Weekend fun Always looking forward to seeing good things and visit the animals. This is a good farm fair. We love the variety of things to do and good food to try.in the afternoon got crowded but still the organization and the space made everything great and allowed people to have a great time. Until next year. read more

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We visited the fair on a late Saturday afternoon as we hadn't been for years. Traffic was backed up just to park ($10). Then we waited in a line to board the shuttle bus to take us to the Fairgrounds..about a 10 or so minute ride. Bag check before entering and paying $20 admission fee. It was crowded and proceeded to get more crowded as the hours passed. Lines for almost all vendors were very long. To get into the beer tent was extremely long so we did not even bother (plus ID must be shown and we did not bring ours). We ate a few things and all was expensive. The loaded tater tots were really good, although $14. Fried dough $12 and corn dog $8. Yikes. We caught a few songs when Styx performed. We visited the animals and some other exhibits. We played a few games, but they were so costly and all gave cheap prizes. Overall we did have a good time, but leaving was a nightmare. There were long lines to get to the shuttle buses to get back to the parking area. We waited at least 1 hour. All the vendors and exhibits had already closed. Once we were back at the parking lot it took another 40 min to get out! Not sure the crowds and expense are worth it, so not sure we will come again. read more

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One of my favorite local fairs that has all the big fair favorites, with less traffic and shorter lines. The standout for us this year was the poutine! So much fun to be had here it should be on your list for 2025. read more

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Wow is all I can say about this fair. Went Yesterday on a Saturday night Parked at the Strickland lot. It was well organized and the staff was pleasant. Waiting for the bus took about 25 minutes ,not to bad. The bus ride to get to the fair was a different story,over 45 minutes stuck in traffic on a hot bus. Annoying but doable. We get in and its just a wall of people EVERYWHERE. The main drag the venders just a hot mess. People waiting for food 15-20 people deep, but the waiting line extends to the main walkway bottle necking everything. WE went to see Styxs and meet up with some friends and at the hill near the main stage its a cluster. Hundreds and hundreds of people which is fine but there was NO organization on where to sit. I realize its just a grass hill but you couldnt even walk without stepping on someones blanket, foot etc. There had to be 5000 people plus on that hill. It was ridiculous trying to walk around. We saw our friends said hi ,turned around and got out of there. Maybe if ther were striped lines on the hill it would have helped out with the craziness I've been to many a fair and concerts but never saw anything like this. I realize it was a Saturday night and a headliner band was playing but there needs to be better organization. And I'm in no way knocking the many volunteers that put this fair together, but this was not an enjoyable event considering we paid $10 to park,$20 each for tickets, got in and walked right out We were at the Big E the day before mid day and it was apples to oranges to this mess. read more

Never a disappointment this fair is fantastic! Animals galore, sheep, llamas, bunnies, cows, piglets. Nice shopping choices, a good midway for the kids with rides. And the food has ALL the choices, fries, burgers, fried dough, potatoes, cookies, ice cream, fried things ...you get the picture. Ride bracelets are Thursday only for $35, and the fair is cheaper for entry on Thursday, so it's always our top choice of day to visit. Entertainment on 3 stages, demolition Derby, tractor pulls, and all the exhibits of vegetables, collections, flowers, art, and photographs. It's an all around great country fair completely staffed by volunteers. We always park at the volunteer fire department and walk over the $20 to park goes back to keeping the town safe = win read more

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This fair is so fun to go to every year. Durham truly has the small town New England vibe if there ever was one. A lot of the booths are run by volunteers from their local firehouse, to their politicians, schools, churches and you can't forget the local farmers! They do tractor pulls, demolition derby's and always have live music! My favorite things to see are all of the award winning fruits, veggies, crafts and flowers. We always try a bit of everything but the Lime Rickey's are what we wait all year for. The booth is run by some of the sweetest people ever and it will always keep us, and our refill cups, coming back year after year. It was very rainy and muddy on Sunday but it didn't stop anyone from going out and enjoying the fair. If you didn't make it this year, make sure you add it to your list for the next' read more

