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173 Years of Showcasing NC Agriculture: The NC State Fair

Oct 13
3 min read

Every October, nearly a million people pass through the gates of the N.C. State Fair for rides, smoked turkey legs, and giant pumpkins. But the fair has never been just a party. It was founded by farmers to show off what North Carolina grows and makes. As the 2026 fair runs October 15–25, it remains the biggest stage for an industry worth $117 billion a year to our state.



A fair built by farmers

The North Carolina State Agricultural Society held the first State Fair on October 18, 1853, on a 16-acre tract of land east of downtown Raleigh. It ran four days, charged 25 cents for entry, and drew about 4,000 people on its busiest day. (Compare that to the modern 11-day event that recorded a record 946,811 total attendees in 2025!) Farmers brought crops, livestock, and handicrafts to be judged for cash prizes. The goal was simple: spread better farming methods across the state.

The fair has since survived the Civil War, two world wars, a pandemic, and two moves. It settled on its current grounds off Blue Ridge Road in 1928 and now covers 344 acres. 


Where agriculture takes center stage

While much has changed in the past 170 years, under the midway lights, the fair is still a farmers' showcase. In 2025, exhibitors registered more than 27,000 entries, competing for more than $600,000 in annual prize money. The state’s top industry is highlighted in a variety of ways:  


  • Crops. The Agri Supply Expo Center fills with apples, sweet potatoes, collards, pecans, and even sugar cane. Giant pumpkins draw the biggest crowds; the top North Carolina pumpkin in 2025, grown by the Murphy family of Pink Hill, weighed 682.6 pounds. In Heritage Circle, teams race to string tobacco onto sticks, and the leaves then cure in the fair's own barn.

  • Livestock. 4-H and FFA members show cattle, hogs, sheep, goats, and turkeys they have raised for months. On the final day, champions sell at the Sale of Champions, which raised $214,830 in 2025 for young exhibitors and scholarships. Visitors can milk a cow with NC State's Animal Science Club, a tradition since 1989, or watch the Southland Dairy Milking Demonstration.

  • Kitchens and crafts. Bakers compete with from-scratch entries, while quilters, needleworkers, and chair caners vie for ribbons. The Village of Yesteryear will mark its 75th year in 2026. It has grown from 14 mountain craftspeople in 1951 to more than 100 artisans.

  • Education. At Field of Dreams, children harvest crops and sell them at a pretend market. The exhibit has taught almost half a million kids where their food comes from.


Giving back

Since 1993, Smithfield Foods Hunger Relief Day encourages fairgoers to trade six nonperishable items for free admission. It is North Carolina's largest single-day food drive, with more than 6.7 million pounds donated. After Hurricane Helene in 2024, that day's collection provided more than 280,000 meals for Western North Carolina.


Courtesy of NC Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services
Courtesy of NC Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services

And the Farm Family of the Day program, sponsored by Tractor Supply Company, honors one North Carolina farm family on each of the fair's 11 days. It puts real faces on the industry that feeds our communities.


Why it matters

The fair pays its own way. The fairgrounds receive no appropriated state dollars for operations. Instead, they earn revenue from the fair and year-round rentals.

That money doesn't stay on the fairgrounds. Fairgoers fill Raleigh's hotels, restaurants, and shops, and vendors hire seasonal workers to support the nearly one million visitors who grace its grounds. Prize money and livestock sale proceeds flow back to farm families in counties across the state.


For legislators, the fair shows how a self-supporting state enterprise can return value to every county. For county officials, it shows what agriculture does for local businesses and jobs. And for farmers, it remains what it was in 1853: a place to show the state what they can do and how their industry impacts the lives of every North Carolinian.


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