County fair season, from Cobleskill to the State Fair

Fair season in Central New York runs from the first week of July to Labor Day, and a family that plans well can hit a different county fair almost every week of the summer. This guide walks through ten of them in the order they fell on the 2026 calendar: the county fairs in Oswego, Cortland, Lewis, Oneida, Madison, Otsego, Schoharie, Chenango and Herkimer counties, and the Great New York State Fair that closes the season outside Syracuse.

Each entry gives the 2026 dates and prices as a reference, plus 2027 dates where the fair has posted them. Fair boards reset prices every year, so check the fair’s own site before you go.

Early July: Sandy Creek and Cortland

Oswego County Fair, Sandy Creek

The Oswego County Fair opens the season. In 2026 the fair ran July 1 to 5 at the fairgrounds at 291 Ellisburg Street in Sandy Creek, in northern Oswego County. Oswego County’s tourism office described the 2026 fair as free to attend, with a parade and fireworks on opening night, demolition derbies, a rodeo, tractor and truck pulls, livestock shows and rides by Ontario Amusements.

In 2026 the first 100 young visitors each day could pick up vouchers for a ride wristband and up to $15 in food at the youth building. The county’s Department of Mobility Management also arranged free round-trip rides to the fair from anywhere in the county, booked by phone. Details are posted each summer by Visit Oswego County and on the Oswego County Fair site.

Cortland County Junior Fair, Cortland

A week later the Cortland County Junior Fair takes over the fairgrounds at 4301 Fairgrounds Drive in Cortland. The 2026 fair ran July 7 to 11. The junior fair dates to 1953, when local farm families formed the County of Cortland Agricultural Corporation after the old county fair closed, so that 4-H members still had a place to show their animals and projects before the State Fair.

Experience Cortland, the county’s tourism office, lists the fair as free to attend with parking on site. The midway is run by Capitaland Carnival Company, and the 2026 wristband price was $30. The fair ends Saturday night with fireworks at dusk.

Late July: Lowville, Boonville and Brookfield

Lewis County Fair, Lowville

The Lewis County Fair counts its editions back to 1821. The fair’s history page says the first Lewis County Fair was held October 3 and 4, 1821, at Lowville Academy, and that the fair has had its permanent home on Bostwick Street in the village of Lowville since 1876. The wooden grandstand built that year still seats the crowds for harness racing, tractor and truck pulls and the talent show.

The 2026 fair ran Tuesday, July 21, through Saturday, July 25, with a free talent show the Monday night before. Gate admission was free. Parking on the fairgrounds was $5 a day or $15 for a week pass, cash or check only. Grandstand shows such as the tractor pull, rodeo and demolition derby were $15 to $20 for adults. The Lewis County Fair has already posted dates for the 206th fair: July 20 to 24, 2027.

Boonville-Oneida County Fair, Boonville

Oneida County’s fair is held in Boonville, in the northern end of the county. The Boonville-Oneida County Fair traces back to 1888, when the Boonville Fair Association was incorporated, and the association bought its fairgrounds on Schuyler Street in 1905. Harness racing, including New York Sire Stakes races, livestock and 4-H shows, a parade, demolition derby and truck and tractor pulls fill the week.

The 2026 fair ran July 28 to August 2, and the 139th fair is set for July 27 to August 1, 2027. The fair’s posted prices are $6 for adults 13 and over ($5 in advance), $3 for seniors over 60, and free for children 12 and under. An adult fun pass is $20. Parking is free: the fair points visitors to Adirondack Senior High School at 8181 State Route 294, and there is a main lot next to the fairgrounds on Route 294 and Ford Street that opens at 8 a.m.

Madison County Fair, Brookfield

The Madison County Fair calls itself one of the oldest county fairs in the country, and 2026 marked the 187th edition. The fair is held at the Madison County Fairgrounds at 1968 Fairground Road in Brookfield, in southeastern Madison County. The grandstand schedule includes Brookfield Speedway stock car races along with a demolition derby, truck pulls and tractor pulls.

The 2026 fair ran Thursday, July 30, through Sunday, August 2, according to the Rome Sentinel. Daily gate admission was $10 and included unlimited midway rides; children under 36 inches got in free. Grandstand shows were another $10, and children 11 and under were admitted free to the stock car races. The fair’s site had not posted 2027 dates as of October 2, 2026.

Early and mid-August: Morris, Cobleskill and Norwich

Otsego County Fair, Morris

The Otsego County Fair is held in the village of Morris, in the Butternut Valley of western Otsego County. The fair dates to an 1877 charter for the Butternut Valley Agricultural Society, and the first exhibition was held that October. Horse racing remains part of the program, on what the society calls “one of the finest county tracks in New York State.” In 2026 the harness races ran on Wednesday, August 5.

