Expensive with no capacity control. This seems like a pattern for DMV "state fairs" they advertise it and make it seem inviting but when you get there, they tax everything and over-sell tickets to the point you want to leave... literally have to go early and ride everything before 5pm or else it gets stupid crowded. Who wants to hustle and stress to do all that when the venue can simply stop being greedy. This is a one & done for me... will not return! read more

The MD State Fair has been a very good fair experience for me. Each year seems to bring strategic improvements. For example, last year the seating area for the ribs, corn, and smoked meats vendors was situated in an area so to not obstruct walkways. However, what was new in 2025 (at least to my knowledge from previous years) is only patrons of those vendors could sit in that seating area. It could have been the case in previous years and it just wasn't enforced. I don't think the MD State Fair has congregate dining areas apart from those in the vicinity of the food pavilion and a few low-capacity, all-purpose seating in random areas which is frustrating because many of the food vendors are situated along narrow walking paths where you have to compete with ride goers. What keeps me from giving the MD State Fair a 5* experience is despite some improvements, it still lacks the variety of unique and creative food items and fair-goer experiences which are common at other thriving fairs around the country. The food court here is good, but lacks creativity as it essentially serves traditional table food with few novelty items. But no iconic items. The planners do a great job of organizing the farm animal exhibit. And it is expansive. The rides are your typical carnival rides. The value at the fair is the wristband and fun pass cards for ride goers. I recommend saving your fun pass as the same pass vendor is used every year, so you don't have to pay for the activation fee. You'll just need to load money onto the card every year. Also, there are plenty vendors that offer unlimited refillable soft drinks at a discount. In my opinion, it is best to choose your preferred beverage, purchase the refill price, and stick to refilling at that particular vendor throughout the park during your visit. There are many sweet tea and lemonade stands that offer this deal. Also, the cups are reusable, so you can keep them as souvenirs and bring them back at future fairs for refills. Parking on grounds at the fair is $15 and first-come, first served. The parking lot is uneven, very hilly, and on grass (and when it rains, mud). I recommend arriving early to get a good spot close to the main entrance of the fair. At the end of a long day, it is exhausting to walk up and down hills to your car. Parking spots are not marked, so workers direct parking traffic. Again, arrive early to get a good and hassle free spot. I like that there are restrooms at the front on the inside near the main entrance and indoors at the animal exhibits. The fair grounds isn't vast, so unless you have an itinerary to visit all the exhibits, you can get through the fair in less than 2.5 hours tops. Overall, the fair is a good experience with delicious food and entertaining activities for young, old, and families. read more

See all

I'm glad I didn't listen to the Yelp and Reddit cynics. If you've been at all 50 state fairs and this is only your 43rd favorite, cool, but I'm glad I came down from New Jersey. It's smaller than some other state fairs, which isn't a bad thing if you don't feel like walking as much in 85-degree weather. My food and beverages were entirely within the confines of the Maryland food section. I got the pit lamb sandwich at the Lamb Stand, and this was like that Gin Blossoms concert where they opened with Hey Jealousy: impressive, but sets the bar too high. The meat is superb so you should take a few bites before adding mint jelly or horseradish. Try their sweet tea. The fried green tomatoes weren't my favorite but that chipotle mayo demands your attention. I liked the pit beef from jake's and the peach sundae. How I can not give five stars to a state reachable by light rail? If you've been to the Minnesota bash, you might be slightly disappointed by the relatively normal size pumpkins in the 4-H building, but the tomatoes are enjoyable, as are the quilt and photo exhibits. How serious are these folks about their work? There are hay-baling prizes and the category of "bee-related photos" gets further refinement into amateur and professional categories. read more

See all

We came here for the oktoberfest event. Awesome event with a lot of games and activities going on. Drinks galore with a combination of different types of beers & other alcoholic beverages. You can dress up if you so desire for the event. Some were dressed for the attire. Such as myself. We went VIP which was a early entry and separate area for the restroom. We also had a bigger glass than general admission. There's plenty of parking available and I would definitely do this again next year. It was so much fun. Don't forget to feed your alcohol with all the different food truck options available. Hope to see you next year! read more

See all

I have never had a strong desire to go to the Maryland State Fair coming from Texas where it's an event every year. That said, the Americana aspect of the fair is something I love and couldn't say no when my friends wanted to go over Labor Day weekend. The Maryland State Fair is in Timonium and it's very small - compared to other fairs I've been to. The traffic it's very, very bad and make sure you bring cash to be able to park outside of the main parking areas. I did enjoy the little piglet racing and seeing the winners of the blue ribbon for different fruits and vegetables. There was a covered exhibit area, where you could try different food items and look at Jacuzzis buy some candy. It was kind of a hodgepodge of a different things. It's not that expensive to get in - and there's enough things to look at we didn't go on any of the rides or eat any of the food because there was nothing that special. The staff working there didn't seem super knowledgeable where things were located. What makes this state fair unique is that it's also part of the horse racing so check out the schedule because we were not able to see a horse race while we were there! read more

