Things To Do

Fair Time In Vermont

By Linda CassellaJul. 8, 2016

One of the best things about summer is all of the fairs that you can attend in Vermont. While each fair has its own flair, you are bound to find a mixture of farm, fun and food. Here is a break down on the fairs from July through September.


July Fairs

Bradford Fair: 7/14 - 7/17/16bradford fair
The Bradford Fair located in Bradford, VT is a small Vermont agricultural fair. They have everything from tractor pulls to amusement rides. There will be face painting for the kids. How about trying your hand at the Frying Pan Throwing Contest? Come and watch the demolition derby where there we will be over $2000 in prizes for the winners.

Lamoille County Field Days:  7/22 - 7/24/16lamoille
Lamoille County Field Days located in Johnson, VT is an agricultural fair that is held over three days, normally at the end of July. Usually about 10,000 visitors attend. There will be everything from arm wrestling to tractor and pedal pulls. Ladies, try your hand at the underhanded skillet toss on Saturday.  Walk among the many arts and crafts booths and then grab a bite to eat at the Firehouse Cafe. Don't miss the car show!

Green Mountain Fair: 7/28 - 7/31/16
New to Manchester, VT this year is the Green Mountain Fair at Dorr Farm.  Grab a bite to eat and listen to local entertainment. Browse among the many craft vendors that will be there or take a ride on the Ferris wheel on the midway. Best of all, admission and parking are FREE!. Proceeds for this event benefit L.E.A.D and the Special Olympics.


August Fairs

Franklin County Field Days: 8/3 - 8/7/16
Franklin, VT is home to the Franklin County Field Days. Start your franklinday off with breakfast Friday through Sunday morning in the 4H booth before you enjoy a day outdoors listening to live music and walking around the many exhibits. Enter the poker tournament or enjoy a ride on the midway. Of course, what's a fair without a horse and pony pull?  Wednesday is car load night - load up the car with as many people that can legally fit (with seat belts on) for flat rate entry fee of $30.00.

Danville Fair: 8/7 - 8/8/16
The 85th Danville Fair in Danville, VT returns to the Green on Friday and Saturday. danvilleAs always, there will be a variety of musical entertainment from the Bandstand on Friday night and during the day and evening on Saturday. The Horse and Pony Pull returns to the fair behind the Methodist Church. You don't have to worry about leaving hungry because a wide variety of food will be provided by  local non-profit organizations. There will be plenty of amusement rides and make sure you don't miss the huge fireworks display that closes out the fair on Saturday night.

Addison County Fair and Field Days: 8/9 - 8/13/16
Vermont's largest agricultural fair takes place in New Haven, VT. cattleThe kids will love the children's barnyard, kiddie rides, and youth activities. Come and watch the cattle judging, tractor pulls. and pony and ox pulling.  Walk around and visit the crafts and exhibits. Top off the day with a Vermont product dinner. There will be so many events going on the entire time of the fair that you might just have to plan going more than one day to see everything.

Vermont State Fair: 8/16 - 8/20/16
The 171st Vermont State Fair located in Rutland, VT will be taking place starting on August 16th and running through August 20th.  The fair first took place in 1846, making this one of oldest fairs in the United States.

Vermont-State-Fair-2013-Rutland-9479You will find rides, demolition derbies, agricultural exhibits, farm animals, food of all kinds, vegetable and floral exhibits, grandstand attractions, and more. There will be plenty to do for the whole family from the moment you walk through the gates. Don't forget to bring your appetite because there will be food vendors serving up everything from fried dough to cotton candy.

This year's entertainment includes Johnny Peers and the Muttville muttvilleComix. Come and see this slapstick act as Johnny puts over a dozen dogs through challenging and hilarious tricks. If you love Aerosmith, you are not going to want to miss Draw the Line. This is an Aerosmith Legacy Show hosted by original Aerosmith guitarist, Ray Tabano. Or, experience the Butterfly Encounter, an interactive, walk-through exhibit. Learn through demonstrations, see the life cycle of a butterfly from egg to adult, and even learn how to fix a broken wing.

