It’s State Fair season in Syracuse.
The New York State Fair opens Wednesday, Aug. 21 at 9 a.m. It’ll run daily until Monday, Sept. 2 (Labor Day). Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to flood the fairgrounds in Geddes over those next two weeks.
Not much has changed at this year’s fair, an event steeped in nostalgia and tradition. But there are a few new attractions on hand and a handful of new food vendors.
And yes, prices are ticking upward. It’ll cost a few bucks more to park and enter the fair this year.
Here’s a rundown of everything you need to know if you’re headed to the fair in the coming days or weeks.
How do I get tickets?
Fair admission is $8 for an adult. Seniors 65 and older get in free. So do kids 12 and under. You can buy tickets online in advance.
You won’t be able to pay cash for tickets at the gate — you’ll need to purchase them on your phone, or using a kiosk at the gate. Your best bet? Get them ahead of time.
The fair is also offering a “frequent fairgoer” ticket for $25 that grants admission all 13 days of the fair.
There are a handful of special days and free admission days for people in certain groups (like military, law enforcement or Native American tribes).
The Wade Shows Midway currently has more than 60 rides, and cost between 3-6 tickets to ride.
- Individual ride tickets can be purchased at any Wade Shows ticket booth during the Fair. It’s $7 for five tickets.
- Wristbands, which grant ride-all-day access, can be purchased online for $28/person (plus fees) until 12 p.m. on Aug. 21. After that, the cost of wristbands goes up to $35 on weekdays, and $45 on weekends.
- Love the rides? Go on Two Dollar Tuesday (Tuesday, Aug. 27) when all rides cost $2. Dollar Day, where all rides cost $1, returns to the Midway on Monday, Sept. 2.
- How to get 2024 NYS Fair tickets, parking passes, ride wristbands (Pro tip: don’t bring cash)
- When are the free admission days and special days for NYS Fair 2024?
How should I get to the fair?
The state fairgrounds are located at 581 State Fair Blvd. in Geddes.
Parking will run you $12 per car this year, up from $10 in 2023. You can pay with a credit card at the entrance to the parking lot. You can also buy parking passes in advance online.
Drivers can park in the Orange, Brown, Pink and Gray lots, or the lot on Willis Avenue. The fair’s parking lots can hold up to 23,000 vehicles. There’s no overnight parking.
The Orange lot opens daily at 9 a.m. The Brown, Pink and Gray lots open at 6 a.m. The Willis Avenue lot is open at 10 a.m. on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and on Labor Day.
Accessible parking is available to people with the proper license plates or hanging tags in the Pink accessible lot across from Gate 3 off State Fair Boulevard. The Gray accessible lot is on the west end of the fairgrounds, reachable through Gate 6.
Buses run daily to the Fair. For 2024 Centro will provide its popular Park-N-Ride direct shuttle service each day of the Fair from the Centro Transit Hub in downtown Syracuse, Long Branch Park in Liverpool and Destiny USA.
Bus service to the Fair begins at 8:45 a.m. and continues until 8:45 p.m. Return service runs from 9 a.m. and continues until 11:15 p.m. (9:15 p.m. on Labor Day).
To ride the shuttle one way, the fee is $1 for adults, and $.50 for senior citizens, children 6 to 9 years old, and those who are living with disabilities. Children under 6 are free. Parking at Park-N-Ride locations is free.
You can take a taxi or rideshare service like Uber or Lyft. Ridesharing and taxi services can pick up and drop off fairgoers inside the Pink lot along State Fair Boulevard between Gates 3 and 4.
You can also bike to the fair. There are bike racks outside gates 1, 3 and 10.
What about those Syracuse e-scooters and e-bikes from Veo? Those will get you close to the fairgrounds, but not quite to the gate. They work only within the city limits, and the fairgrounds are in Geddes. Don’t be surprised if your scooter powers down somewhere along State Fair Boulevard or Bridge Street.