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The Durham Fair is my hometown fair, I've been going since first grade. It's grown significantly since then, which makes me a little sad. Nevertheless, I always enjoy stopping by and meeting up with my friends to walk down memory lane. The amount of food booths that they have is actually overwhelming. My favorite is the Gyro stand at the top of the hill. This year I got their chicken kabob, which was juicy, full of flavor, and not too filling. I also got a strawberry lemonade, which came with fresh fruit; it was DELICIOUS and the perfect thing for walking around the fair! A great fair for shopping (the commercial tent is huge), enjoying their many rides, and seeing their talented local entertainment and artists. read more

Durham Fair - Festivals Near Me - Durham, Connecticut

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By far one of the best fairs in CT. Special events are frequent and varied, and they often last a long time. Went with my wife and some friends last night to catch the demolition derby, it started at 4:30pm and was still going strong at 7:30. Food is classically delicious fair fare, and staff are friendly and welcoming. Multiple barns with all kinds of animals that the kids will love. Runs Thursday through Sunday Sept 22-25 this year, and is well worth a visit even if you're an hour or two away. Bring cash, as not every vendor accepts cards. If you like fairs, this will not disappoint. If you don't like fairs, who even are you.?.. jk love u anyway. read more

This is a DRY fair! No alcohol sold/served or allowed inside. I think someone must've ruined it for the rest of us. Nonetheless it's a ton of fun, lots of games, animals, agriculture and most of all food! Everything from Jamaican beef patties, loaded baked potatoes, and even bbq and cheesesteaks to go with you demolition derby bumper cars and races! So much fun. If they ever to allow alcohol back I guarantee they'll make a TON of extra money to go back into the fair and town. Good luck with parking or get a friend who lives close by! read more

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Durham fair not as extravagant at the big E but definitely more homey and community centered. Tip: Tickets on the day of fair are a few bucks more ($13) and in addition 10$ for parking.... But if you were to buy it a couple of days before the fair online it 10$ per person and includes free parking. What comes to mind when you think of the fair- food, rides, games, music, farm animals, craft stalls, competitions ... At Durham it's no different it's all that and more... There is something fun for everyone ... Despite how old you are, your sure to become a child for the day..... My favorite thing to enjoy at the fair is the giant pumpkins, fair games and the livestock ...and obviously the food: butterfly chips, loaded baked potatoes, fried dough, cotton candy,kettle corn, lemonades, icecream sundaes, blooming onion..... You can indulge yourself with sweets and fried food all day long.You will also find Indian food, gyros, polish food and kebabs....These are just a few of many you can enjoy at the fair. We had a great time at the fair and would love to go back again next year. read more

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Sorry but I've been going here since the 80's, prices are through the roof. 12 bucks for a corn dog , same for fried dough ?! Back in the old days they had three areas for vendors, now it's little kid rides in one area, bouncy houses in another and the same tired vendors in the barn. The food vendors are starting to all feel the same, variety is way down. Spent two hours here and poof , was out. Vet here , wife went to one window for admission, I went to empty window to the right of her ( 2ft away) I asked about free vet admission and my ticket person directed me to the military guy 60 ft behind me to busy flirting with some young girl instead of making himself know that he served a purpose being there other than looking military in uniform. The wife asked the same and was told the same thing , but she was not military and was charged $40 bucks because sweety assumed we were together even though I walked away from the neighboring window! Didn't find out til I got home and oh btw, what did tickets cost this year. Hey Durham Fair, quality is starting to slip, how about catering to small business and the upper age brackets that make money and not the gen that doesn't work and still lives at home in the basement and has little money except for what parents give them ! read more

Good fair. Not the Big-E, but a good time filler. Went for the tractor/truck pulls. Not much interested in all the ready.

