The New York State Fair is one of the most important events that take place in the State of New York. It is a thirteen-day event that has a long and prosperous history behind it. In the year 2023, the fair will take place between August 23rd and September 4th of the year. People from all over the USA often come to visit the affair, and it is a popular tourist attraction for some international visitors too.
The events offer many options for entertainment, fun, spreading awareness, and educating the people, all while offering them some of the best food New York has to offer.
The admission ticket to the New York State Fair is minimal and still free for adults above the age of 65 years and children below the age of 12.
My kids basically spent 2-3 days a year in their formative years. It’s great because their always something new and you can spend an entire day together, as a family, under $50. This is tough to come bye these days.
What Is the History of The New York State Fair?
The history of the New York State Fair is quite a proliferative event. It has existed for almost two centuries and has evolved immensely with time. The very first New York State Fair took place in 1841 in Syracuse. However, the New York State Agricultural Society, which was eventually responsible for the fair, was formed in 1832 in Albany.
In 1938, for a short while, the fair’s name was changed to New York State Agricultural and Industrial Exposition. However, that was quite short-lived as the name changed back to New York State Fair in 1967.
For a short while, between 1942 and 1947, the fair was not held because the grounds became a military base to serve in World War II.
The fair was also not held in 2020 because of the Covid-19 pandemic, but the organizers compensated for it in 2021 by holding it for 18 days instead of 13. In 2022, however, the fair was back to 13 days and on its regular schedule for hopefully the next couple of years.
The Food Scene at The Fair
One of the main attractions of the fair is the food that people get to try. You find some staples and common foods like chilled milk, chocolate milk, baked potatoes, nachos, meatballs, lemonade, and root beer floats. But the really interesting bit is the new and exciting foods you can expect to try at the fair every year. These include wine slushies and pizza frittes along with sausage sandwiches. You can find new delights every year and new fun foods to experiment with. Many vendors also have offers that allow you to try different foods for $2 and other interesting offers you can avail of for the exciting delicacies you may find.
The great thing about the food at the New York State Fair is that you can also eat and drink while sampling the rest of the fair (except the rides!) Some fan-favorite vendors return every year, and regular people at the fair eagerly wait for the time when they can also sample food from these vendors.
What’s For Entertainment?
There are numerous entertainment options at the New York State Fair. From record-breaking concerts to thrilling rides, the fair has it all.
Some of the top performances that the fair has seen so far include the record-breaking performance by Sonny and Cher in 1972, the 2010 performance by Lady Antebellum, and the 2011 performance by Bruno mars. Concerts happen every year at the fair and are a large part of the entertainment offered to the people. Live music and bars also span the fair for the entire duration.
Other than the performances, the fair also has parades that offer great entertainment to all fairgoers. These parades celebrate different causes and events, such as Pride Day, Law Enforcement Day, and Armed Forces Day. Parades take place on different days and do not span the entire duration of the event.
For thrill-seekers, there are many rides that the fair has to offer. You can purchase a free ride wristband before the event, which will allow you to take unlimited rides throughout the day. There are usually over 50 rides at the fair, so anyone looking for a bit of an adrenaline rush during the Fair will have a great time. For people who love rides, the all-day ride access wristband is the perfect investment to keep them going all day long.
There are many tourist booths at the New York State Fair as well. These booths encourage people from all over the State and even across the USA to visit the fair. The tourist booths often contain merchandise as well such as I LOVE NY T-shirts, trinkets, and keychains depicting the Statue of Liberty and even other charms that endorse the fair itself.
The entertainment options are not limited to just these as well. You can also experience juggling acts, a One Man Band, a Sea Lion Splash Show, and different village sets, including Pan-African, Latino, and Indian villages. The options for entertainment are endless, and the fairgoers usually get to experience something new every time.
Do We Get To See Farm Animals?
Yes, another one of the fair’s major attractions includes the animals, particularly the horses. There is a wonderful horse exhibit known as the World of Horses at the show where people get to learn all about horses, from how to treat them as a pet and how they are prepared for competitions. Anyone who is interested in horses and wants to keep one for themselves should absolutely visit this show when they attend the fair.
Another animal attraction at the show is fairly new, and it is the Sea Lion Splash show. The fair calls sea lions who perform every day at the fair, much to the entertainment of adults and kids alike. People can even pose with the sea lions and get their pictures taken as fond memories of the fair.
Furthermore, you can also enjoy other animal exhibits from the Birds of prey Exhibit to the dairy and beef cow exhibit and even a poultry building. Therefore, people can learn everything they want to about farm animals and farming in general at the fair.
Spreading Awareness
The New York State Energy and Environment Experience will have a full display at the New York State Fair as well. They will make use of wind turbines, electric vehicles, and many other types of alternative energy resources that the counties in the state make use of around the year.
They will also have an environmental conservation exhibit, with the help of which the fairgoers can learn all the methods that are being utilized to conserve the environment of the state of New York.
Furthermore, the New York State Fair will also have a Trade and Manufacturing Exhibit, where the fairgoers can expect to get some direction for their career as well.
Many companies and industries that take part in the exhibit at the fair will offer demonstrations and hands-on experiences in mechanical, construction, and manufacturing fields which will help many fairgoers understand what they would like to take up as their dream career.
Other more interesting social media exercised that the fairgoers can attend include the sand sculpture and the Butterizer, with the help of which the individuals can see what they would look like as sand sculptures or butter sculptures.
The individuals are encouraged to share the sculptures on social media with the relevant tags, which will further spread awareness of the New York State Fair and encourage more people to participate in the activities that take place in these fairs.
The Special Days
There are certain special days at the New York State Fair in which specific individuals can get admission into the fair for free. These special days include a Student Day, an Armed Forces Day, a Fire and Rescue Day, and a Native Americans Day. The people relevant to the days being celebrated are granted free admission on those days. Students are admitted for free on student days, and people who identify as native Americans can get free admission on Native American days.
These special days further help to encourage the individuals who are planning to attend the event to give it their all and visit the New York State Fair. It is quite an interesting and exhilarating experience, and everyone in the state or beyond should be encouraged to attend it.
Final Words
The New York State Fair is a once-a-year experience that many people in the State of New York look forward to all year round. It is highly entertaining and aims to spread awareness while inculcating people with more knowledge about everything happening in their state at the time. People can find whatever interests them the most, from concerts to food to animal exhibits, and spend all their time doing what they want. Many people even attend the fair on multiple days to get the full experience and gather many memories.