What about transportation on the Fairgrounds?
Trams run continuously on the fairgrounds, stopping at 10 stops from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.
A dedicated ADA shuttle runs continuously between the Gray accessible lot, located outside Gate 10 to Tram Stop #3 at the Horticulture Building from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.
What should I do at the fair?
The fair will host 39 concerts at Chevy Court and Suburban Park. Major headliners include Flo Rida, Joey Fatone and AJ McLean, Rick Ross, Megan Maroney, Dropkick Murphys and more. Those concerts are all free with admission to the fair.
In addition to music, there are several barns full of animals — sheep, llamas, pigs, horses and more.
For $10, you can snuggle a baby goat for as long as you want. Steinmetz Family Farm of Berks County, Penn. is bringing around 100 baby Nigerian dwarf goats to the Fair.
“If people fall in love with them while they snuggle them, they have the option to adopt some goats,” said owner Justin Steinmetz.
Returning this year are the Latino Village, Pan-African Village, Indian Village and Asian Village with plenty of food and cultural offerings.
Don’t forget to check out the annual butter sculpture in the Dairy Building and sand sculpture in the Expo Center. They’re free to see.
- NYS Fair concert preview: 2024’s biggest show won’t be country (see full music lineup)
- NYS Fair reveals 2024 special entertainment lineup: New acts and returning favorites
- Butter sculptures we can’t forget: 10 memorable butter masterpieces at NYS Fair (photos)
What should I eat at the fair?
Sure, the state fair is an agricultural festival. But for many regular fairgoers, food takes center stage.
We put together a list of all the Fair vendors and highlighted some of the newcomers as well as the places that won’t be back. Soul Brother’s Tacos, Ji-Woo’s Korean Seoul Food, The Saucy Sandwich, 546 Chicken and Waffles and Oyster Party are coming in.
As always, there are some vendors who chose not to renew their contracts, such as the Coyote Moon Winery and Carr’s Cove, a food vendor in the Horticulture Building. But there are also new stands taking their place.
In all, there are 282 total vendors at this year’s Fair, roughly the same number as last year. Of those, 112 are food vendors, also similar to last year.
Toss N Fire this year will take over the legendary spot occupied for more than two decades by the big Gianelli Sausage / Dinosaur Bar-B-Que stand at the back corner of Chevy Court. And they’re offering several specialty pizzas for fairgoers only.
Last year, we asked a panel of experts to rank the most iconic State Fair foods of all time. See what they picked in our New York State Fair Food Hall of Fame.
Looking for more? Syracuse.com will have more than two dozen reporters on site on day one, hitting as many food and drink stands as we can to bring you details on the best stuff we can find. Stay tuned.
- Eating, drinking, shopping and more at the 2024 NYS Fair: See full list of vendors
- Veteran NYS Fair food vendor moves to iconic fairgrounds spot. ‘Big shoes to fill’
- CNY food legend joins NYS Fair vendor lineup. See what else is new and who dropped out
- NYS Fair Food Hall of Fame: A tribute to the Fair’s 10 most enduring, iconic, essential dishes
Is the NYS Fair a good place for a date?
A resounding yes. Reporter Johnathan Croyle spent a few weeks talking to happy couples who shared beautiful stories of love and romance at the NYS Fair.
Whether you’re meeting someone new on the Midway, or getting married to your sweetheart on the fairgrounds, there’s no denying it’s a fun place for a date.
Read all Johnathan’s love stories below.
• NYS Fair Love Stories: A boastful proclamation leads to a first kiss at the duck pond
• NYS Fair Love Stories: These two were ‘big winners’ at the ‘I Got It’ game in 1996
• NYS Fair Love Stories: Their eyes met in 1986 across the crowd; they’ve been together ever since
• NYS Fair Love Stories: Michael Bolton and buffalo burgers made for a great first date
Don Cazentre contributed to this report.
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