Erie County Fair

Reading some of these reviews and thinking to myself what?!! I love the fair! I’ve gone here every year since I was young and I go at least 2 – 3 times per year. There’s just so much! It’s practically a day trip.
Let’s start with rides which are a personal favorite of mine. They change every year and there are always new ones which is cool! They also have wristbands and if you bring in top receipts you save money. The ride lines are fast so you don’t have to wait forever and there are so many rides for all ages! Personal favorite is the GIANT Ferris wheel which at the top you can see Lake Erie it’s pretty at sundown.
Then games, I’m not a big game person. I-​got– it is a definite fav to me though. All the games are pretty cheap too.
There are also sooooo many shows throughout the day. Honestly I missed some of the ones I wanted to see because I’m busy with everything else! I always love the dog shows.
There’s still more! Food! Of course who can forget that. As a vegetarian I was worried there wouldn’t be a lot of options but yeah okay. There’s so much! They have so many unique and different foods that’ll make you forget about your diet ;)
They have so many vendors which I love too. Always have to check by the cabin that sells fair apparel. I like the Indian village too.
I’ve never been in the livestock thing too much but I’ve seen some of the bunnies. I love the greyhounds they have every year and the butterfly tent is the best!
I know this is a little after the fair but if you never have gone go! It’s a great day trip or multiple days :)

I really enjoy coming to this fair in the evening hours. It’s great to bring kids and great to try out new foods. The rides aren’t the greatest but not too many people come for those anyway. Most years I make it on the last day, bc I’ve procrastinated on the others. I love the different deals they have to enter in the park. Especially when you can enter in with just a canned good donation and the Channel 2 Days when you can enter for just $ 2. I’ll hopefully be going next summer!

So, the Erie County Fair. It’s one of the largest county fairs in the United States, sprawling out over the Hamburg Fairgrounds, surrounding the racetrack that is there.
You get a decent price for the ticket value. I haven’t been to a county or state fair since I lived in California, where I used to attend a few county and state fairs there. If you like livestock exhibits, weird and probably unhealthy foods, and mostly decent crafts, then this is the place for you.
I give it high marks for the food. Fairs are known for extreme deep fried things, and this one doesn’t disappoint: Deep fried avocado «fries,» deep fried ravioli and pierogi, deep fried tacos and deep fried chicken wing dip: It’s all there. Lee and I tried all of the above and they were pretty great.
The livestock displays were very cool — Erie county has a lot of farming, so that was all on display in the various buildings. You want llamas? They got those. Lots of cows and pigs and bunnies, too. If you have children, this is at least as educational as a trip to the zoo.
The crafts section was somewhat hit and miss. There were some decent things, but there was also a lot of «made in China, delivered to you under the guise of a fair» sort of booths, and those seem to be much more common than when I was a kid. Still, there was a lot to see and a lot to do.
Entertainment wise, we didn’t go for the rides, but if you have kids or teenagers, there’s a lot to do, and they have a bracelet option. Show wise, we missed a bit of stuff, but there was a German busker who was highly entertaining, and kept us amused for most of an hour, even in the scorching sun.
The fair is long closed for 2015, but next summer, if you haven’t given it a shot, go and visit!

Went to the fair today for the first time in probably 15 years. Not much has changed in that time, aside from the prices.
Today was the last day of the fair which may explain why it was so empty. Granted, we came early but I was surprised how there was no lines for rides or anything. We were the ONLY ones on the giant ferris wheel.
I made a mistake, I bought my ride tickets online in advance. They suckered me with the «good deal». It was $ 23 for 40 ride tickets so I bought two books (80 tickets = $ 46). At the fair they were selling 120 ride tickets for $ 50. For our family, we had MORE than enough tickets. Our toddler was only interested in a handful of rides and I can only take the carousel so many times. We had over 40 tickets left when we left. I tried to give them away but I had no takers. I don’t think people understood I was trying to GIVE the ride tickets away. They don’t do the ride tickets old school style now, they have them on a card designed like a gift card.
The food was good, no complaints about fried dough or ice cream. Parking was easy because we got there early. I imagine we’ll go ahead next year but next year we will not go so early (no point going before 11am. Rides and food are not open yet) and next year I will buy nothing in advance. Better deals in person at the fair.

