The Tunbridge World's Fair
Why Vermont Keeps Coming Back
There is a particular kind of September morning in Vermont.
The nights have started getting colder.
A little fog sits in the valleys.
Someone, somewhere, has already turned on the heat even though they swore they wouldn't do it until October.
And in Tunbridge, the fairgrounds are coming alive.
For generations of Vermont families, that means one thing.
It's fair time.
The 2026 Tunbridge World's Fair runs Thursday, September 17 through Sunday, September 20. This year the Fair is also recognizing America's 250th anniversary.
But you can find rides and fried dough at plenty of fairs.
That's not why Tunbridge matters.
It Started With Farmers
The first fair was held in 1867 in North Tunbridge.
At that early gathering, former Vermont lieutenant governor Burnham Martin reportedly called it a "Little World's Fair."
The name stuck.
By 1871, the Fair had moved to the grounds below Tunbridge Village where it continues today.
More than 150 years later, agriculture remains at the center.
The 2026 Premium Book still includes competitive departments for dairy cattle, eggs, flowers, gardens and harvests, horses, maple products, oxen and steers, poultry, rabbits, pulling animals, and much more.
That matters.
Because underneath the midway lights, music, food, and entertainment is still an agricultural fair.
Go to the Barns First
Here's what I'd tell someone attending for the first time:
Don't start with the rides.
Go see the animals.
Walk through the barns.
Watch a young exhibitor preparing an animal they've worked with for months.
Find an oxen or horse event.
Look at the dairy cattle.
Spend some time with the agricultural exhibits.
Local photographer Bob Eddy once captured a young 4-H exhibitor kissing her prize-winning heifer after leaving the dairy ring. His account describes young people arriving at Tunbridge after months of feeding, grooming, handling, and preparing their animals for that moment.
That's the Fair I don't want people to miss.
Then Find Antique Hill
If the livestock barns connect the Fair to Vermont agriculture today, Antique Hill connects it with yesterday.
Working machinery, old tools, historic exhibits, and pieces of rural life offer a glimpse into how earlier generations farmed and worked.
Take your time here.
Some of the equipment may look primitive compared with what's operating on Vermont farms today.
Then remember that somebody once depended on it to make a living.
You Should See a Pull
If you've never watched an ox or horse pull, Tunbridge is a good place to start.
It sounds straightforward.
Move something heavy.
Then you see the relationship between the teamster and the animals—the commands, patience, strength, and years of experience behind what happens in the ring.
The 2026 Fair continues to feature oxen, steer, horse, and pulling departments alongside cattle shows, junior exhibits, working antiques, tractor events, and other agricultural traditions.
And yes, eventually you should absolutely go find the midway.
This is still a fair.
The Fair Hasn't Always Been So Well Behaved
Here's a piece of Tunbridge history that makes the story considerably more fun.
Earlier versions of the Fair had a reputation for being rowdy.
Very rowdy.
Historical accounts describe drinking, adult entertainment, and a fair culture considerably different from today's family-oriented event. Local recollections became colorful enough that the old Fair almost sounds like rural Vermont's temporary answer to Las Vegas.
The Fair changed with the community.
Today's Tunbridge is much more family-oriented, but that slightly mischievous chapter remains part of its history.
And frankly, it makes the story better.
This Fair Belongs to Families
One of the reasons Tunbridge has survived is that the tradition keeps passing from one generation to another.
A documentary about the Fair followed families who had farmed in the area for generations and examined the relationship between the event and the town itself. One farmer featured in the film described being the fifth generation on his property.
That's what makes the Fair different from an event assembled for tourists.
People aren't simply attending it.
They're participating in something their parents and grandparents knew.
Children become exhibitors.
Exhibitors become parents.
Parents bring children back.
And another September begins.
⭐ Nathan's Hidden Gem: Arrive Early
My Fair advice is simple:
Get there early.
The gates open at 7 a.m. Thursday through Saturday and 8 a.m. Sunday in 2026. Thursday closes at 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday at 9 p.m., and Sunday at 5 p.m.
There's something different about the fairgrounds early in the day.
The animals are being tended.
Exhibitors are getting ready.
The air is cooler.
The midway hasn't taken over your senses yet.
Walk the agricultural side first.
Then let the day get louder.
Nathan's Tunbridge Fair Challenge
If this is your first Tunbridge Fair, here's the challenge:
Don't leave until you've done all seven.
- Walk through the livestock barns.
- Watch an oxen or horse event.
- Spend time on Antique Hill.
- Walk through the exhibit halls and see what Vermonters entered this year.
- Eat something you absolutely would not make for yourself at home.
- Ride at least one midway ride—or accompany someone brave enough to do it.
- Before leaving, stop somewhere quiet and look back at the fairgrounds.
That last one is important.
For four days, this little valley becomes something completely different.
Then everyone packs up.
And Tunbridge becomes Tunbridge again.
2026 Tunbridge World's Fair Information
Dates: September 17–20, 2026
Location: Tunbridge Fairgrounds, 1 Fairgrounds Lane, Tunbridge, Vermont
Thursday: 7 a.m.–8 p.m.
Friday: 7 a.m.–9 p.m.
Saturday: 7 a.m.–9 p.m.
Sunday: 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
The Fair's official site notes that dogs and other pets are not permitted on the grounds. Check the current official schedule before leaving home because individual event times can change.
Why Vermont Keeps Coming Back
The Tunbridge World's Fair isn't preserved behind glass.
It changes.
The rides change.
The food changes.
The people change.
Vermont agriculture itself has changed enormously since 1867.
Yet every September, people still bring their animals, vegetables, maple syrup, flowers, crafts, photographs, baked goods, and families into this little valley.
Maybe that's the real reason the Fair has lasted.
It doesn't ask Vermont to pretend it's still 1867.
It simply makes room for the old traditions to stand beside the new ones.
For four days every September, generations meet at the same fairgrounds.
And then, somehow, they do it again next year.
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