The New York State Fair, held in Syracuse in central New York, offers plenty of diverse activities to please fair-goers seeking all sorts of fun and food. Offering live music performed by popular acts, unusual fair dishes and parades, the New York State Fair combines an old-fashioned fair feeling with innovations. You can revisit traditions that endure as part of New York State history, from agriculture and handicrafts, while also exploring what makes the state what it is today.
Activities
- The fair offers plenty of family friendly activities. The butter and cheese sculptures exhibit lets you watch dairy product blocks being carved into art. Kids can also visit the Adventure Zone, which houses a circus, petting zoo and carnival rides of all types. Visitors interested in history can visit the Wool Center, which demonstrates old-fashioned wool working, and an Iroquois Indian village. For animal-lovers, the fair includes a sea lion exhibit, an international horse show and livestock competitions.
Performances
- The festival features two main concert arenas that draw big-name acts. The concert series at Chevy Court includes nearly 20 acts, performed at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. during each festival day, while the grandstand lineup has included comedians as well as musicians. The Chevy Court concert series is free, but you'll have to buy tickets to the Grandstand Concert Series. Grandstand tickets grant you fair admission, as well.
Food
- The New York State Fair offers plenty to appease adventurous culinary lovers. The fair hocks the Big Kahuna Donut Dog, a hot dog wrapped in bacon and stuffed inside a maple doughnut, and the Tikki Turtle's ground hamburger meat topped with deep-fried macaroni and cheese. Fried foods abound, as well, including deep-fried jelly beans, deep-fried brownies and deep-fried peanut butter. Traditional foods like baked potatoes, sausage sandwiches and cheesecake are also available for tamer tastes.
Details
- Running for 12 days in late August and early September, the festival is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. each day, except on Labor Day when it closes at 9 p.m. You can buy single-day tickets or opt to purchase a six-day frequent-fair pass for discounted entry fees and parking. The fair also offers both Amtrak train service directly to the fairgrounds, as well as park-and-rides throughout central New York.