Oh the fair. I think I have a love-​hate relationship with the fair. I love the food. Love the animals. Hate the poop and the smell and the long lines.
To begin, I shall start with the farm area, as that is where I entered. It is expected that this area would smell utterly disgusting, and it did not disappoint! Terrible aromas galore! There was poop all over the ground, so I do hope you aren’t wearing new sneakers or sandals when you walk through, or else it is like tip-​toeing through a minefield (I know this because I was wearing sandals, and my boyfriend was wearing nice sneakers :) lovely!!). We saw the sheep, and gosh there were a lot. Cows too! We were walking through at the end of a cow show, and the cows were being walked back to where they stay overnight. One pooped right in front of us. Interesting sight, to say the least. My favorite part of the farm area was the Moo-​ternity ward, and the mommy pig with all of her new piglets. The piglets were so cute and tiny! I want one! The pregnant cows were HUGE. When standing up, I THINK I saw a calf moving around in the mom’s stomach. That was neat (if it was in fact the calf moving around). They have an option for you to sign up for a text alert when a cow is about to give birth, so that is pretty neat! I wish I could have been present for a live birth. Baby animals are just precious.
Next, the food (awkward transition, sorry). I do not like fried foods, so I know this isn’t the best place to be, but there were still options for me. I had a gyro from one of the Greek stands, as did my boyfriend. It was decent! I wish there had been more feta on it. I love feta. Especially for $ 10! Oh well. I also got chocolate custard with rainbow sprinkles from Nick Charlap’s. Yummy in my tummy (better than the gyro, if I do say so myself).
Next came walking through the rides and side shows. I was with a group of 5, and for some reason we went to see Tiny Tina. I don’t know how the heck that woman sits in that tiny box all day. Props to her. I would be bored out of my mind. After this, we walked through all of the games, but only played the game that could win you fish. After $ 10, 80 ping pong balls, and 5 friends with attempts to win, we finally accomplished winning 2 goldfish! An Erie County Fair miracle! (This actually was the highlight of my night. Donald, my goldfish, is still alive and well 4 days later.)
The group of us did not stay long, as we only came at night to grab something to eat and walk around a little. I would have liked to see other areas as well, but the food and animals are really what I went for, so I was satisfied with my visit.

I can’t quite pinpoint what it is about the fair that I enjoy so much, but I keep returning. You can be 100% certain that you will see the following things:
1. Lots of entertaining people
2. Livestock, baby animals
3. Fried food that you didn’t even know existed
4. Typical carnival games & rides
5. I Got It (My personal favorite)
6. Stands selling very specific items such as belts, belt buckles and goblets
7. Tons of hot tubs and sheds for sale
8. Tractors
9. Copious amounts of alcohol available for purchase, including wine slushies
This year, I really loved Jim’s deep fried beef taco. I wish they sold it throughout the year! There was also a litter of 13 baby piglets this year. They pretty much stole the show. It’s always an interesting time at the fair!

This is my fourth time coming to the Erie County Fair and every year gets better! It is friendly for the whole family to enjoy and large enough to keep you busy all day. My favorite is the lemonade stand, it’s freshly squeezed in a fancy glass. There are 5 animal exhibits. My favorite was watching rescue dogs walking on a tightropes. Love the Erie County Fair! For sure my favorite and can’t wait to see it next year!

Every year the Fair comes and every year I say «I hate the Fair.» I still find myself at the Fair and I always end up having fun! This year was no different!
We started by going into Grapes and Hops, as soon as we walked through the Fair gates. This is a cute bar, that is nicely decorated with lights and water fountains. I ordered a raspberry sangria wine slush and began the people watching!
Next was our food purchases. We stopped at Jim’s and got the deep fried beef taco. This was our favorite throughout the whole day. It was huge and definitely should be split. So delicious! Then we tried the deep fried pierogi’s, filled with potatoes and cheese. We also tried the deep fried garlic mashed potatoes. These weren’t as good as I imagined. Still happy we tried them! We got a bag of cotton candy and kettle corn to take home and a candy apple. Also, a funnel cake on the way out!
We love riding the Ferris wheel! It’s the one ride we do every year. While in line we were taunted by the half woman, half snake. So we had to check her out too. It’s totally worth it, just for the laughs!
Lastly, my favorite part was definitely visiting the Agricenter building! Charlotte the pig had 13 baby piglets. It was the most heartwarming thing I’ve seen. I could have watched the little baby pigs all day! I fell in love with them! As much as I gripe about hating the fair, I had so much fun and am so happy I went. The pigs and snake woman are two perfectly good reasons to go back!

