New York's 2026 fair and festival calendar opens on February 6, and the last event date we carry is November 8. Between those two points sit 92 events, and 58 of them start in July or August.
That is the single most useful fact for planning. Close to two thirds of the schedule is compressed into nine weeks, which means July and August weekends force choices, and every other month is wide open. This guide runs the calendar month by month, with the count of events starting in each one.
February and March: Two Adirondack Carnivals
Two events start the year, both in the Adirondacks and both in the cold. Saranac Lake Winter Carnival runs February 6 to 15 in Franklin County, with a parade, fireworks, competitions, and kids activities on its record. Lake George Winter Carnival spans February 7 to March 8 in Warren County, the widest date range of any winter event here.
Nothing else starts until April, so these two have the whole of late winter to themselves.
April and May: Five Openings
April brings one. Queens Night Market begins April 18 and runs through October 31, the longest season in the directory, free to enter.
May adds four, and two of them overlap. Rochester Lilac Festival holds the middle of the month, May 8 to 17. Albany Tulip Festival takes May 9 to 10 inside that window, also free. Corning GlassFest follows May 22 to 24 in Steuben County, and Ithaca Festival closes the month, May 28 to 31.
June: Eight Starts, Four on One Weekend
Eight events start in June, and four of them open on the same weekend. Taste of Syracuse takes June 5 to 6, Oz-Stravaganza in Chittenango runs June 5 to 7, Art on Lark in Albany is a single Saturday, June 6, and The Governors Ball Music Festival runs June 5 to 7 at Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens.
Buffalo's Allentown Art Festival, established in 1958, takes June 13 to 14. The back half of the month leans musical. CGI Rochester International Jazz Festival runs June 19 to 27, the Coney Island Mermaid Parade fills June 20, and Hudson River Music Festival is a single day on June 21.
July: 32 Events, and the County Fair Circuit Opens
July is the busiest month on the calendar, with 32 events starting in it. The Oswego County Fair in Sandy Creek is first, July 1 to 5. Sterling Renaissance Festival opens July 4 in Cayuga County and runs to August 16, the second longest run of the year.
July 21 is the most crowded opening date on the whole calendar. Five county fairs start that day, in Lewis, Ontario, Livingston, Saratoga, and Chautauqua counties. Two days later four more open, including The Orange County Fair in Middletown, which runs eleven days to August 2, and Oswego Harborfest on the lakefront.
If you want a July weekend with room to move, the first ten days are the quiet stretch. After the 18th, the fairs stack on top of each other.
August: 26 Events and Two Long Runs
Twenty-six events start in August, and the month's shape comes from two long fairs. The Erie County Fair in Hamburg runs August 12 to 23. The Great New York State Fair in Syracuse opens August 26 and does not close until September 7, carrying the month boundary and Labor Day with it.
August 4 is the stacked date, with five fairs starting at once in Ulster, Otsego, Tioga, Chemung, and St. Lawrence counties. Three more open August 18, in Albany, Herkimer, and Tompkins counties. National Buffalo Wing Festival closes the month, August 29 to 30 in Buffalo.
September: Labor Day Fairs, Then Harvest
Thirteen events start in September, and the first three share a date. The Schaghticoke Fair, The Columbia County Fair in Chatham, and The Fonda Fair all run September 2 to 7. In Brooklyn, the West Indian American Day Carnival Parade takes September 7.
Then the harvest weekends arrive close together. Long Island Garlic Festival lands in Riverhead in mid September, though sources disagree between the weekend of September 12 and September 19, so confirm with the farm before you drive out. Adirondack Balloon Festival takes September 17 to 20 in Queensbury. Ithaca Apple Harvest Festival and The Long Island Fair both run September 25 to 27, and Naples Grape Festival and Hudson Valley Garlic Festival share September 26 to 27 at opposite ends of the state.
The Great Jack O'Lantern Blaze opens September 18 in Croton-on-Hudson and runs to November 8, the last event date in this directory.
October: Apples, Wool, Oysters, Halloween
Six events start in October, and four of them are food or harvest events. Hilton Apple Fest takes October 3 to 4 in Monroe County, and Warwick Valley Applefest takes October 4 in Orange County, the same weekend at opposite ends of the state. LaFayette Apple Festival follows October 10 to 11 in Onondaga County.
New York State Sheep & Wool Festival runs four days in Rhinebeck, October 15 to 18, overlapping The Oyster Festival in Nassau County on October 17 to 18. The season ends on October 31 with two events sharing the date: the New York City Village Halloween Parade, and the final night of Queens Night Market.
How to Use These Dates
Every date above is a start and end date, not a daily schedule. A six-day county fair usually programmes each of those days differently, and the range here tells you the window rather than what happens inside it.
Fair dates also move year to year. Most county fairs anchor to a weekday pattern rather than a fixed calendar number, so a fair that runs August 18 to 23 in 2026 will not land on those numbers in 2027. Check the individual fair listing before you book anything with a cancellation penalty.