This place sucks. Trashy, long lines, no booze, 30 min ride from parking to the fair, $5 parking, $15 admission, crowded read more

Tilcon parking and that road is a nightmare. 45 min to go 1.2 miles. Then 20 minutes to leave the lot. Insane. Avoid at all costs. Try taking an uber off a road without traffic. Minus the traffic it was a lot of fun read more

Tickets were $13 a piece online and I paid $5 for the privilege to park my vehicle a mile away in a dusty farm lot and to be crammed into a school bus with cute yuppy J Crew wearing families and carted to the fair grounds. Everything was surprisingly well orchestrated and everyone actually behaved in a civilized, respectful manner. Lots of awesome stinky animals to admire but the area is very crowded, and I'm sure the poor creatures are mildly stressed by tiny toddlers screaming for a better look. I always love the beautiful award-winning veggie section but the baked goods section just makes me angry.. because I can't try any. The arts and craft vender area is most definitely sub par to other previous years. Too much fleamarket jewelry and cheesy trinkets. The best one was the guy who sells beer can candles. Each one is painstakingly emptied of it's original contents then filled with soy wax. You sir, are my hero. TL,DR: Come for the fair food, the animals and to people watch. read more

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A fun time with family. Great food and events. Cool location. A quintessential New​ England​ fall event. Parking is a nightmare, but the drive there and back is beautiful. Super fun. read more

What I think about my first time at the Durham Fair? Yay! it's got a lot more food, animals, rides, etc than the Berlin Fair but not as much variety as The Big E. This is the perfect medium when you are from CT and don't want to venture all the way to the Big E but still want the calorie dense goodness, animals, contests, and amenities of a good ol' fair! The price of food here is just as expensive as other fairs ($6 for fried candy bar or sour cream and chive loaded baked potato) and the food is a hit or miss so make careful vendor selections cause they have a LOT. They even have turkey legs here. I tried a sample but it was dry, TASTY but dry. I probably got an outside piece but I bet the whole leg taste amazinggg! I fell in love with their Deep fried cheeseburger balls -thick brown crunchy outer layer and ooey gooey hot melty ecstasy on the inside. I forget the exact name of the vendor (smoshers? crushers? but it was firetruck red you can't miss it unless you got distracted by the Funky Dawgz Brass Band playing nearby. They were fantastic and all the kids around loved it. A very family friendly performance to boost the mood at the fair. Plenty of exhibits: pumpkin/watermelon growing, photography, flowers, and of course the live animal stock. I was impressed by the amount they were able to fit into the barns but they somehow did it and it made my experience thrilling. Just one more thing, the dirt parking lot we had to park at before we took a bus down to the fair was so dry from the lack of rain recently that by the time we came back, all the cars were covered in a thin layer of dirt. NICE! It was like being at the sand dunes or Texas but nothing a quick car wash afterward can't fix! read more

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It is a fair. We went on Saturday during a warm summery day. So crowded. Normal fair food distribution. The fair grounds are hilly. I like the hill, it gives you perspective. Workers were trying really hard, but with record crowds they could not keep up with the trash and many stalls were selling out of popular items. We parked off site in a farmers field. Short walk and we were there. All the fair smells are there. Fried dough, animal. Grilled meat. Hay. We toured all the animal and craft pavilions. We stayed for the entertainment. PAT BENATAR AND NEIL GERALDO!!!!!!They were great. The hill at the main stage was packed. More than worth the price of admission. Durham Fair is a BIG little fair in central CT. Easy to get to, easy to park and fun. A MUCH better option than the Big E. We will be back for the 100th. read more

Went to the fair today . Got to security was run through metal detector was told that I could not bring in a pocketknife walked back to car locked up pocketknife . Went into fair found vendor selling pocketknives Not Cool read more

