If you’re heading out to the Red River Ex, here are some super easy ways to save some money while you’re there and have an affordable outing for the entire family. There’s so much to do and see while you’re there, luckily the Ex runs from June 13th to the 22nd so there’s a lot of chances to check it all out.
– Check out their website for special days and times. If you buy your tickets early you get a discount, if you go certain days before 5pm it only costs $5 to get in. Easy to do, and just pick your day to what suits your timeframe and family. On June 22nd kids under 10 can buy passes to ride the Kiddieland rides all day for just $12. June 19th is Hero’s day, free gate admission with ID for firefighters, police and military personnel. There’s a ton of these special days and sales, check out the site to find one that works for you.
– One thing it seems a lot of people don’t realize is that once you’ve paid your gate admission, there are a ton of free shows and performances and displays to check out. Makes for a really fun day, check the scheduele for the shows you want and you can spend an entire day wandering around having fun with those. There’s shows by Splash ‘N Boots, Agriculture Magic Show, Prairie Town Farm, Construction and Dinosaur Dig, all kinds of animal shows and displays, a giant robot and then tons of entertainment like iFlip, Pirates, Street Circus and much more. If you go before 5pm on the cheap days, you get a lot of entertainment for just $5.
– Plan and pack ahead. Bring a backpack with everything you’ll need, and for anything you pick up while you’re there. Bring a picnic, snacks, water etc. if you don’t want to spend too much on food. We always get a few treats and bring a few things from home too.
– If your kids love souvenirs and to take things home, a lot if not all of the kids games give out prizes. My daughter is not the most talented at carnival games by any means but she’s come home with a car full of toys at the end of the day from the Ex. And they’re pretty proud of themselves if they earn it – especially the hammer game.
With just a little bit of preplanning as to what deals work for you, and packing some of your own food you can spend a few hours or an entire day there and not break the bank! We love to go early when it’s not as busy and have the time to check out almost every show and performance. We’ve seen some great shows over the years – this year we’re really looking forward to see iFlip!
What are your best ways to save at the Ex? And which shows or performances are you most looking forward to?
I’m really looking forward to the Meet the Breeds exhibit this year, it will be a great place for people to see breeds of dogs they might not otherwise have seen, learn more about responsible dog ownership, and how to teach their children to interact with new dogs. There will pretty much always be 4-5 different breeds on display at any given time, and new breeds come throughout the day, so stop at the exhibit when you come in, and again when you leave.
(Disclaimer – my wife and I will have our Beagles there one of the days, so I might be a little biased. But, there is no charge to come to the exhibit, and it’s all done by volunteers, so we have no financial interest in it)
That does sound fun! That’s what I love about the Ex, always something new! 🙂 I love that you’ll be teaching kids about dog and interaction, that’s so important.
From what I heard it went very well last year, we weren’t able to participate because, well, our son came on the 18th so we were a little preoccupied 🙂 The exhibit is located in the small building along the eastern side of the grounds, just past all of the food trucks north of the main entrance. There is also a reptile exhibit in the same building, so it’s going to be a whole lot of fun!
Sounds like fun, My kids would love to see the dogs!
As well we head out on the 23rd – Family Day. Free admission for the early goers- bring a non perishable food item , free pancake breakfast and cheap kiddie rides and in the past they gave out bike helmets. Hoping again this year, since we missed out last year.
Catia, Where do you see the free admission for the early goers? we yested to go on that day and I see nothing about it this year on their website.
Family day Sunday, June 22
Celebrate your family at The EX this year. Kids under 10 years old can purchase a pass (buy on Park only) to ride the Kiddieland Rides ONLY all they want on Sunday, June 22 (only) for $12 (includes GST).
It’s time to fill up your belly with some free pancakes and tons of fun!
Once again the aroma of a free pancake breakfast will fill the air during this year’s Red River Ex. Be sure to get up early, come down to the Park for a FREE pancake and sausage breakfast. Special thanks to Manitoba Pork for supplying the sausages.
Breakfast dates & times:
Sunday, June 15 from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.
Sunday, June 22 from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. brought to you by Starbuck Credit Union
They also have cheap hotdogs and drinks somewhere. I think it was 2 for a hotdog and 1 for for a drink. One of the round kiosks. We went last year with 2, 18 mon olds and a few older niecez n nephews. Everyone had a ton of fun. Lots of free things to do and see as nadine said.
That’s good to know! Looking around at all the food is smart for sure too, see what the prices are like first.