New Location and expanded programming are two of the highlights of this year’s 40th anniversary event
The Dawson City International Gold Show is celebrating its 40th Anniversary, this May, marking four decades of industry, community and connection in the Klondike.
The first Gold Show was held in June 1986, after Bill Bowie returned from a northern trade fair in Inuvik with the idea of creating something similar in Dawson City, focused primarily on the gold mining industry.
What began as a hopeful plan for 15 or 20 exhibitors quickly grew into a major event, with 45 exhibitors and hundreds of delegates attending that first year.
Mimi Elliot, the show’s lead organizer; and Greg Hakonson, the Gold Show’s chair, helped bring the inaugural event to life and laid the foundation for what has become one of Dawson City’s signature spring traditions.
For its 40th year, the Gold Show will take place in a new temporary location at the Gold Rush Campground & RV Park, located at York Street and Fifth Avenue. The move follows changes to the event’s traditional site at the Art and Margaret Fry Recreation Centre and surrounding parking areas, where future housing-development plans meant that the Chamber needed to find a new home for this year’s milestone event.
This year’s event will feature 80 exhibits, an expanded and more interactive Kids Zone and a full schedule of activities on the Manitoulin Transport Stage.
The Bill Bowie Dinner & Auction, one of the weekend’s key networking and social events, will also move to Saturday evening this year and will be held at the Palace Grand Theatre. “This is my fourth year coordinating the Gold Show, and it feels especially meaningful to be part of its fortieth anniversary,” said Justine Hobbs, the Gold Show’s coordinator.
“With eighty booths, a new outdoor site, a bigger Kids Zone and more programming throughout the weekend, this year feels like a real celebration of how much the event has grown. It also reflects the incredible support of the Dawson community.
“An event like this simply does not come together without so many people, businesses, partners and volunteers stepping up to help make it all happen.”
The Dawson City Chamber of Commerce extends its gratitude to this year’s key sponsors: Chief Isaac Group of Companies and partners, our 40th Anniversary Gold Show Event Partner; Klondike Placer Miners’ Association, Lead Sponsor of the Bill Bowie Dinner & Auction; and SMS Equipment, Gold Bar Sponsor of the Kids Zone.
The 40th Anniversary Dawson City International Gold Show will take place May 15 to 16, 2026, welcoming residents, visitors, businesses and industry partners to celebrate the kickoff to Dawson’s summer season. For more information, visit dawsonchamber.ca or follow the Dawson City Chamber of Commerce on Facebook.
