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    New York State Fair

    4.1 (110 reviews)

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    Butter sculpture
    Simon W.

    It's been a while since I've been to a state fair and I'd forgotten how there is a little of everything for everyone at these events. Exhibits, games, rides and tons of fried food are a given, sometimes there is a weird spin on the food but all in all, definitely intriguing. There are always a plethora of fried food at fairs, this was no different, fried oreos always get me started. I was told to get some alligator bites which may not have been the best choice, they were a little chewy. I did like the diversity in the options with Kdogs and lobster rolls making an appearance. The lobster roll for one was amazing which I never thought I'd say at a state fair. The strange BBQ meat sundaes posters definitely had me chuckling. Twenty five cent cups of milk from the tap, white or chocolate, was awesome. $2 mini ice cream cones were as well. Definitely a plus for the variety and quality of options in the food department. I skipped over many of the animal exhibits as I visited early and many were not yet open to the public. The state police lineup of cars was pretty cool, that 5.7 liter Camaro probably caught many speeders back in the day. I learned about maple syrup production in another exhibit. There was even a sea lion exhibit as well. The best exhibit at this fair had to be the dinosaur exhibit which even as an adult was awesome. Each of these dinosaurs was touchable and had movement, I had a couple of videos uploaded which showed how close you could get. There were so many and for the price of admission, definitely worth it. I'm sure the state fair can get crowded and I thankfully missed all of that by going on a weekday morning. Definitely reminded me of good times at other state fairs I've been to in the past and the NYS fair was definitely one of the best I've been to..

    Welcome sign
    Rich W.

    My second visit to the NYS Fair. FYI- This fair started in 1841! That's 184 years! There are plenty of things to see and something for everyone. I would say it takes me 2.5 days to visit the whole fair. This year it was $8 admission. Parking was $12; we purchase the parking online and that will speed up the process at the parking area. Pick the lot you plan to head for, some are longer walk and a long wait exiting duty to the traffic. The fair ground is huge so be prepare the walk a lot. Good shoes and hat will help. Get the map and plan you route with the events and entrainment happening around the fair. Impossible to see everything in one day. Must visit - NYS Lottery booth for a chance to win up to $50 $1 baked potato 25¢ cup of milk; regular, chocolate, strawberry (weekend only) Free tram that circle the ground (must do for first time visitors) Concerts; day and night Do book your hotel early for the best stay or you will have a difficult time because the August college visitors will be competing with you!

    2021 ny state fair
    Sebastian C.

    They don't call it the 'Great' New York State Fair for nothing! The Fair has been around since 1841 and takes place on the New York State Fairgrounds in the village of Solvay, right outside Syracuse. The site is well-served by highways, city buses, and an Amtrak station. It is one of the largest fairs in the US, attracting about one million visitors each year. Ticket prices have remained affordable over the years, with admission at $8 as of 2024. Attending the State Fair is an end-of-summer tradition, and I always have a great time. There are so many rides, exhibitions, attractions, and food and drink options that one day doesn't feel like enough to do it all (good thing the Fair runs for 13 days!). The New York State Fair does a great job of representing the diversity of the state, with both local specialties as well as cuisines from around the world, along with many cultural performances. The Indian Village of the Six Nations represents the Native people of Central New York. The food hall in the Indian Village serves traditional indigenous food and as an added bonus offers the best deal on a bottle of water at the Fair. Not surprisingly, for such a massive and long-running event, the logistics at the Fair are top-notch. The traffic and parking attendants do a great job of directing cars and preventing traffic jams. There are several entry gates, and I have never had to wait at security or at the entrance. Even on high turnout days, the Fair does not feel overwhelmingly crowded, and lines for rides remain reasonable. While the end of summer is always bittersweet, the New York State Fair turns it into a celebration worth cherishing each year.

    Lina L.