The 2026 fair ran August 4 to 9 at the Otsego County Fairgrounds at 48 Lake Street. Tuesday was Agricultural Day, with free admission and no midway. From Wednesday on, admission was $6 for ages 12 and up, and children 11 and under got in free every day. Parking was free all week. A pay-one-price ride wristband cost $25, and grandstand shows (a stunt show, tractor and truck pulls and two demolition derbies) were $12 each.

Schoharie County Sunshine Fair, Cobleskill

The Sunshine Fair is held in Cobleskill, in Schoharie County, which borders Otsego County to the east. The fair is run by the Cobleskill Agricultural Society at 113 Sunshine Drive. The program includes chainsaw sculptures and a chainsaw sculpture auction, a heritage village, Clydesdales and tractor, truck and pony pulls, and the state directory lists harness racing.

The 2026 fair ran August 11 to 16. Prices rise through the week: in 2026 a daily ticket was $18 on Tuesday, $20 on Wednesday and Thursday and $23 Friday through Sunday (cash prices), with a $10 senior ticket on Tuesday for ages 62 and up and a $65 season pass. Children 2 and under get in free. The fair says grandstand and fairground attractions are included with admission, but headline concerts need their own ticket. Parking is free on the grounds when space allows, with a free tram from the overflow lots. The Sunshine Fair has posted its 2027 dates: August 10 to 15.

Chenango County Fair, Norwich

The Chenango County Agricultural Society, founded in 1847, runs the Chenango County Fair on 35 acres with 18 permanent buildings at 168 East Main Street, at the eastern entrance to the city of Norwich. The 2026 fair, the 179th, ran August 12 to 16, and the state directory lists harness racing on the program.

Admission in 2026 was $8 for ages 13 and up, with advance tickets two for $15, $5 for ages 6 to 12, and free for children 5 and under. Parking is free at Gate C. Check the Chenango County Fair site for the 2027 dates.

Late August: Frankfort and the State Fair

Herkimer County Fair, Frankfort

The Herkimer County Fair began in 1841 as the Herkimer County Agricultural Society and moved around the county before settling in Frankfort. The Herkimer County Fair Association bought the Slocum Farm on Cemetery Hill Street in 1958, and Gillette Shows, the carnival at that first fair on the new site, still runs the midway. The fair association puts attendance at more than 70,000 over six days.

The 2026 fair ran August 18 to 23 at 135 Cemetery Street, and WKTV reported that admission was free on opening day. After that, admission was $12 for ages 13 and up and $5 for ages 5 to 12, with children under 5 free and $7 advance tickets sold through the Monday before the fair. Wednesday and Thursday were Children’s Days, with kids 12 and under admitted free from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Great New York State Fair, Geddes

The season ends at The Great New York State Fair, a 13-day run that finishes on Labor Day. The fairgrounds are on State Fair Boulevard in the Town of Geddes, with a Syracuse mailing address. The 2026 fair ran August 26 to September 7 and drew 962,795 people, according to the fair’s attendance page; the record is 1,329,275, set in 2019. The 2027 fair is scheduled for August 25 to September 6.

In 2026, adult admission was $8.32 with fees, and children 12 and under and seniors 65 and over got in free every day. Hours were 9 a.m. to 11 p.m., with no entry after 9 p.m. Concerts at Chevy Court and Suburban Park are free with admission.

Parking takes planning. The fair’s lots charged $12.41 per vehicle in 2026, by credit card or advance online pass only, and leaving the lot means paying again to return. Lots are reached from Exit 12B (old Exit 7) off I-690 westbound. Centro’s Park-N-Ride shuttle avoids the fairgrounds lots, with free parking and buses from the Centro Transit Hub downtown ($1 each way), Destiny USA and Long Branch Park in Liverpool ($2 round trip). The State Fair parking page has the current lot map.

Good to know

As of October 2, 2026, four of these fairs have posted 2027 dates: Lewis (July 20 to 24), Boonville (July 27 to August 1), the Sunshine Fair (August 10 to 15) and the State Fair (August 25 to September 6). The other fairs’ sites still showed 2026 information, or no dates, when this guide was checked. A few other points to keep in mind:

• The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets publishes a statewide agricultural fairs directory with dates and contacts for county fairs. Dates can change after it comes out, as Madison County’s did in 2026.
• Advance sales close early. Herkimer’s $7 advance tickets were sold through the day before opening in 2026, and Sunshine Fair season passes stopped selling at 7 p.m. the Monday before the fair.
• Lewis County’s parking passes are cash or check only.
• Pets are not allowed at the Otsego or Sunshine fairs; service animals are welcome.

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