Gates open at 8 a.m. daily and exhibit buildings are open from 10 a.m.-10 p.m. (with the exception of Labor Day – buildings close at 9 p.m.)

Concerts:

• 2012 Grandstand Concert Series
  • Admission to the Fair is included with the advanced purchase of a Grandstand concert ticket on the day of the show
• 2011 Chevy Court FREE concerts
  • Different acts each day at 2 and 8 p.m.
  • All shows at Chevy Court are free with Fair admission.
  • Scroll down to see all of the great FREE musical acts in this year's Fair!

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• Signature State Fair Food:

·         Lots of food deals: $0.25 cup of fresh milk, $1 baked potatoes (Horticulture Bldg.), hot beef sundaes, salt potatoes

·         Deep-fried mac & cheese, mashed potatoes, candy bars, cheesecake, PB&J sandwiches

·         Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, Gianelli sausage sandwiches

·         Big Kahuna Donut Dog

Tickets:

·         General admission is $10 (children under 12 free every day)

·         Advance sale tickets $6 – save 40% – (on sale at a variety of locations throughout New York State, click here for a full list).

o   Can also purchase six-day frequent fair passes (valid for one person) $30, pre-paid parking passes for one day $5

·         The Fair box office is open weekdays 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

• Grandstand tickets can be purchased at the Fair box office or through the new etix system at etix.com 
• Advance sale tickets and Midway FunCards can all be purchased at the Fair box office or at other outlets throughout New York State

Coupon Book:

·         NEW: This year, “Best Bets Bargain Book,” coupon books are available for $4 in advance and $5 during the Fair. The coupon books include a wide variety of deals at the Fair with savings of more than $3,000.

·         Coupons will no longer appear in the free daily insider’s guide.

Special Days:

• Senior Citizen Days: Aug. 27 & 28 (free admission 60 and older)
• Veterans Day: Aug. 30 (free with military ID)
• Student’s Day: Aug. 31 (free admission for students 16 and under)
• Native American Day: Aug. 31 (free admission for Native Americans)
• NEW: College Night: Aug. 31 (college students will receive vendor discounts)
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Midway:

·         The Fair’s midway is one of the largest carnival midways in New York State

·         Open until midnight every night of the Fair

·         During the 2011 Fair, the midway set a new record in terms of revenue grossing in excess of $2.1 million.

·         Unlimited rides for one price: $25 wristbands on six days

• Thurs 8/23, Fri 8/24, Mon 8/27, Tues 8/28, Wed 8/29, Thurs 8/30
• This year we will again offer the Discount Strates Shows Midway FunCard worth $24 for only $14 if you purchase by Aug. 22
• Available at most advance sale locations
• 24 credits per card – each ride requires 2 or more credit.
• A savings of $10 off the regular ride book price.
• The FunCard System replaces traditional ride books and individual tickets with a single electronic, bar coded card that can be used on all of the of the rides at the Midway and Kiddieland.
• NEW: This year, Fairgoers can also buy advance sale midway wristbands and ride tickets online through Aug. 22. There will be a price discount for those purchasing online.
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Free Entertainment:

·         Butter sculpture / Sand sculpture

·         Animal shows, petting zoo

·         Nightly parade at 6 p.m.

·         NEW: Monster truck show

·         NEW: BMX stunt show

·         NEW: Interactive rain forest learning exhibit

·         NEW: Midway Music Series – built around local and up-and-coming bands

·         NEW: Great Lakes Lumberjack Show

Mobile Fair Site:

·         A mobile version of nysfair.org

·         It functions like an app on a smartphone and allows smartphone users to have easy access to the most popular Fair information (concerts, visitor guide, food guide, etc.)

“My Itinerary”:

·         The “My Itinerary” feature allows Fairgoers to plan out their day at the Fair based on age, gender and interests from the website.

·         Itineraries will be able to be saved, sent to a friend or printed.

QR Code:

·         NEW: This year, QR Codes will be placed on agricultural signage around the Fairgrounds allowing Fairgoers to scan the QR Codes and learn more about NYS Fair agriculture.

·         There is a QR Code on the advance sale posters and counter cards at all advance sale ticket locations. The QR Code will also be placed on print ads.

·         If you can scan the QR Code with a smartphone, you can enter into a drawing to win a free, one-day parking pass to the Fair.

·         Those without a smartphone can text “parking” to 24587 to be entered into the free parking drawing.

Interactive Fairgrounds Map:

·         The interactive fairgrounds map on the Fair’s website allows the viewer to zoom in on quadrants of the fairgrounds.

·         They are then able to roll over or click on specific locations (numbered elements on the map) to view more details about that specific location – what exhibits are in that building, what entertainment is located in that area, etc.

Interactive Food Finder:

·         The Food Finder is an interactive listing of just about every food vendor on the fairgrounds during The Fair.

·         It allows the viewer to search for the location of their favorite foods.

Updates:

·         You can sign up for email and text message updates at www.nysfair.org

·         Find The Great New York State Fair on Facebook

·         Follow NYSFair on Twitter

FREE concerts:

Karmin: Aug 23, 2012 • 2:00 PM @Chevy Court
Neon Trees: Aug 23, 2012 • 8:00 PM @Chevy Court

Sawyer Brown: Aug 24, 2012 • 2:00 PM @Chevy Court
Matt Nathanson: Aug 24, 2012 • 8:00 PM @Chevy Court

Bridgit Mendler: Aug 25, 2012 • 2:00 PM @Chevy Court
The J. Geils Band: Aug 25, 2012 • 8:00 PM @Chevy Court

Ronnie Milsap: Aug 26, 2012 • 2:00 PM @Chevy Court
Gary Allan Aug 26, 2012 • 8:00 PM @Chevy Court

The Buddy Rich Band: Aug 27, 2012 • 2:00 PM @Chevy Court
Three Dog Night: Aug 27, 2012 • 8:00 PM @Chevy Court

The Midtown Men: Aug 28, 2012 • 2:00 PM @Chevy Court
Collective Soul: Aug 28, 2012 • 8:00 PM @Chevy Court

Guy Fieri: Aug 29, 2012 • 2:00 PM @Chevy Court
Victoria Justice: Aug 29, 2012 • 8:00 PM @Chevy Court

Mike Posner: Aug 30, 2012 • 2:00 PM @Chevy Court
The Happy Together Tour: Aug 30, 2012 • 8:00 PM @Chevy Court

Christopher Cross: Aug 31, 2012 • 2:00 PM @Chevy Court
The Commodores: Aug 31, 2012 • 8:00 PM @Chevy Court

Eddie Money: Sep 01, 2012 • 2:00 PM @Chevy Court
Theory of a Deadman:  Sep 01, 2012 • 8:00 PM @Chevy Court

Jermaine Paul: Sep 02, 2012 • 2:00 PM @Chevy Court
The Band Perry: Sep 02, 2012 • 8:00 PM @Chevy Court

Candy Coburn with Joanne Shenandoah: Sep 03, 2012 • 2:00 PM @Chevy Court
The Charlie Daniels Band: Sep 03, 2012 • 8:00 PM @Chevy Court