The best state fairs across the U.S.

Dates: August 13–22, 2026

Known for: Showcasing Tennessee-made products, fun competitions and a replica of a historic village

The jointly named Wilson County–Tennessee State Fair puts the Volunteer State front and center with agricultural showcases, contests, and demonstrations spanning interests and talents from crafts to cooking.

Along with amusement rides and amusing competitions, fair activities include nightly motorsports events, live music across 15 stages, a recreated historic village called Fiddlers Grove, livestock shows, 4-H and FFA competitions, a honey show, fair pageantry crownings, a spelling bee and a Pick Tennessee Products store stocked with goods by state farms and businesses. 

Dates: August 21–September 7, 2026

Known for: Hosting cultural presentations and an impressive lineup of entertainers and agricultural contests.

With its fairgrounds located just an hour north of Anchorage, the Alaska State Fair features record-setting vegetables, flower gardens, fun concerts, cool competitions, and Alaskan and Alaska Native cultural presentations.

An annual ASF Beard Contest has competitors putting their best facial hair forward. Other fair highlights extend to a Sky Elements Drone Show; an All Star Monster Trucks rally; an Alaska Seafood Showdown and 4-H shows and presentations. 

As for concerts, the fair’s ConocoPhillips Borealis Theatre will welcome quite a mixtape of performers this year. The lineup includes Megadeath, Jesse McCartney, Twisted Sister featuring Sebastian Bach, Nate Smith, Nick Offerman, and Lyle Lovett. Rounding off the fair, see farm and craft exhibits, a cheesecake contest and giant cabbage and great pumpkin weigh-offs.

Dates: August 26–September 7, 2026

Known for: Special parades and theme days and agricultural competitions and various demonstrations

With a history dating back to 1841, the Great New York State Fair offers 13 days of splendor with exhibits and entertainment (2026 welcomes Sean Paul, Melissa Etheridge, Violent Femmes, The All-American Rejects, Flo Rida, and Third Eye Blind, among other acts). These acts will set foot on stage at either Chevy Court or Suburban Park, while Empire Theatre will welcome local acts and Cultural Village Stages will celebrate New York’s AAPI, Latino, African-American, and indigenous communities.

Agricultural competitions involve livestock, horse shows, arts and crafts, flower shows, and antique tractors. Along with carnival games and rides each year, fairgoers may come across made-in-New York food and drink samplings at the New York State Tasting Yard and the Taste NY Pop-Up Market and Marketplace. Theme days and daily fair parades honor various interests and attendees, including an LGBTQ+ Pride Day on August 28 and a Fire, Rescue and EMS Day on Sept. 1, while a free fair tram service shuttles visitors around.

Dates: August 27–September 7, 2026

Known for: An amateur talent show contest and having one of North America’s tallest traveling Ferris wheels

Nicknamed “The Great Minnesota Get-Together,” this 167-year-old state fair offers a wide range of activities, from large-scale entertainment to educational exhibits to competitions. Each season ushers in new fair food offerings and drink choices collectively known as “Specialty Sips.” 

Its 2026 Grandstand Stage concert series features top acts like Bonnie Raitt, “Weird Al” Yankovic, Melissa Etheridge, CeCe Winans, and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, while the MSF Amateur Talent Contest promotes the state’s next top talent. The Cosgrove Stage presents many dance groups, while other settings host family-friendly entertainment or global sounds. Educational booths and experiences present various artistic mediums or give lessons on state history and agriculture, sustainability measures, and the fair’s heritage, but be sure to see a collection of butter-sculpted busts.

Some rides have been longtime staples, such as the Space Tower and SkyGlider. The fair’s oldest attraction is the Ye Old Mill, which is touted as a “tunnel of love” paired with kitschy vignettes.

