Stories, tips, and news about fairs, festivals, and community events.
September is the busiest month of the New England fair season, and Connecticut and Massachusetts carry most of it. Every fair and festival of the month sorted by weekend, with the two weekends still ahead marked — the Big E, Old Deerfield, Durham and more.
The Granite State Fair, formerly the Rochester Fair, runs across two separate September weekends in 2026 — September 17-20 and September 24-27 — with the grounds closed in between. Here's what's on, and why the split schedule catches people out.
The Topsfield Fair runs eleven days from October 2 to 12, 2026, on Boston Street in Topsfield. Run by the Essex Agricultural Society since its first cattle show in 1820, it's home to the All New England Giant Pumpkin Weigh-Off — where the world's first one-ton pumpkin was weighed in 2012.
Running since the Essex Agricultural Society's first cattle show in 1820, and home of the All New England Giant Pumpkin Weigh-Off. Here's the 2026 run.
If you're searching for the Rochester Fair, this is it. The Granite State Fair runs across two September weekends at the Rochester Fairgrounds.
Four days of agricultural fair run by the Berlin Lions Club, and one of the anchors of Connecticut's September fair calendar.
Most people who want to enter something into a fair get sent to the vendor application by mistake. Here's how the competition side actually works — premium books, open classes, entry deadlines, and the difference between a 4-H fair and an agricultural fair.
Cape Cod's Barnstable County Fair returns July 20–26, 2026 to the Cape Cod Fairgrounds in East Falmouth — seven days of rides, fair food, livestock, a demolition derby, and nightly main-stage concerts.
The 158th Cummington Fair returns August 27–30, 2026 to the Cummington Fairgrounds in the western Massachusetts hilltowns — four days of livestock, horse and ox draws, a midway, live music, and country-fair tradition.
A month-by-month guide to Connecticut's fairs, festivals, boat shows, and craft fairs in 2026 — from the legendary Durham Fair to the Norwalk Boat Show and the Hartford Home Show.
The Fryeburg Fair is Maine's biggest agricultural fair — eight days of harness racing, ox pulls, livestock shows, a massive midway, and more fried food than you can eat. Here's everything you need to plan your 2026 visit.
Not all fairs are the same — agricultural fairs have livestock, rides, and racing, while craft fairs focus on handmade goods and artisan vendors. Here's how to tell the difference and which type to visit in New England.