The fair was a lot of fun. It was my first time there, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. The fair is basically broken up into four sections: food, animals, midway, and concert. There are a ton of food vendors selling anything and everything you could ever dream up. Most of it is traditional fair food, and is not healthy so be prepared. If seeing animals is your thing, there are plenty to see. Next is the midway. There are a ton of rides and games, just like a carnival. You buy tickets at a booth and then use them for the rides. It's quite expensive at $3-$6 per ride. I think the best deal is offered on Friday, where you can buy a bracelet for unlimited rides for $30. Probably the best part of the fair is the free concert. They get some pretty big headliners, and if you get there early you can set up your lawn chairs and blankets right down in front, and come back later for the show. Just some advice in general. DO NOT park in the fair lots about a mile from the actual fair. It costs $10, and you have to wait for a shuttle bus to take you there, and bring you back to the lot. It's a waste of time, and looks miserable. Drive as close as you can to the entrance and park there. The most expensive parking is $15 but for the most part it was $10. Also, make sure to stop by an ATM before going to the fair. Most vendors only accept cash, and when we were there, all 8 of the ATMs in the fair were out of order. read more

I believe it's Connecticut's most attended fair. And it' very nice. Tractor pull, tons of animals, ridiculous food combinations (fried [insert thing that should never ever be fried here], or chocolate-covered [insert... you get the idea]). It's what you expect. Aaaaand it's not as good as the Berlin Fair. While I think the Durham Fair covers more acreage, the Berlin Fair is more exciting. For instance, where the heck was the BOOZE? The Berlin Fair surely has at least a few places to get it. We toured the whole property, and none to be found! Not that I'm a alcohol-addled drunkard, but come on, it's a fair! Highlights included the kebabs, the arepas, the chocolate covered bacon (don't knock it), and the chili dogs. Basically, we went for the food, not the rides. read more

My boyfriend is from Durham, and this is the first year he finally took me to his hometown's annual fair. My group was on a mission; to eat as many fried-fatty foods as possible.. It was very easy there!! I started off with a steamed cheeseburger, a CT thing I've always wanted to try.. It was amazinggggg!!!! Other delights included a Lime Rickey, corn dog, root beer float, funnel cake, pig mac( pulled pork samwich w. Mac and cheese) and a chocolate covered rice crispie treat. We walked around, checked out all the animals (llamas, sheep, bunnies and ducks were my favs) and looked in the crafts and commercial tents. My crew was totally uninterested In the fairway w. rides and games, but after 4 hours of eating and walking, I was ready to go anyways. I only spent $25 and had a great time. Now I see what Durham is all about! read more

Durham Fair - Festivals Near Me - Durham, Connecticut

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Last night was my first time at the Durham Fair in about 10 years. Growing up in Guilford, I would go to Durham Fair because it was much more superior than the Guilford Fair. Not much had changed except the local vendor section used to sell higher quality jewelry, but that was okay because I did not spend any money. My husband and I normally go the Berlin Fair, as we are residents of Berlin, but I'm working next weekend and won't be able to make the Berlin Fair. Since we love fairs and are anti-Big Eers, we decided to go since I had yesterday off. However, the food was AMAZING and I am paying for it today (both literally and figuratively). My steamed cheeseburger from the VFW booth was amazing! I also chowed down on corn-on-the comb, pork kabob, butterfly chips, and lemonade. As expected, fair food is expensive and bring lots of cash. The animal exhibit was cute and my hubby LOVED the truck show! Advice: -Don't park at the Durham Fair. Park at a satellite parking lot and get shuttled in. It will save you money and aggravation. -Order your tickets online so it saves you time. It is only 1 dollar convenience fee. -If you are going to bring bottled water, make sure it is unopened or else you will have to throw it out. read more