    My friend and I decided to make a spontaneous trip (planned chaotically the day before) to the New York State Fair on Labor Day, heading to Syracuse last minute - and boy, did we hit the traffic! Not surprising since it was the last day, but once we got there, it was totally worth it. For just around $8 admission, we were in, and for $37, we got ourselves the unlimited rides pass (note for newbies: don't get the unlimited pass! - get credits since rides are $1 on Labor Day, which we didn't know). The rides were so much fun, though I quickly realized that heights are NOT my thing. I get dizzy easily, but that just added to the adrenaline. You can't miss the iconic 25c milk. We tried both the chocolate and strawberry flavors, and I have to say, the strawberry milk was a total winner in my book - so refreshing! They also had a free phone charging station, which was such a thoughtful touch when you're out all day and your battery's on the brink of death. Like any fair, food was overpriced, but there were definitely some reasonable options if you looked around. We got to see some adorable animals - snakes, rabbits, and rodents, which were all equally cute. And when we needed a break, we chilled by the fountain, which was a perfect spot to relax. We caught some performances while sitting on the grass - it was so cool and laid-back, the perfect way to wind down from all the excitement. I'm honestly so sad I didn't know about this fair earlier in my college years, but I'll definitely be back for more in the future!

    Marc G.

    Another great time at the NYS Fair. This time I went for the International Food Festival. Such a nice time. All different types of food to explore. I enjoyed the Jamaican jerk wings and the empanadas. Took home some baklava and spanakopita as well. On my way out I stopped by a spice stand and bought some ninja dust peanuts and almonds so good. All around great time.

    Jack F.

    What a time at the ny state fair! There is always great food here with lots of options of different items to choose from. Rides are safe. Staff is always so friendly and all the stands. The butterfly exhibit was BY FAR MY FAVORITE!!!! I could stay in there forever. See you next year NY state fair!

    Colleen O.

    Wow ! Can't believe it has taken me 40 years to get to our state fair . I know State fairs tend to be larger/better than the county fairs I grew up with, but I'll list the 10 reasons why I was impressed with this one . 1. $6 admission now 2. $5 parking 3. Convenient to take an Amtrak train that drops you off right at the gate . 4. Free tram ride around the grounds 5. Many food and drink options are $3 or less (check out the potato booth for $1 potato with 50 cent toppings) 6. 25 cent samples of chocolate milk 7. Butter sculptures 8. Skyline ride 9. (Free) Charging station for phones 10. You can walk around the entire fair with alcohol (no designated areas) . Some beers are only $4! I plan on making this a yearly tradition

    Kathleen L.

    To enter you do you need a credit card because they don't take cash three dollars per person five dollars to park but let me tell you it's worth it so many rides and so many different foods to choose from there's something for everybody you can walk around with your liquor if you'd like I have a soft drink Isis ice creams exotic foods like keto shark tons of animals to look at if you want to buy a bunny you can go on rides play the games win a prize if there's something for everybody there's even a milk bar a first for me. So make it a point to come down to the fair I only comes once a year and it's one of the best fairs in all of the Country.

    Utter sculpture
    Margie S.

    We always have a blast at the New York State fair. It's hard to say what I love better, is it the midway with all the fun games or the delicious food options or just seeing all those neat animals. This year we got to watch the llama limbo which was a blast. I always have to get the maple ice cream and the biggest corn dog I can find. Lots of fun things for kids to do so make sure you check it out.

    Alan C.

    Great food, nice attractions, and plenty of amusement rides and games . Fairgrounds are super spacious with plenty of parking.

    Now every day can be NATURDAY!

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    New York State Fair Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - New York State Fair

    Are there seats at the Experience Stage?

    There are not seats in the direct vicinity, but along the water there are a number of seats and gas fire pit tables. Not many so I suggest you take an early seat, or bring in a chair.

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    Review Highlights - New York State Fair

    The dairy building has the Butter sculpture which changes every year as well as cheese sampling and more dairy goodies.

