Photographer Craig Hodge ends 50-year run documenting the PNE, its star power and its chaos
Hodge started in 1976 capturing concerts by Alice Cooper and ABBA at the Pacific Coliseum during the PNE's Star Spectacular series. The 2026 fair will be his final year.
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Craig Hodge has spent five decades photographing the Pacific National Exhibition, capturing everything from sold-out concert spectacles in the Coliseum to the elephant that walked down the midway in the 1980s. The 2026 fair will be his last.
Hodge began in 1976 as a photographer for The Columbian newspaper while working summers at the PNE. Over the years, he transitioned to full-time PNE staff and witnessed the fair evolve from black-and-white film and on-site darkrooms to digital photography and changing staffing models.
"It's a photographer's dream because there's so much stuff happening, so many events, always so much to photograph," Hodge said. "It's a very fun place to visit, whether it was the concerts or whatever."
When Hodge started, the Pacific Coliseum was Vancouver's largest arena—Rogers Arena and BC Place didn't exist yet. He photographed Alice Cooper, ABBA, Queen, The Bee Gees, and Frank Sinatra during the PNE's 17-day Star Spectacular series. Many of his images appear in "100 Years of Fun," a 2010 book celebrating the fair's centennial.
Beyond his camera work, Hodge's life became intertwined with the PNE itself. His children grew up attending the fair; his wife, Darla Furlani, came to the PNE through her sister, who was Miss PNE in 1986 and needed a chaperone.
One moment stands out vividly in Hodge's memory: Alice Cooper fell off the stage during an early 1970s concert and landed in his lap. Cooper was bandaged up and finished the show. Another unforgettable scene: in the 1980s, the fair hired a circus, and marketing decided to walk one of the elephants down the midway to promote it. Hodge was tasked with leading the animal, armed only with cotton candy, while hundreds of fairgoers watched.
"We'd never do this today. What could possibly go wrong walking an elephant through a crowded fairground?" Hodge reflected.
Hodge is running for mayor of Coquitlam this fall. He wanted to stay at the PNE long enough to photograph shows at the new Freedom Mobile Arch concert venue, which has been discussed for two decades. Last month, he shot The Guess Who at the venue, and plans to capture a few returning acts before he steps down. Some bands, like Alice Cooper, will be revisits—Hodge has photos of them from decades past.
The details
When did Craig Hodge start photographing the PNE?
Craig Hodge began in 1976 as a photographer for The Columbian newspaper while working summers at the Pacific National Exhibition.
Which artists did Hodge photograph during the PNE's Star Spectacular series?
Hodge photographed Alice Cooper, ABBA, Queen, The Bee Gees, and Frank Sinatra during the Pacific National Exhibition's 17-day Star Spectacular series.