Let me start by saying that I do not like fairs. I was invited to this one and went a little bit begrudgingly. I had a great time! We went on Channel 4 day so parking and admission were only 4 dollars (I love a bargain). The grounds themselves are very clean and have lots of nice rest rooms. There are not port-​o-​potties all over… real restrooms! We enjoyed the delicious fair food… I highly recommend a visit to Chiavetta’s if you’ve never tried it. Our fried dough from Tootsie’s was also delicious. You can purchase a large lemonade from one of the vendors (look for them in the lemon shaped food carts) and then are entitled to 3.50 refills after your first drink.
Some of the rides looked like they had seen better days and I abhor when I see «side show» type attractions at these things, so that’s what’s accounting for the lack of 5 stars. I also found the vendors working the games to be polite and not as pushy to play the games as I’ve experienced at other fairs. Overall, great job Erie County!
Tip: Make sure to go to the fair website before you go and print out the food coupons. They are useful!

Lots of drunk people, hence the nickname the Beery County Fair.
But still, great times to be had by all.
I’ve been to the ECF on 3 occasions… maybe 4 or 5 but the past is a distant memory. It’s a typical but enormous fair, that is too overpriced across the board to earn a 5-​star rating, but too much fun to get less than a 4. My most recent experience here was with about 4 guys who got drunk faster than you can say «let’s eat Cotton Candy.» We had a great time, and I chaperoned them all home.
Speaking of Cotton Candy, did you know that it’s called «Candy Floss» in England. The more you know…
It’s a little out of the way, and all the food stands are simultaneously awful, and extraordinarily overpriced, and for these reasons, it only scores a 4. But it’s still huge and enormous (like your boyfriend) especially by WNY standards, and it’s a hell of a lot of fun if you like fairs and fried foods and sex.
Well I’m not sure about the sex, but certainly there are enough beautiful people wandering around the ECF to inspire lots of good times. Just make sure you bring plenty of money because everything here will cost you a ton.

I finally made it to the Erie County Fair… on the last day! It was a lot of fun and I definitely recommend checking out the Erie County Fair next year.
There were probably 10,000 people here. Lots of food vendors, amusement rides, live animal exhibits and a day of walking around with friends.
Here are some tips:
* Tickets are $ 10, but you can get in for $ 5 if you come before 11am. I actually was lucky to get a ticket for free by some nice folks who were leaving and just handed me a ticket! I’ve done this a number of times myself, so I think I got some of my good karma back.
* It’s easy to spend $ 20+ on junk food, like chocolate covered bacon, fried dough and ginormous fried onions. If you want to experience some of the amusement rides and play some carnival games, budget accordingly. You’ll easily spend $ 50 in one day.
* Parking is $ 5. There’s usually a Chinese/​Pizza place off of McKinley Rd that offers parking and it’s less of a traffic jam to park in there then the official lot and costs the same.
All in all, the fair is a fun time. I had some shark kebabs, chocolate covered bacon and enjoyed quite a bit of the amusement rides. My favorite was the 50 cent bingo! I could sit there and play «toss the ball» bingo for hours! In fact, next time I’ll do just that.

