The Boonville-Oneida County Fair returns for its 138th season later this month.
The fair is scheduled to kick off July 28 and runs through August 2 at the Boonville Fairgrounds.
In keeping with ongoing celebrations of the America’s 250th birthday, the theme of the 2026 edition of the fair is “Showcasing Agriculture for 138 of our Nation’s 250 Years.”
“We have a great county fair,” said Carl Trainor, member of BOCF board of directors who grew up across the street from the fairgrounds. “It’s put Boonville on the map. It’s kept Boonville on the map.”
Boonville / Boonville-Oneida County Fair history
The Boonville Fair Association (BFA) was incorporated in 1888. Prior to that time, the Boonville Union Agricultural Society (BUAS), founded in 1871, hosted fairs for several years, leasing the grounds of the Boonville Driving Park Association. As the BUAS slowly devolved out of existence by 1888, the BFA took up the mantle it had established and has worked to organize the community’s annual fair ever since.
The BFA and their fair share their anniversary year with F.X. Matt Brewers (a/ka/ Saranac) in nearby Utica, now the oldest family-owned brewer in New York State and the 4th oldest in America.
It was then Oneida County Executive Bill Bryant – who recently passed away – who dubbed the Boonville Fair the “official” Oneida County Fair in 1972, moving the public-private partnership to amend the moniker to the Boonville-Oneida County Fair.
The event has been held annually since 1888, with the exception of only two cancellations in its 138 years. The Boonville Fair was cancelled once, in 1943, during World War II, while the Boonville-Oneida County fair has been cancelled only one time since the partnership formed in 1972, and that was during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
The beloved local event at Oneida County’s gateway to the “North Country” region has otherwise welcomed the community to the Boonville-Oneida County Fairgrounds – formerly the Boonville Driving Park Association where the community’s fairs have been hosted since 1871- to celebrate the county’s people, places, commerce, and culture each year.
Boonville-Oneida County Fair: information, admission, special events
When: Tue., July 28 – Sun., Aug. 2 / Opening Day gates open at 8 a.m.. Closing Day the fair “officially” closes at 8 p.m.
Fair gates open every day at 8 a.m., with the final event on Sunday, the fan-favorite demolition derby, beginning at 6 p.m. and ending, with the 2026 edition of the fair, at 8 p.m.
Where: Boonville-Oneida County Fairgrounds, 222 Schuyler Street, Boonville (State Route 294).
Admission to the fairgrounds is freefor children 12 and under, $3 for seniors over 60, $6 for fairgoers between 13 – 60, $5 ‘Advance Sale’ adult admission, $20 for ‘Adult Fun Pass’ available to fairgoers 13 and over, which is valid for unlimited admission each fair day, $5 for Grab-and-Go Lunch Pass, valid for admission Tue. – Fri. 11 a.m. – 1 p.m., designed to inspire locals to take their lunch break at the fair. The promotional admission does not require guests to exit by 1 p.m., just to arrive at or prior.
Tickets can be purchased at the fair gate, or at the fair office, open Mon. – Fri., 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Reduced or Free Admission and “Special” Fair Days:
Opening Day, July 28: “I shopped Oneida County” Day – FREE admission after 5 p.m. with a receipt from any Oneida County business dated from July 1 – July 24
Wed., July 29: “Celebrate America’s 250th and Feed Our Vets” Day – FREE admission with the donation of a non-perishable canned good.
Thu., July 30: “Differing/Developmental Disabilities Day – For groups from residential facilities, pre-registration is required.
Thu., July 30: “Sensory Day” – 3 – 5 p.m. at the Midway.
Tue., July 29 / Fri., July 31: “Children’s Days” – Special midway wristband deals, Kiddie Tractor pulls, bicycle drawings, and a Sheriff’s Child ID fingerprinting program, together with other kid-family-friendly programming presented on Children’s Days.
Fri. July 31: “PINK-OUT Breast Cancer Awareness Day / Midnight Madness”
* Some events, activities, and vendors on the fairgrounds may charge additional costs in addition to cost of admission. See BOCF website for details regarding FREE and ADDITIONAL COST attractions.
Parking: Parking is free and available at Adirondack Senior High School located at 8181 NY Route 294, Boonville.
Music: Explore the 2026 BOCF line-up of live music, with schedule, location, and ticket information via this link.
Annual Grandstand Concert:John Morgan, Grammy-nominated, dubbed “One of Nashville’s most sought-after songwriters and one of its rising stars,” will headline the BOCF annual Grandstand Concert on Sat., Aug 1. The band, “Kickin’ It Up” will open for Morgan. Doors open at 6 p.m, show from 7:00 – 9 p.m. Tickets range from $41.30 – $46.45 and can be purchased online via this link https://event.etix.com/ticket/p/37509975/john-morgan-boonville-boonville-oneida-county-fair?gclid=.
There will be free admission to the fair on August 1, with the purchase of a Grandstand Concert ticket.
Special Events: See the BOCF website for Calendar of Events, including: opening day parade, 2nd-day fireworks, spelling bee, petting zoo, draft horse show, 4-H competitions, Coleman Brothers Midway, tractor pull, photography contest, East Coast Pro Wrestling, Clydesdale wagon rides, demolition derby, and live music schedule and locations.
For more information: Visit the Boonville-Oneida County Fair Website, Facebook Page, or contact the BOCF office by phone at 315-942-2251.
This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: Boonville-Oneida County Fair opens at the end of the month
Reporting by Cara Dolan Berry, Utica Observer Dispatch / Observer-Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Cara Dolan Berry, Utica Observer Dispatch | USA TODAY Network