See all

Another year, another walk down memory lane. Seeing the livestock and kids in their 4-H gear showing their animals takes me right back to my Oklahoma ranch days. I always arrive around 9 AM before the midway opens at 10. This gives me time to get through security, walk around the livestock barns, watch some animal judging, hit the MD State Lotto barn to get my free spin the wheel prize and scratch offs, see my friend's entries in the quilting and hooking (IKR!!) competitions, eat some tasty fair food then get the heck out of there by noon when the rest of the world has arrived at the fairgrounds. The food vendors are open early and are all very friendly. This year's treat was the pork sundae. I had planned to go for crabcakes, but I had this tasty treat last year and just had to try it again. Pulled pork on top of cornbread then topped with tasty coleslaw. Yummers! A highlight for me is the native plants display near the arts and crafts barns. They always have free seeds available for you to take home to plant, as well as educational materials about planting your own native gardens. read more

See all

This has become a yearly tradition to attend the fair. I will start by saying it has become astronomically expensive to attend, but it is still a good time. From the fee to get in, ride tickets, games tickets, food, parking, and merch. It could easily be $100+ a person, which is a lot for a family. They have a variety of rides, but I'm not interested in ones that do too much spinning. The ferris wheel is always a must, a turkey leg, and at least one sweet treat. The animals are cute to see, but advise to see them before you eat, as the smell could turn your stomach. I look forward to coming back next year, and figuring out a more cost effective way to enjoy everything! read more

See all

We had fun. There was a good vibe during the day crowd. A good chance to walk around get some steps in as well as eat some fair food. I recommend bring cash because a lot of vendors charge $1 for tap or cards. Expect to spend money read more

See all

My Parents use to bring me to this Fair every year when I was a kid and I loved it. I haven't been here in over 10 years, but I wanted to check it out since it's been so long. It didn't disappoint, they have something to entertain everyone. Carnival Rides, games, concerts, competitions, arts & crafts, farm animals, plenty of food and sweets treats to choose from. I had a blast and hope to return next year. read more

We went to see Big Time Rush here. The fair grounds were pretty nice to walk around but when it came time for the concert, there was barely any security to balance out the large crowd and I actually ended up getting shoved to the ground in an altercation. read more

Maryland State Fair - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Timonium, Maryland

We went specifically for the horse races on Saturday of Labor Day weekend. What a ball we had! We ended up in the air conditioned Nicks and they had betting machines inside. What convenience! The food was basic fare but I heard the oysters were amazing. The wait staff was friendly abd kept the drinks flowing. Highly recommend checking out the races! read more

See all

Haven't been here in a long time, wife and I decided to give it a shot and see how it is. It was $32 for us both to get in, unfortunately we didnt have our grand daughters with us to be able to take them on some of the many kids rids. You can purchase tickets in different amounts and they have a ride all day but it doesn't include some ride.. We walked through where the horses were we just missed the judging of the Clydesdales. Other wise great fair read more

The allure for fair food can sometimes be lost when you know where to go to get common treats and sweets that are available at the fair ( corn dogs, cotton candy, etc.). I haven't been to the Maryland State Fair in over 10 years, but I'm happy that I ventured out today to enjoy the Maryland State Fair. From the horses to the parakeet house and fair rides, it was pretty cool to see and hear the fair sounds. We also had a chance to catch one of the horse races at the track. A great outing. Parking can be an issue. If you are driving to the fair, my suggestion is to get there at early. Another tip- Pay the $10 to park at Basta Pasta. read more

See all

Great fair! A lot of animals to be seen, animal shows, and agriculture things. Also a race track on-site that you can see races at if they are happening. Not the greatest food selection but they have the stuff people like...? The pork Sunday was awesome, that area had some good food choices. Sadly a lot of rides, carnival games, basic fattening food, alcohol stands, and people who do not want to see the animals or agriculture fair stuff. The animals and agriculture is what I come for but priority goes to the money making aspect of the "fair", this one has a lot of that. read more

I found the Maryland State Fair to be all around disappointing. There wasn't many varieties of animals to see and there was such a small selection of food. The only options that weren't fried "fair" food were in a food tent but all the concessions practically sell the same thing. When I go to a state fair, I go to try all the cool foods and see the different breeds of animals. Overall, Maryland fairs seem to be all around disappointing in comparison to the Big E or other states fair options. read more