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    Polish Festival - Festival

    Polish Festival

    3.7(3 reviews)
    3.5 mi

    This year marked the 64th annual Polish Festival! I've gone to the Polish Festival twice so far. It…read moreis a 3-day festival that takes place in the summer in Clinton Square. They have live music, performances, awards (or scholarships that were given to high school students who also performed), Polish beer, pierogis, kielbasa, ice cream, face painting, hot dogs, shopping and much more. The first year I was here, I got pierogis. The 2nd year I came, I got a bunch of different desserts from Eva's European Sweets, ice cream, and pierogi. The ice cream didn't taste that great but but the other foods were good. It is a great outdoor event for families, kids and dogs. There are only ~6 food stands. I would love for there to be more. The festival itself is pretty small but I am guessing the Polish community here is also small. The crowd this year was smaller than last year's. I've never been to any other Polish festival before in any other town, so as far as I know, this one is great.

    So I have decided to go through and review some of the festivals that we have here and Polish Fest…read moreis definitely on the list. So I am going to come right out and say that I was extremely disappointed this year when I went. I could almost rate it a 1 or 2 star. So here is the skinny on why I was so bummed. The food was just not what I expected. Now don't get me wrong, I love Eva's with a passion. They pretty much made this review a 3. What I was upset about was the utter lack of variety there. I remember there being Eva's, a pastry place that was meh, the fair style Philly cheesteak place, and maybe one more place. I honestly came here because I thought I would find a variety of delicious Polish food. I dragged my wife down there with the promise of a yummy cultural adventure. What we got was just Eva's. Again...love it there, but I don't need Polish fest to have them. We go there all the time. I wanted to see multiple restaurants/vendors/people selling delicious food and try new things. Instead we ate Eva's on a picnic table and watched dancing. I hope they improve this next year.

    Photos
    Polish Festival - Figure

    Figure

    Polish Festival - Dog

    Dog

    Polish Festival

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    Taste Of Syracuse - Vada from Manalitha's dosa cart

    Taste Of Syracuse

    3.7(15 reviews)
    3.6 mi

    So glad that the rain stopped, so I could get to the Taste of Syracuse this afternoon. I try to go…read moreevery year. This event showcases the breadth of flavors and cuisine in the region. It's a great place for trying something from a new food venue or having a fan favorite. This year I had samples from: Catering by Chef Jeff - Cheesesteak slider - This was the perfect slider in terms of size, flavor, and lack of messiness. BTW I have a friend who has been at events Chef Jeff has catered, and she raved about his cooking. https://chefjeff.pro/ Congo Box - Chicken sample - I first had food from Congo Box at a previous Taste of Syracuse and have visited their food truck at different events. They sell food from their food truck all year round on West Fayette in Syracuse. Their chicken is awesome...hot off the grill! https://www.facebook.com/p/Congo-Box-100070485204944/ Gilligan's Ice Cream - Mango habanero vodka ice cream. They had an amazing list of homemade ice creams and offered samples for sale of each. Delicious! https://www.gilliganssherburne.com/ Inka's - Peruvian fried rice - Amazing to have Inka's set up at the Taste of Syracuse within a "stone's throw" of their restaurant. The fried rice had a light, unique flavor. Now I really want to go to this restaurant! https://inkassyracuse.com/ Over the Cuse Deli & Grill - Halal chicken over rice. I've driven by this eatery and had no idea what it had to offer. Delicious food and a place I need to visit. https://www.overthecusedelingrill.com/ All of the vendors were wonderful and the food awesome! This is definitely the premier food event in Syracuse and one that everyone should go to!