Dates: August 28–September 7, 2026

Known for: A “State Fair Beer,” amazing animal viewing experiences and various competitions

The Nebraska State Fair existed before Nebraska was even a state, as a three-day territory fair in 1859. Since then, this fair has grown to encompass indoor and outdoor concerts (with 2026’s list including the KC Sunshine Band) along with rides and attractions, livestock shows, a bull riding tour and wildlife encounters.

This year’s schedule also includes a marathon encompassing different types of races, chainsaw carving demos, a milking parlor, figure 8 racing, the Nebraska Demolition Derby Championship and a truck and tractor pull.

Every year, a different Nebraska brewery creates a special state fair brew, and you’ll also find a carnival featuring ticket rides for all ages and thrill-seekers. Marvel at chrome amid the Cruise-In Car Display and awe over baby animals shown at the Birthing Pavilion. Tractor-drawn trams, with ADA lifts, allow you to hop on and off at any designated fair stop. Those who want to be closer to the action can pre-book a spot at the state fair’s campground. 

Dates: September 18–October 4, 2026

Known for: Avenue of the States, which holds replicas of each New England state’s statehouse

This beloved multi-state fair encourages visitors to set foot in all six New England states—Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine and Connecticut—in one day. Inside their state houses along the Avenue of the States, find Maine lobster rolls, Rhode Island clam cakes, Connecticut craft beers, Vermont cheddars and New Hampshire maple syrup.

The Big E also has both a daily circus and high school marching band parade, concerts, carnival rides like a Giant Slide and theme days. A daily Eastern States Farmers Market joins the 2026 fair’s Wine Bar to showcase New England’s finest bounty, along with chefs and culinary splendors. 

From Friday through Sunday, the Big E Arena stages household names, with the 2026 lineup welcoming Alice Cooper, Roger Daltrey, The Beach Boys, and Brad Paisley, among others. Dolly’s Honky Tonk brings the heart of Nashville to the northeast, with line dancing, trick ropers and a mechanical bull. 

The Big E Bakery is preparing cream puffs, with one special flavor offering available each year, while The Storrowton Village Museum & Shops recreate New England living from two and three centuries ago, and Ireland’s Dingle Peninsula Showcase highlights many facets of the Emerald Isle.

Dates: September 25–October 18, 2026

Known for: Culinary and livestock competitions and attractions such as Big Tex and the All-Star Stunt Dog Show

The old saying that “everything is big in Texas'' even applies to the State Fair of Texas. This 24-day fair showcases not only attractions and performances but also local talent with livestock and horse exhibitions and pre-fair entry arts and crafts and cooking contests. The daily live music lineup involves multiple stages throughout the fairgrounds, with many Texas artists included with fair admission.

With fair food, the Big Tex Choice Awards narrows down new and unique sweet, fried and savory additions each year. 2026 winners and finalists include Burger Chop Tater Tots, Nacho Wings, Fletcher’s Chocolate Corny Dog, Flamin’ Crunch Pizza, Berry Me in Matcha, and Texas Pecan Praline Cheesecake Cone (which is a mouthful to say as well as to taste). 

Music is just as appealing, as the 2026 Chevrolet Main Stage series will bring out Queensrÿche, Clint Black, Bowling for Soup, and Kansas.

Along with livestock shows, a rodeo and petting zoo and pig races, the All-Star Stunt Dog Show makes you want to cheer on its canine contestants. The 2026 fair also coincides with the Texas Auto Show, where you can rev up to the latest vehicle models. And make sure to say “hi” to Big Tex, a 55-foot cowboy statue.

Dates: October 15–25, 2026

Known for: Got to Be NC Agricultural Pavilion, the N.C. Public House, and a State Fair Ark, which shows off farm animals bred in the state

This 11-day fall fair is jam-packed with events—a flower and garden show with a giant Adirondack chair, livestock shows, antique farm machinery, nightly fireworks, blue ribbon competitions, deep-fried foods, carnival rides, and educational exhibits. Learn about the state’s forestland at the N.C. Forest Service and dairy farming at the Mobile Dairy Classroom. 

