County Fair Guide

Hopkinton State Fair

Contoocook, New Hampshire

📅

2026 Dates

September 3–7, 2026

Duration

5 days

👥

Size

large

🕰

Founded

Since 1915

Notable Fact

Hopkinton State Fair drew an estimated 70,000 visitors in 2017, its 102nd year, according to WMUR. Running since 1915.

Source: WMUR

What You'll Find There

Expect championship livestock shows, 4-H and FFA competitions, a large midway, major grandstand entertainment, ox pulls, harness racing, New Hampshire artisan and food vendors, and the full spectacle of the state's premier fair.

Local Tips

The Hopkinton Fair is New Hampshire's biggest — plan to arrive early on weekends as parking fills quickly. The livestock competitions and ox pulls are among the best in New England.

The Fair

Contoocook is home to the Hopkinton State Fair, which is New Hampshire's largest agricultural fair, a five-day Labor Day weekend celebration drawing over 100,000 visitors to the Merrimack River valley. The fair got its start in 1915 and has remained a New Hampshire agricultural mainstay ever since.

Heading to Hopkinton State Fair?

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