I have only been to the Erie County Fair as an adult (grew up in Chautauqua Co) and usually make a day of it with my parents. Lots to look at, eat, and see.
To save some money: Every day it is only $ 5 to get in for adults before 11am. Usually not too crowded either even on a Friday and you can see everything and be out of there before the evening rush. There are also some days sponsored by the news stations for a discount, or even if you bring a canned food donation. Senior discount of a couple bucks at regular times and kids under 12 free.
For food: Check online or at the Info booths for coupons for many of the food vendors. Can save .50, $ 1, or get extras for a meal. Some other «cheaper» eats include the 4H Café in the 4H building by the side gate. They had burgers, salads, ice cream, and other things for decent prices. There is a food stand at the Native American village also near the side gate which has different basics, but also unique things like Fry bread and the prices were reasonable. Only $ 1 for a can of pop or water, too.
I got to have Pizza Amore wood fired pizza and it was delicious. $ 8 – 9 for a large personal size. Would be enough to split. My mom gets a special garden greek pita by the Butcher Boys every year as she is a vegetarian and they stuff it full of all their salad veggies. My dad got a Philly Cheesesteak and it was only ‘ok’.
Yes, they have booths/​expositions for everything from shoe cleaner to custom made furniture. Interesting to look at. My dad had fun checking out all the shed companies and seeing what he would like for his own house. Easy enough to skip over if you are not interested.
We just walked through the rides for the first time ever and I was surprised how many there were for kids and «bigger» kids, though I am sure it isn’t cheap. If you’d rather do this than Darien Lake for example, it might be worth it with the wristbands.
Got to see the Budweiser Clydesdale (and Dalmatian Mike!), animals, and some good walking in!

A few firsts for me:
Bacon corndog — no idea what this is, but its available at this fair
Deep fried gummy bear — no idea the attraction to this but its available here at the fair
Snow dibs are a thing. I don’t know what, but they were a big seller when I was there
Gaming in Hamburg — I had no idea, but there is. Connected to the fairgrounds.
I came early in the day on a weekday. That’s a good thing. When I was leaving in the afternoon the parking lots were full. Including all disabled spots. They probably need more of those actually.
Going in I got a very useful map. Showed all the areas of the fair. I headed over to the animal areas and saw a large assortment of 4 legged friends from the long legged llamas to the short legged guinea pigs. All sorts of useful information was on display in the barns as well. It was very cool. Lots of families in this area.
Then there was the area with all sorts of rides for the kids. You have to buy tickets for this part and some of those ticket lines were pretty long. But I did not see long lines at the rides. I was a little surprised by the general chaos in this area but it seemed to work and I saw no crying kids (or parents for that matter).
The crafts section is sort of off to the side a little. Its always nice to see how creative people can be. Amazing. I would have preferred them to be a little more centrally located.
Then I went to see the winning quilts and table setting areas. All sorts of contests happen here. The winners, and many non winners, are displayed nicely in a building with AC. Which I was ready for by then. The creativity of locals is really impressive. I enjoyed this part of the fair a lot. It was not at all crowded.
There were some other «crafts» for sale — various places selling signs, some funnier then others. Places to buy a hat, which I imagine may do well on hotter days here. You can buy all sorts of treats for your dog, from leashes to organic food treats. You can get a caricature made. Most of the places will happily hold your purchase until you pass back through as you exit the fair.
There must be a lot of fried dough eaten around Buffalo because everywhere I go there are at least 3 fried dough carts. Often many more. But you could also have had cotton candy. Or various forms of ice-​cream.
There was an attempt at an old fashioned candy place here. The «old fashioned» part fell flat to me. But you walk in a predetermined route through the store, with a bowl in hand and place pieces of candy in your bowl. All pre-​wrapped. Or buy a box of «cigarettes» that are really chewing gum. I did not know they still sold those. I thought they had long ago been deemed a marketing ploy, but they were available here. The candy choices were interesting ones actually. I did not buy anything so cant speak to freshness or flavor.
Then there is a «food aisle» type place. Just option after option with some limited seating in the middle. Also limited shade. Tons of different food options, most seemed to start at the $ 5 price point. Nothing was cheap.
All in all an interesting experience. I can understand why its one of the largest county fairs in the country, and evidently larger than many state fairs. And I understand why attendance is so high. However, this is not a cheap day. You will start by paying for parking — $ 5 for me in one of the fairground lots. Then you will pay to get into the fair — $ 5 for me as I arrived early on a weekday. Some days you can bring a can of food which will also get you a discount. But I think regular tickets are $ 10. So somewhere between $ 10 – 15 and you have not yet gone in. OK. Then you go in and everything costs money except the animal exhibits and the craft exhibits. The rides for kids cost money. The food costs ALOT of money. The butterfly exhibit costs $ 5. I just felt like I was being gouged.
5 stars for clearing «doing something right» to get such high attendance.
5 stars for clearly marked and safe parking.
5 stars for clearly marked «help desks», which were indeed helpful.
4 stars for the animal exhibits, I did not feel they were as well monitored as they could have been. Lots of kiddes sticking fingers into cages, despite signs saying not to. Accident waiting to happen.
1 star for any healthy food option. If there was one, it was not clearly visible.
1 star for the overall pricing of the food once inside.
3 stars for having the animals and other crafts in places so far from the entrance that you have to walk through either the food or the games to get to them. (Maybe there are other entrances, I went in Gate 4, only one open when I arrived.)
3 overall. They could improve the experience by having more fresh healthy food options, more shaded areas, and not gouging you for money at every turn.
Id go back, but only early in the day and Id bring lunch.