Youngsters can wander through a miniature farm called “Field of Dreams” while adults can check out a selection of North Carolina craft brews and wines in the fair’s N.C. Public House and ciders at the N.C. Stillhouse.

The Got to Be NC Agricultural Pavilion also shows off what’s produced locally and the Village of Yesterday presents local craftspeople and artisans. All ages will enjoy over-the-top fair foods, with recent choices having ranged from brisket and waffles on a stick, to fried cheese curds and dill pickle doughnuts.

Dates: August 5–15, 2027

Known for: Their Original Cream Puffs, inventive food and drink offerings and animal demonstrations

For over a decade, the Wisconsin State Fair has really put inventive food and drink on the map. Through a judging contest known as “Sporkies and Drinkies,” food and beverage vendors are encouraged to take their offerings to the next level. As a result, 2026 entries include Al Pastor Pizza, Birria Flamin’ Bombs, Hot Honey Chicken Lemonade, Cookie Butter Coffee Float, and Tinga Tango Chicharrones.

A longtime favorite is the Original Cream Puff, a pastry that’s been sold at the fair for over a century; the 2026 fair introduced chocolate and cherry flavor choices. You can pick up a puff at the now-reopened Dairy Building (formerly known as the Original Cream Puff Pavilion) with its own bakery. Then, there are Foods-on-a-Stick selections with past choices ranging from Hot Honey Bacon Corn Dog to French Onion Cheese Pull. 

The fair also features concerts, thrill rides, an exploratory park, art displays, culinary contests and agriculture demonstrations, and a main show ring and barns holding horses, sheep, cattle, rabbits, poultry and goats. Another fair delight is the Saz’s Famous Racing Pigs, where you can cheer on your favorite swine.

Dates: August 12–22, 2027

Known for: A longtime Butter Cow sculpture and many “on-a-stick” foods

The Iowa State Fair is not only a longtime event—its inaugural year was in 1854—but it’s also inspired a novel, three movies and a Rodgers and Hammerstein Broadway musical. Along with competitions and grandstand shows, the fair has fun contests for adults and children, thrill rides for various ages, a sensory-friendly morning, tournaments involving checkers, cribbage, chess and cornhole, a spelling bee, a fiddlers’ contest, and tractor pulls.

Eating at this state fair is like a sport, with nearly 200 food stands and over 50 on-a-stick foods to choose from. Even more so, fairgoers can vote for their favorite finds, featuring Iowa ingredients. Recent fair food novelties have encompassed a Cinnamon Crunch Apple Taco, Jalapeño Popper Egg Salad, an All Iowa Lamb Burger, Scotch Egg, and Waelicious BBQ Pulled Pork Cheddar Corn Bread. Barksdale State Fair Cookies remain a longtime staple. And be sure to see the fair’s Butter Cow—which, yes, is a life-size cow carved out of butter. A companion sculpture graces the Agriculture Building’s coolers and gets its own theme annually.

Dates: September 17–October 3, 2027

Known for: Various culinary and agricultural challenges, contests and exhibits highlighting all aspects of the Golden State

The California State Fair features a variety of events celebrating the Golden State’s agriculture, industries, and people, including culinary contests, carnival rides, and special exhibitions on topics such as America’s 250th and the Camp Smokey fire safety exhibit. California’s agricultural bounty is front and center, with livestock competitions, a petting zoo, cooking demos and beer and wine, honey, olive oil and cheese tastings.

Other fair offerings include a plethora of performances and acts. The Toyota Concert Series on the Sky River Casino Stage often showcases big names. Recent headliners have included Ludacris, Poison lead singer Bret Michaels, Cypress Hill and En Vogue. The Community Stage’s schedule can feature dance troupes, DJs, bands, solo acts, and orchestras, while walkers and strolling performers pass by fairgoers. And be sure to see the fair’s golden bear mascot, Poppy, and catch a fireworks show happening on Friday and Saturday nights.