    This is the first time I've been to Taste of Syracuse in a few years, and it's still a fun time…read more Prices have raised and samples are now $2 each, which is understandable given inflation. Some restaurants seem more generous with their offerings than others, but it's always been that way. I love the diversity of food options. Some Syracuse staple restaurants like Strong Hearts, with lots of newcomers as well. I felt like there were a lot of different restaurants compared to the last time I attended, but since that was 4 years ago that was to be expected. As a vegetarian, it was super easy to find plenty of samples to eat. In fact, I didn't make it to everywhere I intended to. I like to go right at opening time. It was already crowded, but not as crowded as it gets later in the day. There were a lot of people to wade through, but the lines at the food stands moved pretty quickly during the earlier hours I was there. Be aware parking does take some pre-planning. I found a spot on Walton and walked over, but a lot of the surrounding streets around the event are closed, and the lots and garages jack up their prices for the event. Seems like this year they did QR codes instead of paper maps. Definitely more environmentally friendly and no need to clean up after litterbugs, but I will say it was a tad easier to navigate the old way instead of squinting at a cell phone screen. I'd recommend next year they have a couple of big signs of the sample list/maps placed around for folks, or at least make the map/list one of the first pages of the book so you don't have to flip through a bunch of pages to find it every time you put your phone away. Nevertheless, a fun thing to do during the summertime in Syracuse and a nice tradition.

    Photos
    Taste Of Syracuse - Thai spiced funnel cake fries from Firecracker Thai

    Thai spiced funnel cake fries from Firecracker Thai

    Taste Of Syracuse - Kimbap

    Kimbap

    Taste Of Syracuse - Strawberry mousse Eva's

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    Strawberry mousse Eva's

    Food Truck Battle - Moonchot

    Food Truck Battle

    4.8(5 reviews)
    0.0 mi

    2026 Food Truck Battle! The day started out chilly, but there was no rain and it started to warm…read moreup. I like that there are play areas for the kids and other vendors to walk around and see. The music was really good and with all the food it really was a "Festival". Over 55 Food Trucks serving up samples and full size portions! One of my favorites was Blueberries and Lace's Banana Draft Latte with an oatmeal sandwich cookie on top....enough coffee flavor to balance the sweet banana and milk. The oatmeal sandwich cookie with the frosting middle was a super delicious treat! Redneck Reuben Union truck was serving up , what I like to call, the "best Reuben in the Syracuse area", house smoked corned beef with warm sauerkraut, lots of melty swiss and smoked thousand Island dressing perfectly grilled. Carvel ice cream sundae with very flavorful chocolate ice cream and crunch kot, caramel and whipped cream....so good. Vietnamese Noodle House - chopped beef Banh mi with an Asian beef dipping sauce that I could have just drank alone. Mamacita's Seoul Nachos were crispy and delicious with fried wonton skins, beef, a creamy topping and a sweet sauce. Ji-Woos Korean manu dumplings and There Bibimbop. There were so many great trucks....Toss & Fire Pizza ( wood fired and always one of my favorites... I'm glad I am near one of their brick and mortar stores so I can get their pizza anytime!), Calle Tropical, Moonchot, Via Napoli, Bold Coast Lobster, Exhale Bakery, Silo Chicken, Fair Deli, Lucky 7, and so many more. Put this show down for next year as a "Must Go!!"

    This was my first time at the food truck battle! We went on a Friday and luckily the weather was…read morereally nice. We were able to find parking pretty easily in the Brown lot. They do have security checkpoints at the entrance which made me feel safe. As for the food, all the trucks had such amazing samples! They're pretty big and the pricing was usually $5 per sample from each truck. I really enjoyed the lobster roll from Bold Coast Lobster, it was probably the best thing I had the at this event that was not a sample. I would say the best sample and best bang for your buck is definitely the banana draft latte from blueberries & lace, just look at that entire oatmeal cream pie that comes with it! The latte itself was also not too sweet and a the banana and coffee flavor really blended together nicely. The ramen elote from Elm Street Tacos was yummy but I do wish the noodles were a little less cooked and a bit more al dente to give more texture to the overall dish. The Seoul street nachos from Mamacitas were very popular from what I saw but I do wish that they used a gochujang based sauce over a Thai chili sauce to make it more a "Korean" fusion dish. That being said the Seoul street nachos were still very delicious and was a great way to start off the food truck battle tasting. Something not pictured that I'd like to shout out is the pork belly burnt ends from Salt City Smokehouse. The portion size was the smallest compared to the other samples but it is all meat so I'm not surprised. I would say it's definitely worth it to try regardless of the size because it the pork belly has a great smoky flavor and was very tender. Overall, I enjoyed the food truck battle and I will be returning again next year! The event was definitely organized and I never felt it was too overcrowded despite there being a lot of people.