Visit was okay. Cost $10 to park if you find the right place and $13 a person to get in. Overcrowded and you could not really touch any of the animals. There were shows going on for the animals but I had no idea what they were about. People were clapping during the llama show. Apparently it is very difficult for a llama to walk through water? O.o. Of course the food and souvenirs were overpriced so I just went for the classic fair food (already felt i spent enough on the entrance fee and parking....). Unlike other fairs, this one did not have decorating contests (cake, pie, etc.) or other unique contests such as largest pumpkin or biggest something or other. I felt kind of like I went to an amusement park and all of the rides were down. I did manage to walk out with delicious apple fritters and a decoration for the wall, but I definitely felt like this fair was more commercialized than the rest. With all of this being said, they do stamp your hand and let you back in and they had eating contests, tractor pulls, animal pulls, and musical band at night, but I mostly went for the fair like atmosphere. There were also games and rides for the young ones, but again think of your wallet. If you are big on animals and understand how a bunch of sheep standing still could win 1st 2nd or 3rd place, this is your fair. Otherwise, there are plenty of others in connecticut with better parking, free (or cheap) admission, and way more fun activites that do not have an insert bill her approach. read more

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This may be the most attended fair in CT, but that isn't necessarily a good thing. 2 years ago, I posted a review on Facebook stating some of these same things, and I got bombarded with insults. Regardless, my opinion hasn't changed. Here we go... 1. Parking is crazy. For this fair, you will most likely need to park in a dusty cornfield a ways away from the fair and take a shuttle bus. When you get back to your car, it will be covered in dirt. 2. It is CROWDED. Yes, it is the most attended agricultural fair in CT, which means you can barely move from place to place here. You spend a lot of your time pressed up against other people or having people bump into you as they try to make their way around. It gets really old, really fast. 3. Lots of hills- not good for the elderly or handicapped. 4. Not a lot of seating once you do get some food - we had to sit on the wet ground and risk getting trampled upon. 5. It's a dry fair. No alcohol. Now, before anyone starts calling me a drunkard... my absolute FAVORITE fair in CT is the Bethlehem fair, which is also a dry fair. After dealing with the parking, the crowds, and the amount of time it takes to get around, it would be nice to have a drink to ease some of the frustration. The positives: 1. The people working the booths are pleasant and friendly. 2. There is a lot to do! 3. The live entertainment is great. read more

The Best damn fair in Connecticut, maintains the old style country fair of days gone by. Plenty of local organizations with great food raising funds. There re also the professional variety vendors offering turkey legs or fried twinkies, and rides for the kids. Plenty of games to play and animals to see. Even with heavy rain today it's great and less crowded. read more

Keep meaning to review my first visit to the Durham fair this past fall. It's in a great rural CT location, yet not far off the beaten path. It's deceiving when you walk in as it is much larger than I first expected. Their are a wide variety of farm animals, games, rides and an excellent, diverse food selection. The thing that stood out most to me was that it was very clean, as far as fairs go. I have been to the Big E multiple times and nearly always feel like it's not worth the hassle. The Durham fair gives you a smaller version of everything you can get at the Big without the major crowds and hassle. I recommend going early in the day as it does get crowded at night. I will definitely return when I need a taste of fall fairs. read more

The Durham Fair has some cool stuff but also has three major strikes against it: 1) Vastly overpriced: $15 admission plus extremely expensive food and midway attractions; 2) Extremely crowded: the place is insanely crowded and moving from attraction to attraction is about as easy as fighting your way through the audience at a rock concert. 3) Logistically unfriendly: if you try to access the fair directly from Main Street, you can expect 15-20 minute long traffic jams, and price-gouged parking ($20 for close to the fair). Or, you can opt for remote parking but that has its own problems. Leaving the parking lot at the Tilcon Quarry takes 20-30 min. Strickland lot parking turns into a swamp if it rains and if you don't have a 4X4 you'll may get stuck. read more

Nothing compares to the "Dutch County Fair" (NY) well worth the 1.1/2 hr or so drive .. so much more livestock agriculture and things change up quite a bit. I love the Pig Races Horse Pulls Dog pool show Small Zoo with Black Panther Monkeys and other Animals you don't normally see @ Fairs. So many shows .. The Seals show is adorable..I can go on & on! It's a great Country Fair for the whole family to enjoy for an entire day! Fun Fun Fun:):).. my main reason for this fair is PAT Benatar & classic "junk fairfood!" After all I'm an 80"s chick @ Heart!! read more

