North Carolina Mountain Fair Adds New Foods, Rides, and Entertainment For 2026
This week, the North Carolina Department of Agriculture announced new food, entertainment, and rides for the North Carolina Mountain State Fair, which will be held September 11th-20th at the WNC Ag Center in Fletcher.
“The Mountain State Fair has become a time-honored tradition in Western N.C. for its blend of agricultural exhibits, favorite exhibits and entertainment, plus a few new attractions each year to add to the fun,” said Jeff Barham, general manager of the N.C. Mountain State Fair. “With 14 free entertainment acts, a full midway, rows of delicious food, livestock shows and display farm animals, plus arts and crafts, music and dancing, the Mountain State Fair has something for everyone.”
Drew Exposition, the midway provider, will debut four new rides at the 2026 fair, including The Dairy, a spinning ride complete with flying cow cars; The Horror Hotel a walk-through spookhouse; Crazy Cars geared for the kiddos; and The Aeromax, which lifts adults and kids in brightly colored airplanes around 40 feet in the air for a high-altitude spin.
Three new grounds acts will join an already exciting lineup of entertainment. Comedy Juggler Neils Dunker, who hails from the Netherlands, holds three Guiness World Records and has been featured at the Comedy Barn in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., will bring his solo show to the fairgrounds daily.
Also debuting at the fair is the Butterfly Experience, an immersive experience where fairgoers can walk through an enclosure and feed three different varieties of butterflies.
Louisiana native Chef Bryon Landry will bring his interactive Cooking with Kids show to the fairgrounds where young fairgoers will have a chance to learn some cooking tips and prepare dishes that they will be able to make at home themselves.
Popular attractions returning to the Mountain State Fair include the Red Trouser Show, Zerbini Circus, Extreme Illusions & Escapes, Leon Jacobs on piano, Agricadabra Magic Show, Comedy Hypnosis, Mooternity Ward, First Bite Fishing, Mythic Creatures, Wild Bill’s Speedway and the Mobile Dairy Classroom.
Food is always a fan favorite at the fair and joining this year’s roster of vendors are Veterans of America Roastery with specialty roasted coffees, Southern Cravings offering nachos, pretzels and more, Sweet Temptations by CoCo serving up bakery treats, Larger Than Lemons specialty fresh squeezed lemonades, and Kershaw’s Kreamery ice cream.
As a reminder, the deadline to enter general competitions and livestock shows is Aug. 28. Exhibitors are encouraged to register their entries early as popular categories can fill up before the deadlines.
The 2026 Mountain State Fair runs Sep. 11-20 at the Western N.C. Ag Center in Fletcher. Discount admission and ride tickets are now on sale at www.wncagcenter.org.
Click here to learn more about the Mountain State Fair.
