NC State Fair in Town

The North Carolina State Fair is back in Raleigh Thursday, Oct. 15th, through Sunday, Oct. 25th. Tickets are $13 dollars at the gate for adults (13-64), youth are $7 (6-12), children (5 and under) get in free. 

The fair wouldn't be the fair without its vast array of deep-fried, cheat-day foods. Vendors are coming prepared this year with new banana pudding flights (Angel Sweets), cookie butter cheesecake doughnuts (Fluffy's Hand Cut Doughnuts), strawberry cheesecake churro nachos (Mike Nice Empanadas), California style birria Hot Cheetos Balls (Tacos Neza), Mediterranean bowls (Urban Olive Mediterranean), and so much more. View the full list here: (https://www.ncagr.gov/divisions/nc-state-fair/plan-your-visit/whats-new-in-2026)

The Village of Yesteryear is hosted in the Holshouser Building and showcases a variety of vendors who specialize in time-honored crafts. Options for all price ranges, items for every interest. The Got to Be NC Pavilion is on the main floor of the Dorton Arena and puts a spotlight on North Carolina based businesses. Go see, smell, and taste generations of farming, entrepreneurship, and hard NC work. See the list of vendors here: (https://www.ncagr.gov/divisions/nc-state-fair/shopping-booths/got-be-nc-pavilion)

Outside of the food and shopping, go listen to the live music, ride the rides, pop balloons and attempt to win that giant stuffed animal. Find demonstrations and exhibits of the antique farming equipment that built North Carolina. Pass through the Heritage Circle and pick up some hush puppies from the Old Grist Mill, watch a traditional blacksmith work in the Heritage Forge, take a look at the old methods of curing tobacco demonstrated in the Flue Cured Tobacco Barn and walk around in the physical representation of North Carolina's beginnings. 

The 2026 NC State Fair is just beginning. Get ready, get excited and head over to the fairgrounds. Visit the website for more in-depth scheduling and event information (https://www.ncagr.gov/divisions/nc-state-fair/annual-nc-state-fair).