Massachusetts is home to “The Big E” – the Eastern States Exposition is the de facto State Fair for the entire six-state New England Region. Each of the states has a significant presence at the Big-E which has been taking place annually in September since 1917.
While the Big-E has been around for a while, over half of Massachusetts agricultural and county fairs hail all the back to the 1800s. The oldest are the Three County Fair (1818), the Topsfield Fair (1818), and the Barnstable County Fair (1845).
Fair season in Massachusetts starts in June, peaks in the summer during August and early September, and runs through the end of September or into the very beginning of October.
Following are the agricultural and county fairs in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts:
| Month | Fair | Location |
|---|---|---|
| June | Brockton Fair | Brockton, MA |
| July | Barnstable County Fair | East Falmouth, MA |
| July | Charlemont Fairgrounds Yankee Doodle Days | Charlemont, MA |
| August | Adams Agricultural Fair | Adams, MA |
| August | Bolton Fair | Lancaster, MA |
| August | Cummington Fair | Cummington, MA |
| August | Heath Fair | Heath, MA |
| August | Marshfield Fair | Marshfield, MA |
| August | Martha’s Vineyard Agricultural Fair | West Tisbury, MA |
| August | Middlefield Fair | Middlefield, MA |
| August | Westfield Fair | Westfield, MA |
| August | Middlesex County 4-H Fair | Westford, MA |
| September | Belchertown Fair | Belchertown, MA |
| September | Blandford Fair | Blandford, MA |
| September | Eastern States Exposition (The Big E) | West Springfield, MA |
| September | Franklin County Fair | Greenfield, MA |
| September | Spencer Fair | Spencer, MA |
| September | Sterling Fair | Sterling, MA |
| September | Three County Fair | Northampton, MA |
| September | Topsfield Fair | Topsfield, MA |