The fair was great. The loose candy room was one of my favorite booths. Additionally, the horse demonstration was a big draw. They have plenty of places to cool off and sit. Nice job. read more

Maryland State Fair - The entrance's $15.00 to park. - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Timonium, Maryland

It was my first time attending a Maryland State Fair, and I really enjoyed it. Animals, rides, the expo, and delicious food were all part of the fun. I can't wait to return and experience it all again. read more

See all

We came here for the Home and Garden show and see one of the vendors, Ecuagenera, that's doing a pop-up show. There's plenty of parking and when we got there Friday, the entrance to the doors were $5. I pre-ordered a few plants that are rehabby but we also picked up one that was there at the show. There were a lot of vendors for plants, orchids, kettle corn before you get in the door, nuts that were delicious and you can try for free. We're glad we went Friday because parking was free and there were liots of it. Highly recommend! read more

See all

I love this state fair. I've been to the NJ and IL state fairs as well, and this one is the best of the three. I live around the corner from here, so I go at least once a year. It'll cost you an arm and a leg to go, though, so keep that in mind. Ride tickets are a dollar, and most rides are 5 tickets. There are a few 4 ticket rides, and some kids rides are three. However, it gets expensive if you want to ride anything really cool, because those are 6 tickets. If you have a family, you'll go broke. read more

See all

Another typical fair. There were top notch exhibits such as crops, crafts, and animals. The midway took up much of the grounds and was filled with concession stands, games, and rides. I liked the history museum dedicated to the history of the fair. The grandstand is actually a horse racing track. While there were a few shows I didn't see anything about big name concerts. read more

See all

The Maryland State Fair....Not bad but not great! Lots of food, games and rides but the cost was not agreeing with my wallet. The admission was $8 for adults, $6 for seniors and free for kids 6 and under (not including rides). Tickets were $1 each ($20 for 20 and $45 for 50) and the rides on average are 4+ tickets. CASH ONLY. There were some ride all night wristbands for $23 but those are only on certain days. There are many farm animals throughout the fairgrounds to distract your children with once you run out of tickets. I would recommend coming on the wristband nights to save $$ especially if you have a large family. The kids will love it, but plan ahead! PS - Get the free pizza samples near the light rail entrance!! read more

Maryland State Fair - Bumper cars! - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Timonium, Maryland

See all

This weekend is the SugarLoaf Crafts Show in the Cow Palace at the Maryland State Fair Grounds. I used to attend the SugarLoaf Craft Shows but between 2009 to 2011 the shows got smaller and not all that great and as a result I haven't been these last few years. So for 2014 I decided to go see if things had changed. It was a great time! There were about 20 rows of vendors and with SugarLoaf, everything has to be hand made. I saw lots of great products made with talent and care. Prices at this type show are a tad high due to the quality and craftsmanship being on the expert side. The food house was much better than in the past. Pit beef, Pit ham, Pit Turkey, huge TacoSalada, steamed shrimp and freed shrimp and CrabCakes. The Pit Beef was great and the CrabCakes looked and tasted like they came from Timbuktu. Overall it was a good experience and I look forward to the spring SugarLoaf show. read more

Maryland State Fair - Craft Fair - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Timonium, Maryland

See all

We went yesterday afternoon and I liked it a lot. Found parking on a nearby hidden side street so didnt have to pay. I've been to carnivals before but never a state fair and enjoyed the pig racing and refillable lemonade and ice tea and all the junk food. Post covid, it is 20 bucks a turkey leg now and it was so nice to be able to do something like this again. Good rides for kiddies and fellow fair goers were a pleasure to be around...people made nice banter and offered to move seats if we needed etc and 1 parent even offered for their little girl to accompany my scared kid on one of the rides. WOW Marylanders are so nice LOL. We left in the early evening and we saw the huges lines walking out, it literally went on and on. Leavin' just in time I said to myself and the lady manning the parking lot agreed with me. Will be back for the last week of it next week! read more

Second shot went off like a charm two weeks later as scheduled. No pain, no discomfort, and super fast this time using the handicap entrance and a wheelchair, swallowing my pride in exchange for speed. read more

We have a mega adoption event taking place tomorrow, with the agency I work for (Maryland SPCA), BARCS, The Baltimore Humane Society, and several others. The venue is very nice, and I will be sure to send more pictures as the adoption event takes place. The adoption fees ARE WAIVED for both dogs (lots of adorable pibbles) and smaller dogs, as well as PLENTY of kittens. read more

