Fifty-three of the 92 events in this directory carry an agricultural tag, which makes the county fair the backbone of the New York calendar. Almost all of them run between the first week of July and Labor Day week.
Six are explicitly youth, junior, or 4-H fairs. Thirteen record a ride midway. The other forty list animals and competitions without rides, which is the difference between a fair you go to for the barns and one you go to for the carnival.
Western New York: Nine Agricultural Dates
The Genesee County Fair in Batavia opens the region, July 18 to 25. The Allegany County Fair in Angelica follows July 20 to 25, and the Chautauqua County Fair in Dunkirk July 21 to 26, so the third week of July carries three at once across the western tier.
The Orleans County 4-H Fair in Albion runs July 27 to August 1, and the Niagara County Fair in Lockport July 29 to August 2. August belongs to Cattaraugus in Little Valley, August 1 to 8, The Erie County Fair in Hamburg, August 12 to 23 and twelve days long, Wyoming County in Pike, August 15 to 22, and the Genesee Valley Breeders Association Annual Horse Fair in West Falls, two days on August 15 and 16.
Finger Lakes: Six County Fairs, Two Founding Dates on Record
The Yates County Fair in Penn Yan is first, July 8 to 11, and its record carries an establishment year of 1839, one of only five founding dates in this directory. The Seneca County Fair in Waterloo runs July 15 to 18, established 1841, and is one of two agricultural fairs here recorded with free admission.
July 21 to 25 carries two Finger Lakes fairs at once, the Ontario County Fair in Canandaigua and the Hemlock Little World's Fair in Livingston County. The Chemung County Fair in Horseheads takes August 4 to 8, The Wayne County Fair in Palmyra August 10 to 16, and the Steuben County Fair in Bath August 17 to 23.
Central New York: Twelve Agricultural Dates
The Oswego County Fair in Sandy Creek is the first county fair anywhere in the state for 2026, July 1 to 5. The Cortland County Junior Fair follows July 7 to 11, with a midway and kids activities on its record. Madison County in Brookfield takes July 22 to 26, and Boonville Oneida County and Broome County both open July 28.
August 4 brings Otsego in Morris and Tioga in Owego on the same day. August 11 and 12 bring Afton and Chenango County, both in Chenango County, back to back. August 18 to 23 carries Herkimer in Frankfort and the Trumansburg Fair in Tompkins County simultaneously.
Then The Great New York State Fair takes Syracuse from August 26 to September 7, thirteen days, the longest run of any agricultural fair in the directory.
North Country: Six Fairs, July into Mid August
The Clinton County Fair in Morrisonville opens July 13 to 18, with the Jefferson County Fair in Watertown overlapping it almost exactly, July 14 to 19. The Lewis County Fair in Lowville takes July 21 to 25 and the Essex County Fair in Westport July 29 to August 2.
The Gouverneur & St. Lawrence County Fair runs August 4 to 9, and The Franklin County Fair in Malone closes the region August 8 to 16, nine days, the longest in the North Country. None of the six carries a ride midway on its record.
Capital-Saratoga: Labor Day Week Carries Three
The Saratoga County Fair in Ballston Spa runs July 21 to 26. The Warren County Youth Fair in Warrensburg is one of only two single-day agricultural entries in the directory, a Saturday on August 1, alongside the Goshen Historic Track date on July 3.
The Schoharie County Sunshine Fair in Cobleskill takes August 11 to 16, the Altamont Fair August 18 to 23, and The Washington County Fair in Greenwich August 24 to 30. Then Labor Day week: The Fonda Fair in Montgomery County and the Schaghticoke Fair in Rensselaer County both run September 2 to 7, alongside the Columbia County Fair in the Hudson Valley. Three fairs, one week, all within reach of Albany.
Hudson Valley, Catskills, and Long Island
The Hudson Valley sequence runs Orange in Middletown, July 23 to August 2, Ulster in New Paltz, August 4 to 9, the Grahamsville Little World's Fair in Sullivan County, August 14 to 16, Delaware in Walton, August 17 to 22, and Dutchess in Rhinebeck, August 25 to 30. Columbia County in Chatham closes it September 2 to 7.
Downstate, The Long Island Fair in Old Bethpage is the last county-style agricultural fair of the year, September 25 to 27, and it is the only one in this group whose record lists crafts alongside animals and competitions.
The Six Youth and 4-H Fairs
Six entries are built specifically around young exhibitors. The Cortland County Junior Fair runs July 7 to 11. The Greene County Youth Fair in Cairo takes July 23 to 26. The Orange County 4-H Youth Fair in Otisville runs July 24 to 26, inside the main Orange County fair's window. Putnam County Fair and 4-H Showcase in Carmel is July 25 to 26 and free to enter. The Orleans County 4-H Fair in Albion runs July 27 to August 1, and The Warren County Youth Fair is a single Saturday, August 1.
Five of the six fall inside a ten-day span, July 23 to August 1. If animal showing and 4-H competition are the reason you are going rather than the midway, that week is effectively the whole season.
Which Fairs List a Ride Midway
Thirteen agricultural entries record rides: the Great New York State Fair, Erie, Dutchess, Orange, Washington, Altamont, Saratoga, Schaghticoke, Columbia, Fonda, Ulster, Cortland County Junior, and Yates.
The other forty list animals and competitions without rides. That does not prove there is nothing to ride, only that the directory does not record one, which is worth checking directly if a midway is the deciding factor for your group.
Before You Go
County fair dates shift year to year because most are pinned to a weekday pattern rather than a fixed calendar number. Treat every date on this page as the 2026 window and confirm with the fair before travelling.
Admission prices, daily hours, grandstand schedules, and entertainment lineups are not in this directory, so they are not on this page.
