazy. Even more so when it's for the smallest prizes. So why is it still four stars when it seems I'm kinda down on the place? It's part of growing up in Vancouver and filled with memories. For many, you first see it as a toddler, then as a teen, and then as an adult and perhaps a parent. At each age, you see it differently and I think those experiences are unique from each other. If you ignore what's happening to your wallet (or your parent's wallet), this place is fun. So stuff yourself with cotton candy and drink way too much soda, get on some rides, feel sick, and then do it all over again!

    The best Corn Dogs
    Shonah M.

    I would never have thought I'd make it here 2 years in a row. Day 1 is always nuts & the PNE ran another great gate entry promotion - kids 13 under free & adult with sporting top paid $2. Swwweeeeet! My niece & nephew after last year decided it would be our tradition & for the PNE visit we would call ourselves - Just us 3! Hmmmmm a tshirt with that on it maybe in the works!?! So I'll start with the greats about the PNE - food options galore, entertainment, people, customer service staff, water fountains, great concert lineup options, animals at farm, Super Dogs, interactive display booths, beer garden & market place for all your knick knacks. The bad - not enough benches to sit on, need fresh new entertainment at Pacific Coliseum (Super Dogs can't keep it going by themselves - no one appreciates the other acts - year after year). Way more mist fans blowing cool air would be greatly appreciated during this summer heat wave! Place them everywhere. Start the major concert artist entertainment earlier in the day (ie 5pm) - why does it always start later!? Most of us have been up early to get here & have been wondering around the PNE / Playland grounds for hours all ready - so when the artists performing yell out ... 'clap your hands get up off your feet' ... I'm like what - you do that - I'm beat up tired & exhausted! Have a few DJs strategically placed around the PNE grounds spinning tunes. Everyone loves the sound of music! $48 bucks for all day ride pass!?? WTH!?? Come on now PNE you've got to do better! It takes on average a 30 minute wait for some of the popular rides then another 10mins to complete the whole experience. You do the math on say 5 popular rides! Offer discount coupon deals that can be used to purchase food! It gets hella expensive after one has tried the various food options - which are tasty & delicious! I recommend - the soft serve ice cream at Soft Serve - the amazing corn dogs (try the jalapeno cheese corn dog) @ Corn Dogs - for classic deluxe burgers @ Jimmy's Lunch - for tacos @ Tacos & Totchos - the classic BeaverTails. Now one can also go crazy & try the weird concoctions like deep fried KitKat bars, Cricket Caramel Apples or Charcoal soft serve ice cream! Good luck! Do not drive here! Way too much traffic & trying to find parking is nuts! Furthermore getting your car out will take forever - traffic on Hastings & Renfrew gets super crazy. You're better to be picked up at the end of the day & head towards Dundas St to go west & McGill St to go eastward. Way faster than being stuck on Hastings! I really could go on with suggestions but I'll stop. Overall still a great time had & will go back next year ... after all - it's a tradition!

    JT C.

    During my youngling years, this was the place I would look forward to coming every year with my parents, almost second best thing besides Christmas. It's almost like a tradition, at least once every year but missed one year cause was away on a trip. Since my first time here, I could see a lot of things have changed. Things changing with time are sometimes unfortunate but understandable, it's the way to survive and meet the current demands and situation. But at the same time it also takes away the true foundation and fundamental it was build on. Fast forward it all to this year, Playland/ PNE 2022. There's really not much to say other then total disappointment. First of all, all the ride passes and ride tickets were sold out online a day or two before the Labour Day long weekend, I thought it was an online glitch, ride passes sold out?!? Since when?!? When I arrived at Playland, I could see signs posted everywhere all ride passes and tickets were sold out and if you have a ride pass and wanted to upgrade it to a rapid pass to bypass the long lineups, you have to pay extra. Literally, "WTF!!" Went through my head! Okay whatever with the rides. As I paced down to the carnival games, none of the places accept cash. All the food vendors and carnival games at Playland only accepts debit or credit cards or Reloadable Playland gift cards, WTH!! This was like being in a programmed and dictated game simulation. All the fun of an amusement park and carnival that I am used to growing up with just vaporized. The only thing that hasn't changed was the price increase for everything from entrance fee to food to games. The whole point and fun of an amusement park and carnival is to let loose and have fun and pass it onto generations to come; eating all the overpriced crappy food but loving them at the same time, playing and trying to outwit the carnival games with all the cash in our pockets for a stuffie that probably worth less the $5, and dragging our friends or siblings or family members on rides because we wanted to see who's going to puke first. Well, very unfortunate this year was a big disappointment on how Playland was managed and setup. Totally makes no sense and totally took the fun out of an amusement park; the Playland I once knew and grew up with became no funner then watching a YouTube clip of someone riding the merry go around for 5 minutes. If this is how Playland and the PNE is managed in the future years then it's not worth coming anymore, better of visiting amusement places elsewhere, unfortunately the new generations wouldn't be able to experience and have fun like some of us did before. A total 2022 Playland failed! P.S. if the management justify this years setup the way it is cause of Covid etc... then they share the same knowledge and traits as the beansprout I ate for lunch.