Every year I go and say I’m not going back next year cuz its the same old thing year after year. Well, I’ve been going back every year since I was a little kid. It’s part of living in WNY, you just have to do it. This year there was more on the agricultural side, a whole new building and more interactive learning for both kids and adults. If youve never been there, you really should go, it’s kind of a big thing.

2013 State Fair attendance: 854,000.
2013 Erie County Fair attendance: 1,200,000.
Enough said, best fair ever.

Still a fun time but too commercial
Lets focus more on the agrarian roots of this event and less on the midway.

Took the family to the fair, I have 3 kids 5 and under and it was a blast for them! They love all the animals and could have probably spent the whole day looking at the 1000’s of animals on display in the seemingly never ending barn hanger type buildings.
We loved the free shows too! We saw the extreme dog show, the pig races, and the backyard circus. All were good and entertaining, but our favorite surprisingly was the backyard circus. Mostly the circus was our favorite due to every kid gets to be in the show which makes it super. Who doesn’t love seeing their kid on stage?
The carnival food is all super good, but like you would expect is super expensive. I was kinda expecting the high price of food, but it didn’t bother me since most everything is unique and really good. I wish I had known there was a kids food area by the kids rides where everything was only a $ 1. I think it was called the «little buck-​a-​roo».
The thing that made me the most angry is the rip off prices they charge for kid rides, you could pay $ 50 and only go on 4 rides. If you want to do rides go on the discount nights, or take out a small loan.
There is so much to do, we went for 4 hours and probably only saw 25% of the fair. I’d love to go back, but will keep the kids away from the ride area. There is so much that is free that is fun to keep you plenty busy.

BW’s bbq gives a discount for military in uniform. Visit the coast guard booth, it’s sooo exciting. haha, okay, take a brochure at least! Bathrooms were kind of gross, but that’s to be expected. Plenty of rides and food to stuff your face. :D And entertainment and browsing for those who can’t do rides.

The fair has typical fair stuff: various exhibits for different causes, food stands (Chiavetta’s Chicken is our must stop for lunch/​dinner), games, and various shows (cars, horse shows, sea lions etc.).
This is a very expensive day no matter how you spin it. My husband and I went «cheap» and we still ended up spending 40 bucks and we didn’t even do anything besides park, eat, walk around the free exhibits, and eat baby ice creams.
This was our third year and last year going to the fair.
Probably geared more towards families, and young teens.

It’s here! This is happening now.
Concerts, Truck pulls, Animal shows, contests, sales, inventions, history, Rides, food galore!
Parking at gate six is pretty good. It’s a walk where ever you go.
The casino is there but also the NYS Lottery building having special offers for the attendees of the Fair.
The Woodworkers and Conservation buildings are full of Woodcarving and Conservation people letting you know about what is going on in our neck of the woods.
Did you know there is a borer plaguing Ash trees? Did you know there is a wasp you can introduce that will get rid of that borer?
I know now.
There are buildings for Crafts, a building for Children (that building smelled like cabbage) It was sauerkraut day! Antiques, to name a few.
I saw Cows, chickens, pigs, rabbits, horses, and got to hug a llama.
Saw a baby calf that was just born that morning and only 60 pounds!
The Japanese acrobats were incredible and free!
If you are on a limited budget there is still so much you can see and do. Parking $ 3 — $ 5
Go now or wait the long wait till next year!
I might sneak back over there this year! :-)