We attended the Home and Garden Show and the Craft show. There is a lot to parking. A shuttle takes people to the front door if your walk is too far. The food items available inside the building wasn't that great. Some vendors only take cash. If you get your hand stamped on the way out, you can return later. Sometimes your stamp will get you free entry into another show on the property. read more

My friends and I came here last Sunday 8/28. We didn't feel like dealing with traffic so we decided to take the light rail. The light rail lets you off directly at the entrance.. Can we say CONVENIENT!!!! Once you are in line you will go through a security check point and if you pass you go on to the ticket booth. Now if you don't pass the security check, you should really go home and think what choices in life have you made to keep you from gaining entry into a family event) But back to the park. There were tons of food spots to choose from and I've noticed a lot more rides and games that have been added since my last visit. There were a lot of great deals! There's also live shows for kiddies and adults. Live animals for the animal lovers but be careful because there's poop on the ground in those areas. Watch your step! I've witnessed the destruction of many shoes due to a careless walker.. But overall a great experience..My only suggestion would be to have a few walk thru cooling centers like the ones at Artscape. read more

Maryland State Fair - If only I had a farm - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Timonium, Maryland

A fairly small fair compared to others, but fun nonetheless especially when in the company of the one you love. We learned how to milk a cow by hand, saw the animals, and the enormous vegetables. But the best exhibit was the 4H building where we spent several hours looking at all the handicrafts from photographs to knitted dresses. The ice cream at the dairy cow exhibit was good, but not very creamy. And the lamb wrap was okay as well - a little less tzatziki sauce would have been fine. There's a lot of other standard fairground fair as well like fried cookies, hot dogs, cotton candy, and BBQ pork and beef. read more

Very thing looked and felt dirty. Plus very crowded and very little walking space. People smoking in the crowded area. Rude people walking without looking where they are going. I have been other State fairs and the Maryland was the worst . Would not recommend read more

CRAZY EXPENSIVE!!! My wife and 8 year old daughter went today and spent $38 just to get in the door ($20 parking & 2 tickets). A $50 ride credit card got them 4 rides each, a $7 Coke and 2 carnival games for $10. $105 for barely an hour of fun. This is ridiculous and needs to be addressed. The fair should be financially feasible for everyone, not just the well off. Make it taxpayer funded and get the prices under control!! read more

It's the fair and I hope to go back every year to close out the summer. My children love the kids rides and they have benches where I can rest while they ride. Chili cheese fries are the best! read more

Maryland State Fair - Fun rides - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Timonium, Maryland

Outrageous pricing for the rides and fast food! $4 - $6 for children's rides, each no longer then 1 minute. Parents must pay to ride with their toddlers. You have to buy a $2 plastic card to load credits for each ride. The carnies touch the card each time, so much for safety from COVID germ transfers. At least 5 out of the 15 rides had no carnies working, I was told they were short staffed. Teenage rides cost more, up to $10. Fresh cut french fries from one of Deggeller's stands were great but a small bucket cost $10 PLUS $1 for the plastic bucket. Unbelievable! Cow palace this year was half empty as well as the farm exhibit, probably because of covid. Admission tickets were $10 each just to get in and $10 parking. It cost our family of four over $100 and the kids only rode 4 rides each. The only highlight was the honey tasting in the exhibition hall. The MSF has been a tradition and we always looked forward to going, however this will be the last year. Save yourself the aggravation and the cost, you aren't missing a thing. Plus everything is filthy, from animal feces all over the grounds from the farm animals to the dingy old rides. read more

I normally go to the fair every year. This was my first time going on Labor day but I won't have it no other way. The fair is so expensive. It costs to get in and ride. I paid for the bands and it wasn't crowded. That was the perfect day to go. I normally go crazy for the food but I was well balanced. $14 for a Turkey leg is ridiculous. I can buy a whole Turkey for that price. Some of the things and pricing is ridiculous but it's really fun so I can make an exception to come only on Labor day unless I am just here to buy the food. read more

Maryland State Fair - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Timonium, Maryland

Went to the Maryland State Fair today. Things have changed so much. They have a wonderful kids sectors. Just wish smokers would not smoke in the kids section. If you wanna smoke, I would suggest do it in a designated area. Kids don't need your 2nd hand smoke. The food gets worse every ear and it cost an arm and leg. The food prices have gotten a little bit pricey. I guess its all about the experience. read more

