New York State Fair

Hello everybody!

Today I am going to travel far beyond the area in which we all live, and head all the way to Upstate New York to Syracuse for the largest annual event in the state: The New York State Fair! 

This is a 13 day showcase of agriculture, entertainment, education, and technology, and it also has midway rides, concessionaires, exhibits, and concerts. It also begins in August and lasts for 13 days before ending on Labor Day. 

I was actually originally planning to write about it as soon as they had announced all the headliners this year, but after going back to last year and seeing that they finished announcing concerts in July, and the fact that I currently can’t think of anything else to write about, I decided to write about it now, talk about its history, its various features, who will be performing this year, and if I want to, I will share who has performed there in the past as well. 

It was inaugurated all the way back in 1841 in Syracuse by the New York State Agricultural Society, and featured speeches, animal exhibits, a plowing contest, and samples of manufactured farm and home goods. The second New York State Fair in 1842 was held in Albany, and between 1842 and 1889, the fair traveled among 11 cities in New York State, most of which were in Upstate New York. 

In 1890, The Syracuse Land Company donated a 100 acre tract of land in Geddes to the Agricultural Society, which became the fair’s permanent home. 

The fair was not held from the years 1942 to 1947, as the fairgrounds became a military base during World War II. It returned in a limited capacity in 1948 for a total of six days in mid-September, and there was only a total of 25,529 guests, before returning to its full size in 1949 with large crowds in attendance.

From the 1950s to the 1960s, the fair was expanded to nine days, and also saw the introduction of the midway and performances from nationally known entertainers. 

In 1972, the Empire Court at the fair featured a performance from Sonny And Cher, which also broke the fair’s concert attendance records. 

In the years that followed, the fair was expanded to ten days in 1978, with the buildings at the fairgrounds also being rented during the off-season, and being expanded to twelve days in 1990, and it even had over one million fairgoers in attendance in 2001.

In 2009, the fair changed its Chevy Court format so that it could include two different performers each day. 

In 2013, the fair opened an exhibit in the Grange Building that celebrated their history and a Dairy Cow Birthing Center where you can watch live births of calfs. 

The fair has also seen record breaking audiences in attendance in the years 2010, 2011, and 2023 due to performances from Lady A, Bruno Mars, and Lainey Wilson respectively. 

The website for the fair doesn’t say what rides they have, but from seeing a few pictures, I can say that they are just standard carnival rides. 

The fair has also had many performers over the years that I would have absolutely loved to have seen in person. 

The first one is Shaggy, because he just seems like such a fun guy, and I just feel like his shows would be so much fun as well. 

The next one is Flo Rida, not because I am a big fan of him, because I’m not, but because I just feel that an outdoor performance of My House would just be amazing.

Yeah, only two artists really interested me. 

Also, because I didn’t know where else to say this, I’m going to say it right here. 

Are you ready to blow your minds as to who else has performed there in the past?

In 2001, they had one of the biggest country singers of all time: Tim McGraw!

In 1993, they had one of the biggest artists who can be considered a singer of all time: Bob Dylan!

In 1999, at the start of her career, they had Britney Spears!

In 1992, they had another one of the biggest country singers of all time: Garth Brooks!

In 1986 and 1987, two years in a row, they had the queen herself Whitney Houston!

Here’s one that will definitely amaze all of you reading. In 2008, they had…

…Taylor Swift!

Yes, that’s right. In 2008, while her career was just starting and she was opening up for Rascal Flatts, Taylor Swift performed at the New York State Fair. How’s that for a passage of time? Went from opening for a band on their tour at a state fair to headlining massive stadiums by herself.

Now let’s get to one of the most important parts of the event itself: the live concerts!

I am first going to get into the shows that will be happening in Chevy Court. There are going to be a total of 27 shows happening here, and as of right now, only six have been revealed. The way concerts work here are that there is one at 1:00 and one at 6:00, with special DJ shows on Fridays at 9:00.

The first show they have announced on August 26 at 1:00 is The Commodores, who are famous for their songs Easy and Brick House, and are also the group that Lionel Richie got his start in. 

The next show they are going to have on August 26 at 6:00 is 80s rock band Quiet Riot, who are famous for their songs Cum On Feel The Noize and Metal Health.

The next show they have on August 28 at 9:00 is DJ Pretty Mess, which is the stage name of Erika Jayne from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. 

The next show they have on September 2 at 6:00 is some country singer named Priscilla Block who is famous for the songs Just About Over You and You, Me, And Whiskey.

The next show they have on September 3 at 1:00 is an artist that is returning for his SIXTEENTH CONSECUTIVE YEAR. I know what you’re thinking: What kind of artist is willing to perform at a state fair sixteen years in a row? I’m so glad you asked, the answer is Peter Noone from Herman’s Hermits. For those of you who don’t know who that is, which I imagine is almost every one of you reading, he is a singer from the 60s who was part of the British Invasion, and has some of the hokiest songs I have ever heard in my life, one of which breaks the fourth wall and says “Second verse, same as the first.” Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure he’s a great singer, but I find crazy that of all the singers that could have performed at the fair sixteen years in a row, it’s him. Is he really that popular? Does he have a home in Syracuse?

The last show they have announced on this stage so far on September 4 at 9:00 is a Shrek Rave. Yes, you read that correctly. There is going to be a rave centered around Shrek. According to the website for the fair, it provides “an immersive 360° projection experience complete with animations of iconic Shrek characters and a light show perfectly paired with the flow of music.” Again, this is all directly from the website. I am not making any of this up. 

Now, let’s talk about the shows they have scheduled at Suburban Park!

From what I looked at on the internet, it looks like this is where the big headliners perform. There is only one show performed on this stage every day, and they are all at 8:00 PM, with the exception of the final show, which is at 6:00 PM. There are a total of 13 shows performed on this stage, and as of right now, we only know six, and here they are!

The first show they have on August 26 is 2000s rock band The All-American Rejects, famous for the songs Dirty Little Secret, Gives You Hell, and Move Along. Additional fun fact, I heard them perform at Alive At Five in Stamford a few years ago. 

The next show they have on August 27 is 2000s reggae and dancehall singer Sean Paul, and I just know that this show is going to be so much fun and incredibly high energy.

The next show they have on August 28 is legendary singer Melissa Etheridge, who I feel is among one of the biggest singers the fair has had.

The next show they have on August 31 is early 2000s R&B singer Ashanti.

The next show they have on September 3 is rock band ZZ Top, and if you don’t think you know them, I guarantee that you do, as I think everyone is familiar with the rock band with the guys who have beards for days.

The last show that they have announced on September 5 is country singer Trace Adkins. 

There will obviously be more performers announced, but that is all they have so far, and overall, I feel that they have a lot more surprises in store for us, and this is truly a fascinating event. So, by the time late August arrives, if you want to take the massive journey to Syracuse to see this amazing event, go for it!