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. Dating to 1851, it is one of Illinois's oldest and most enduring agricultural fair traditions.

The Illinois State Fair 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. Dating to 1853, it is one of Illinois's oldest and most enduring agricultural fair traditions.

The DuPage County Fair in Wheaton 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. Dating to 1854, it is one of Illinois's oldest and most enduring agricultural fair traditions.

The Sandwich Fair in Sandwich 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. First held in 1888, it has been a Illinois agricultural tradition for over a century.

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. First held in 1923, it has been a Illinois agricultural tradition for over a century.