This reminded me more of one of those carnivals they set up on a supermarket parking lot. Not really much to it and very small. ##The Food -Deep Fried Buckeyes were the bomb! -Deep Fried Twinkies? Not so much...tasted like a pancake and not a good pancake either. -Deep Fried Oreos ...good but loved the Buckeyes the best. -Corn dog - ok -BBQ Lamb Sandwich- I liked it, Mr. X did not. ##Parking Be prepared to pay $10-$20 dollars if you arrive after 1030. You most likely will have to walk to the fair and pay at a parking lot of a nearby business which they will charge you to park there. ## Consider -Lots of incline and decline. Saw some people with canes struggling. Not a lot of level ground which can be troublesome for some. Bring comfortable shoes. - Not a lot of seating available or shade. Take advantage of the milking/cow and buildings for AC and sit on the bleachers indoors. Recommend bringing a hat and some shades as there are no trees for shade. -I was able to bring in a water bottle. Maybe you can bring more. ## Overall, two stars because I will never come back. Just not worth it. Some old school fair games here and there, cool milking cow area but I can't think of one thing I enjoyed besides the fatty food. Spent 3 hours of dragging and couldn't find much to do. read more

The security check at the entrance is EXTREMELY intrusive. Not only were our bags checked for "contraband", but the young man doing the security checks also opened our handbags and removed and opened our wallets. I asked him what he was doing and he responded that he was checking for nail clippers and pocket knives?! When he removed the allergy medicine from the handbag of another young women in our party and asked her if he should "worry about this"I had enough. The TSA doesn't even do this! It was completely unwarrented and abusive! This will be reported to the authorities. read more

I love fairs. County ones are cool and the Maryland State Fair is the mother of them all. $2 for parking and a trolley to take you to the door (I live in the city so I'm used to $10+ parking). Tickets were $8. The rides seemed to be newer this year; no rusted out pieces of junk (my wife rode the Zipper last year and a big, important-looking bolt fell into her lap during the ride. YIKES). We go mainly for the animals and there were a lot. Foreigner played that night and, although not a fan, they sounded pretty good. Finally, plenty of carnies to gawk at. Update: Went in 2018 and was really disappointed. Every food stand was sub-par and disgustingly over-priced ($7 three-ounce chicken was under-cooked!). The haunted house had some tarps that were not hung right and sunshine was illuminating all the scary stuff a $4 thirty-second ride offers. 11:30 in the morning and many of the buildings and bathrooms were still locked (older folks tend to go during these times and that was a great disservice for them). Most of the animals were gone and not many horses to see either. We went to one coffee/donut stand and stood at the counter as the person saw us, ignored us. Finally I said hi and she said she didn't open for another hour. Really? It's almost noon. What about people that want some breakfast? Idiot. We'll come back in a few years maybe. Hopefully it will be better. Right now it's the the same quality as a small-town fair. read more

Upon entering the Maryland state fair, I had my purse searched. Fair enough. However, have never been to a state fair and didn't think to prep my bag for it. As a female, I carry a taser for personal protection at all times. I didn't even think twice about it. Security found it and I was compliant and went back to my car. When I returned, I went back on the same line. I noticed the security person didn't check the woman's purse in front of me. He rechecked my purse and let me in. I mentioned that he didn't check the other persons bag. He stated it was a change purse. I stated that it was the same size as mine. He said "you can't prove anything". If you're going to check every purse. Check every purse. Don't discriminate. read more

Fun but expensive! Go early when the open at 10am! Park across the street at the shopping center for 5.00-10.00 early. 20.00 parking after 12 noon. I had in advanced passes but the packages are expensive go for the all day bands 19.50 a piece. If your kids are at or under 36 inches there are only 3 rides they can get on period which was a disappointment. read more

Maryland State Fair - Ava-Marie won her first prize! - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Timonium, Maryland

I'm not sure how this gets the moniker of "State Fair". Growing up in Wisconsin and going to plenty of fairs, my hometown county fair has the Maryland State Fair beat. If you skip the rides, you basically can do everything here in about two or three hours. There are local food stands but they are all in the same spot. There are more food vendors on the midway than in the Maryland food pavilion. The animal barns are great, there is definitely a lot here celebrating Maryland's agriculture but it pales to what I am used to - granted my home state has a grower's association for practically every item of produce - so it's sad that there isn't say, a Maryland winery booth, or apple growers, or something that really makes you feel like you are supporting agriculture. In terms of entertainment there's only one big show a day, not a lot of variety for things to see or enjoy. Most of it is at night, so if you come during the day, there's not much to see, and there doesn't seem to be any fun activities for children besides seeing the animals and the midway. I get awfully sad coming to the State Fair because it won't substitute for me getting on a plane, going home, and enjoying something better. read more