    Stamping station~
    Edward L.

    Maybe I'm just old, but Playland has really gone downhill since I was a kid. Everything seems dumbed down, and frankly, the rides are a total ripoff. You have to buy a PNE gate pass ($20) to be able to use your Playland pass ($31). So if you're with someone, you're now out over $100 and you haven't even gone on a ride or eaten yet. What I really don't get is why they took down many good rides and replaced them with crappy new ones. For example, the new Ferris wheel isn't that much bigger than the original (red) one. The Wildmouse is gone, and so is the classic potato sack slide. The new one is probably only half the height, and way more narrow. Another thing I don't get is why there are so many similar rides. For example, there is a kids' version of the Hellevator, and a smaller version of the Atmosfear. You'd think they'd just tear down the old one. Even though it was a Thursday, the lineups were insane. Actually, I should rephrase that. The lineups were not that long, but the rides simply don't "process" enough people. It took over an hour to get to the Atmosfear! Fortunately the Hellevator was much shorter (maybe 10 minutes). And many of the other rides (such as the Pirate ship) had no lineup at all! Yay! The rides I would recommend are the world-famous Coaster (wooden one), and Hellevator. The Coaster looks rickety, and frankly isn't that high either, but it really is world-class. This is, quite simply, the most fun and one of the scariest rides. It has no fancy loops or anything, but because the restraint on the cars don't exactly close tight enough, half the time you literally feel like you're going to fall/fly out of the thing. Always a pile of fun. As for the Hellevator, again, it's not the scariest ride, but it's fast, it's definitely hair-raising, and there's nothing like the sensation of free-falling as you're nearing the top of the shaft. The glass house is a classic. I still remember the solution from when I was 5 years old. They haven't changed it at all. Be sure to walk with your hands in front of you though, so that you don't get a panel to the face. Bumper cars are classic too. This ride was probably originally built in 1960. The cars are totally ghetto, but it's always good for some fun. The Corkscrew is a disappointment. Sure, the first 2 loops (corkscrew) are fun, but after that you're just riding these gentle dips, and nothing scary happens. For the reasons, the Coaster blows the Corkscrew out of the water. Overall I guess Playland is one of those things you can do once, but it looks like I won't be back for a while.

    Amy T.

    Playland and PNE has been renewed for me since I can relive the good ol' days through my daughter. The old favorites are Coaster and the Swings. They still have Pirate Ship and Starship as well. However, they got rid of Wild Mouse (for good reason, it didn't seem safe to me) and Dragon (too bad because I loved this as a child). I wish they can add even more rides for the younger kids next year. There's only maybe 5 or 6 rides the under 4 feet kids can go on. The Fair at the PNE consists mostly of things you don't need. If you search through all the unnecessary junk, you'll find some great deals. We bought a set of pans that needing replacing anyway. I still enjoy myself at Playland and PNE, but it's more expensive than I remembered. It could be inflation or it could be 70% of the park hasn't changed so it doesn't seem worth it sometimes. Either way, this place still holds a place in my heart and watching my daughter experience it makes it even better.

    Denise W.

    I have to say meh.... My company had events here for the last 3 years and i have to say its great for kids. But for my age, I don't think its that great. I find the place pretty dirty. I have outgrown the rides. As well, its quite pricy for the day pass. During the PNE the fair its a bit better because they bring in more rides. But the ticket cost $16 and the pass cost $42.50. That's pretty pricy. Instead I bought the 30 tickets for $42.50. most rides cost 4 tickets and some 5 tickets. or you can buy per ticket for $1.50 each. still not cheap. The have replaced some rides due to safety issues. But its good that they have been up to date with the safety and maintenance of each rides. But like I said I have pretty much outgrown them.

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    3 years ago

    I absolutely love coming to playland especially when the fair is around. So many things to see and do!

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    6 years ago

    Awesome place for kids and I'm looking if they have any new plans for this year . Can't wait longer as summer is almost over

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    Page 1 of 3

    Review Highlights - Playland at the PNE

    Ordered the ribs & brisket combo, and it was so JUICY and FLAVOURFUL The butterbeer soft serve was pretty yummy and creamy too!

    Mentioned in 3 reviews

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    Playland at the PNE - amusementparks - Updated September 2026

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