Orleans County Fair: 8/17 -8/21/16
The Orleans County Fair in Barton, VT located in the heart of the Northeast Kingdom has something for the entire family to enjoy This is an old time agriculture fair with entertainment and fun for the whole family.

demoOf course, what is a fair without midway rides? There will be plenty of animal exhibits and judging shows including horse shows, a petting zoo, rabbit and alpaca exhibits just to name a few. Make sure to check out the agricultural displays from arts & crafts to antique farm machinery. At night, enjoy 4 x 4 truck pulling, music, and a demolition derby.

childThere will be plenty of activities to keep the kids entertained. This year they will have a chance to be a real farmer. They will get to collect eggs, milk cows, pick apples and peddle a tractor to the farmer's market. Once they get to the market they will get play money where they can purchase a healthy treat. They are also going to love Scarecrow University contest. Children get to color on the chalk board, play scarecrow memory games, do scarecrow word searches, color pages to hang on the wall and listen to a scarecrow read a story. When they are ready to leave they will get to ring the school bell and receive a Scarecrow University diploma & bookmark.

Deerfield Family Farmer's Day: 8/18 - 8/21/16
Wilmington, Vt is host to The 99th Annual Deerfield Family Farmer's Day Fair. The fair is a long standing local tradition that inspires neighborly competition that gives visitors an education in agriculture along wholesome entertainment.

horseThere will plenty of things to do all four days. Make sure to check the schedule for Bracelet Frenzie. Every day for a period of 4 hours you can buy a $20 bracelet which allows you to ride all of the rides during that time frame. Try your hand at the vehicle rodeo. This is a timed figure 8 obstacle course, where you run the course a total of 3 times. This obstacle course is based on speed and ability to control your vehicle while going thru mud and maneuvering moguls. There will also be a demolition derby, a horse draw pull. tractor pull, and a good old fashion pie eating contest. Of course, there will also be exhibits halls for you to enjoy at your leisure.

Caledonia County Fair: 8/24 - 8/28/16midway
The 161st Caledonia County Fair located in Lyndonville, VT started in 1855 and is one of  oldest running fairs in Vermont. The fair is the result of hundreds of hours of volunteer work and is run by the community. The fair brings you the best in old-fashioned fun and entertainment you'll find anywhere in Vermont! If you come on Wednesday night you can get the carload price for only $30.

cassadee Tractor and truck pulls? Of course! Don't miss out on the pig scramble or the tractor rodeo. Enjoy plenty of rides on the midway for you to enjoy. How about an ice cream eating contest? There will be plenty of entertainment the entire 5 days from Josh Landry the Chainsaw Carver to World Of Wonders - Illusions & Escape Artist. Cassedee Pope winner of the third the Voice will be hitting the stage on Saturday night. You are sure to have a great time no matter what you do.

Bondville Fair: 8/26 - 8/28/16
Head to Bondville, VT for the oldest, continuously running fair in the state, which started in 1796. Admission to the fair includes free entertainment, track events, & unlimited rides. The fair is small and quaint and you are sure to bump into someone you know.

Browse through the quilt hall and see some beautiful quilts on display cowof today and long ago. Visit the petting zoo and let your child enjoy a ride on a pony. Stop by the Face and Eye booth and have your face painted. There will be local entertainment all three days under the gazebo. Of course, you are not going to want to miss out on the Pee Wee Pedal Power Tractor Pull or the Stock Truck Pull by Transfer Sled. Grab a bite to eat at Squeels on Wheels for some famous BBQ, then follow it up with some ice cream from Silver Spring Scoops. Relax and play some bingo. Who knows, you even might find yourself yelling out BINGO!