    Photos
    Food Truck Battle - Pickled Dr Pepper

    Pickled Dr Pepper

    Food Truck Battle
    Food Truck Battle - Ramen Elote

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    Ramen Elote

    Finger Lakes Grass Roots Festival - Donna the Buffalo at the infield stage.

    Finger Lakes Grass Roots Festival

    5.0(2 reviews)
    43.0 mi

    This is the first time I went to the Finger Lakes Grassroots Festival. It was totally awesome…read more Great music of all styles and genres. People dancing together. Electricity and magic in the air. Sumptuous food vendors of all cuisines Had a wonderful time! Will be back next year!

    These four days of amazing music and dance from around the world attract day-trippers and campers…read morein droves. I've attended for the last eight years and it's still hard to put into words how wonderful a festival this is. Four stages of top-quality performers from around the world operate from about 10am straight through until 2am every day (or in the case of the dance tent, until 6am--where folks stay up dancing all night to Zydeco music). (Check out http://www.grassrootsfest.org/festival/ for an impressive list of past performers.) A huge variety of healthy food (much better than standard fair fare) is available from centrally located vendors and a secondary area of vendors offers products from local craftspeople. At the center of the festival is a hug campground where people mingle, play music together, and share cocktails (no one has to drive home!). A vibrant Kidsfest area keeps the little ones happy all day long. The festival also has a robust recycling and composting program, as well as a strong commitment to social and environmental issues.

    Photos
    Finger Lakes Grass Roots Festival - Grassroots summer of 2015. Sunny days.

    Grassroots summer of 2015. Sunny days.

    Finger Lakes Grass Roots Festival - Entrance to to Grandstand Stage.

    Entrance to to Grandstand Stage.

    Finger Lakes Grass Roots Festival - Grassroots summer 2015.

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    Grassroots summer 2015.

    It's a Wonderful Life Festival

    It's a Wonderful Life Festival

    4.0(1 review)
    31.3 mi

    If you are looking for something fun to do the 2nd weekend in December head out to the real Beford…read moreFalls, aka Seneca Falls NY the town that inspired the movie. From a parade, to food, to shops and vendors, to cosplayers walking around the street in costume, this festival made for an enjoyable day. There was quite a variety of things to do including visiting the bridge that looks just like the one for a movie, with a real life saving a suicide attempt story to boot. We chatted with Bert, who was out writing tickets on cars and getting to know all the visitors. There were free horse drawn carriage rides, and free tastings of roasted chestnuts which I had never had before. The It's a Wonderful Life Museum is open and was packed as people checked out the information, pictures, and toys they had. Besides the many things to do the big appeal of this festival is just how much it feels like the real Bedford Falls. So many shops opened up their doors and offered free snacks and free hot chocolate bars to visitors and locals alike. Everyone was so friendly, from the local townspeople and vendors to the guests and visitors as well. To me, this encompasses the exact feel of the movie. There were some great food options, from Mrs. Martini's spaghetti dinner and trivia which we missed as it was on Friday night, to local restaurants bringing out tents and serving their best chilis, hotdogs and burgers, and tacos outside, there was something for everyone. The bars and restaurants were also fully staffed indoors if you needed a break from the cold. My husband and I really enjoyed our time in Bedford Falls, if you are looking for something fun and different to do on the 2nd weekend in December, make the trip out to Seneca Falls to feel the It's a Wonderful Life spirit!

    Photos
    It's a Wonderful Life Festival
    It's a Wonderful Life Festival
    It's a Wonderful Life Festival

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    New York State Fair - festivals - Updated May 2026

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