One of the best agricultural fairs in Connecticut. So many animals, music, food, and fun things for the whole family! The traffic this year was not as bad as the years past. Plenty of detours to take to get around that Main Street. The crafts, collections, all those things are so much fun to look at. We love goin but every year! We always go in the early morning hours to avoid the crowds in the afternoon. read more

My 1 experience with this fair was going with 4 children on a Sunday after a rain storm, so everyone had the same idea. We waited for an hour in a line of cars to park in a field. We drove to the end of a field and walked about a mile to a bus. We waited in line for about 1/2 hour for the bus to be loaded. We rode on the bus for about 20 minutes. We waited another 1/2 hour to get off the bus. By the time we got to the fair, I was ready to go home. The fair was completely packed with nowhere to move. We bought steamed cheeseburgers for the kids (which were really good btw), turned around and went back home. There are a few things that I have committed to never do again in my life. But none of them involve as much pain as our trip to the Durham Fair. read more

I love the Durham fair as one of the best in Connecticut. It is always crowded with a lot of people but that's all part of going to a fair. There is almost always traffic getting their on Route 17 but if you get off Route 17 early and park at a designated lot, you won't have that bad of a walk. We parked at the one of the first parking lots when turning onto Route 17 for $5. That did mean we had a 1 mile walk but that was better than sitting in traffic and paying anywhere from $15-$20 up ahead. Plus there is a sidewalk and it's a really nice atmosphere. So much good fair food at the fair! Plenty to see and do for all types once your there. This year (2012) we paid $15 per adult to get in. read more

A great CT fair with lots of good fair food, relatively affordable prices, extensive livestock, and set in a beautiful location. Parking and traffic is a nightmare. Unless you can navigate the intricate backroads of Durham and Middlefield, prepare to spend at least an hour traversing the final mile or two. Also, the line to buy tickets and enter is very long and erratic, allowing for easy line-jumping and chat-and-cuts. This could actually be beneficial depending on your level of jerk-ness. Overall a fun time, but more of the AAA to the Big E's Major League. read more

What happened to this place? It was a lot better when I was a kid. Maybe I was young and jaded and am now older and cranky but the food is disgusting, concerts boring, and rides looked as dangerous as ever... And what is with kids these days... read more

a fun fair with lots of agricultural heritage - it was especially nice this year without rain! not tons of vegetarian friendly foods, but that is expected. read more

I have very fond memories of this fair. I would like to return to it as I have not been since August 2004

The parking set up is unorganized and just painful. It took us over an hour to get in to a lot and park. Then wait on line for a bus for 1/2 hour then arrive at the festival to wait on line for tickets for another 1/2 hour. There is no way it should have taken us over 3 hours after departing from Stratford (normally 45 minutes away) to finally cross over the entrance line of the festival. Oh and it's dry, so no nice cold beer after all that hassle, just a wine tent that you pay $15 per person for 28 tastings. Sounds like a lot right? Nope, each vineyard gives you a drop to taste of 4 wines. Setting all that pain aside it does seem like a pretty cool fair. However until they figure out the parking situation I will not be back. read more

Nice fair but lousy parking system. Waiting 46 minutes just to get to the line for the bus Really poor system. Spoiled an otherwise nice day read more

Have been going to this fair yearly since 1963 with 6 children in all kinds of weather. One should know what to expect if it has been raining - it's a fair attended by thousands daily - be prepared and don't be surprised that things take longer and that it can be a bit chaotic. We, as a family, have never been disappointed. Headliner one year was Dolly Parton, a veritable newcomer starting out, along with Porter Wagner. Yes, we also attended Woodstock 1969 - but with only a 14 yr old in tow. We were prepared and were used to camping in inclement weather and we were not hippies just music and music group fans. read more