Champlain Valley Fair: 8/26 - 9/4/16
Head to Essex Junction, VT to the Champlain Valley fair for 10 days of fun, rides, food, concerts and more. Besides the usual rides and food, there are plenty of other things to keep you entertained. Have a competitive streak? The fair has hundreds of competitions for everyone's taste.

syrupNew to the fair this year is the Home Brew Competition and it is open to anyone 21 years or older. Make sure you register early because it is limited to only 100 entrants. Head on over to the Sugar House and see some prize-winning syrup. Ask the experts about tree health and all flavors of maple. You can watch candy being made. And while you're there, enjoy maple coffee, doughnuts, cookies, creemees, sugar on snow and cotton candy.

zztopOf course, there will be plenty of entertainment at the Coca-Coca grandstand. For the music lovers, you can rock to the sounds of ZZ Top and The Greg Allman Band. Resurrection performs the sounds of Journey. For the country music lovers, Rascal Flatts will be performing their greatest hits. Whatever kind of music you enjoy, you're sure to find it at the fair.

If you are looking for thrills and excitement, there is plenty of that too. Come and watch Night of Fire and Destruction. Hair raising fire stunts and monster crushing action combine for an incredible night of thrills. fireThe world class trucks will have you at the edge of your seat as they power across rows of cars leaving mayhem behind. Watch Double Figure 8 Racing as racers try desperately to avoid each other as they race around the track, all in an effort to maintain their car and make it to the finals. Don't miss one moment of the fair. Camp out in the 130-acre park located right next to the fairgrounds. That way you'll be right next to all of the action!

Vergennes Day: 8/27/16
Spend the day with the family at the 35th Vergennes Day located in Vergennes, VT. It takes verg_day_11place from 7:00 am - 3:00 pm at city park as well as other venues throughout the city. Start off with the pancake breakfast from 7:30 - 10:30 am. Take a ride on a horse drawn wagon. Browse among the 85+ arts and crafts vendors displaying their talent. Put on your running shoes and join in on the Little City 5K & 10K Races or just sit back and enjoy music from the bandstand. There will be a children's venue and a rubber duck race to keep the kids busy. Lastly, before the day is over enjoy a nice chicken BBQ.


September Fairs

Tunbridge World's Fair: 9/15 - 9/18/16
The Tunbridge World's Fair locate in Tunbridge, VT is one of the top ten events by The Vermont Chamber of Commerce. The fair has run continuously since 1867 except in 1918, due to the great flu epidemic, and during World War II.

harnessThe fair kicks off on Thursday, Sept, 15 with Agricultural Day. Head on over to the midway where you can ride the Ferris wheel, the sea dragon and zero gravity just to name a few. There will also be a great arcade of games. Watch harness racing on Thursday and Friday - one of the few places in Vermont with an active track. The entertainment tent has shows rotating every 1/2 hour from 10am-4pm. Watch everything from dancing to comedy, juggling and magic. Go to the Booth Brother Arena will they will be judging all kinds of farm animals. Four days of fair heaven - you will not be disappointed.

Peru Fair: 9/24/16
The quaint village of Peru, Vt fills up with locals and tourists for one of the nicest country fairs you will find. The fair officially starts with a parade of whimsical characters and before you know it, music peruand entertainment fill the air. Each year over 100 exhibitors come to display and sell their crafts, hoping to be discovered by all kinds of craft lovers. There will be Vermont artisan demos, antiques and art exhibits, clowns, magicians and pony rides. Don't miss out on the music and family entertainment. Of course, one thing that you are not going to want to miss out on is the fabulous pig roast that starts at 11:00 am  Make sure that you get in line early because before you know it the line is long and it always sell out.


Find more information about fairs and other fun things to do in the Vermont.com Calendar of Events. Need a place to stay? Find Vermont hotels and lodging options.

Remember to check the weather before heading out for any of these events.

Which ever fair you decide to attend enjoy and bring home some great memories!!

By Linda CassellaJul. 8, 2016
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