The Oldest Fairs in Illinois

The Lake County Fair in Grayslake is a five-day late-July celebration in Chicago's most affluent suburban county, drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors from the North Shore and surrounding region. With roots going back to 1851, it's among Illinois's oldest continuously held fairs.

The Illinois State Fair, based in Springfield, is an eleven-day mid-August spectacular at the state fairgrounds, drawing over one million visitors to Abraham Lincoln's home city for the premier annual celebration of Illinois agriculture. Founded in 1853, it stands as one of Illinois's most enduring agricultural fair traditions.

Wheaton's DuPage County Fair is a four-day late-July celebration in one of the nation's wealthiest suburban counties, drawing hundreds of thousands from the western Chicago suburbs. Founded in 1854, it stands as one of Illinois's most enduring agricultural fair traditions.

In Sandwich, the Sandwich Fair is a five-day mid-September celebration in DeKalb County, one of Illinois's most beloved and historically significant county fairs drawing over 200,000 visitors annually. The fair got its start in 1888 and has remained an Illinois agricultural mainstay ever since.

The Du Quoin State Fair is an eleven-day late-August through Labor Day spectacular in southern Illinois, the state's second state fair drawing hundreds of thousands to the coal country fairgrounds. Launched in 1923, the fair has held its place in Illinois agricultural life for generations.