The New York State Fair is heading into Sunday with momentum after drawing 114,644 people Saturday, the largest single-day crowd at the fair in seven years.
Saturday’s turnout was also a sharp increase from the same day last year, when 88,060 people attended. The last time the fair topped Saturday’s total was in 2019, when 118,239 people attended Day 12. The Day 4 attendance record remains 127,394, set in 2018.
Through four days, the 2026 fair has drawn 314,179 people. Attendance started with 66,898 on Wednesday, followed by 56,511 Thursday and 76,126 Friday before Saturday’s surge.
Sunday brings another packed schedule, with dairy cattle, sports, food demonstrations, animal shows and two major concerts — Air Supply and Flo Rida — among the biggest draws.
Air Supply and Flo Rida headline Sunday
Music will be a major part of Day 5.
Gym Class Heroes opens the headline concert schedule with a 1 p.m. performance at Chevy Court.
Air Supply takes the Chevy Court stage at 6 p.m., while Flo Rida closes out the biggest portion of Sunday’s entertainment with an 8 p.m. performance at Suburban Park.
Beyond the two main stages, music and entertainment run throughout the day at the Empire Theater, Asian Village, Pan-African Village, Grange Building, Funk ’n Waffles and several fairground pubs.
Jon Stetson, billed as “The Mentalist,” performs multiple times at the Empire Theater, while Iroquois social dancing is scheduled at 11 a.m., 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. at the Haudenosaunee Village.
Dairy cattle and agriculture take center stage
Sunday begins early at the Toyota Coliseum with the Holstein Dairy Cattle Open Show running from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The Horticulture Building will host the Outdoor Grown Garden Fruits and Vegetables Show beginning at 10 a.m., while the Daniel Parrish Witter Agricultural Museum will feature basket making, lacemaking, woodworking, weaving, wool spinning and hand-hewn timber demonstrations throughout the day.
Hands-on butter making is scheduled for 2 p.m. at the agricultural museum.
The Poultry Building will also host a Rooster Crowing Contest Jamboree at 11 a.m.
Corgis, stunt dogs, pigs and birds of prey
Some of Sunday’s more unusual attractions are concentrated around the Exposition Center, Central Park and Family Fun Zone.
The Fast and the Furriest Corgi Races are scheduled for 11 a.m., 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. at the Exposition Center.
The Canine Stars Stunt Dog Show will take place at 1:30 p.m., 4:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. at Central Park.
Hollywood Racing Pigs hit the Family Fun Zone at 11:45 a.m., 2:45 p.m. and 5:45 p.m., while the Coronas Family Petting Zoo is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Birds of Prey demonstrations hosted by Hawk Creek Wildlife Center are scheduled for 11 a.m., 2:15 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. at the State Park at the Fair.
Plenty for families throughout the day
The Paul Bunyan Lumberjack Show has performances at 11:30 a.m., 2:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. at Central Park, while Circus Hollywood performs at 12:30 p.m., 3:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. inside the Exposition Center.
Ski Extreme Productions also performs at 11 a.m., 4:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. near the Suburban Park Pond.
The fair’s Stilt Circus will move along Chevy Court at noon, 2:30 p.m. and 4:15 p.m., while Bandaloni, the One Man Band, will appear several times along Restaurant Row.
Sports are a bigger part of Sunday’s schedule
The NY 529 College Savings Sports Activity Center will host a Youth 10 & Under Basketball Tournament throughout the day, beginning at 10 a.m. and continuing with games into the evening.
The tournament continues at 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 p.m., making the sports center one of the busiest continuous venues on the grounds Sunday.
Food demonstrations run from morning into afternoon
The Wegmans Demonstration Kitchen will feature several programs Sunday.
The Flower Collective of CNY will hold cut-flower demonstrations at 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Wegmans Chef Natalee Nassar follows at 2 p.m. with black bean quesadillas and chicken enchiladas.
At 3:30 p.m., 100 Proof People will present a small-bite and mocktail pairing demonstration.
The Creative Arts Center will also post Cookie Day culinary competition results at 2 p.m.
State Police demonstrations offer another full-day option
The New York State Police exhibit has programming throughout Sunday, including rollover simulations, underwater recovery demonstrations, canine and bomb disposal team demonstrations and Special Operations Response Team demonstrations.
The first rollover simulation is scheduled for noon, followed by an underwater recovery demonstration at 12:30 p.m. and a canine and bomb disposal team demonstration at 1:15 p.m.
Additional law enforcement demonstrations continue through 6 p.m.
Saturday crowd dramatically outpaces 2025
Saturday’s attendance stands out even within the context of a strong opening stretch.
Day 1 attendance was 66,898, more than double last year’s 32,736. Thursday dipped slightly below 2025, with 56,511 visitors compared with 58,372 last year. Friday essentially matched last year, with 76,126 visitors compared with 75,726.
Then Saturday changed the trajectory.
The 114,644 people who entered the fairgrounds represented an increase of more than 26,000 compared with Day 4 last year and pushed the four-day total to 314,179.
For comparison, 60,028 people attended Day 5 last year. The record for the fifth day of the fair is 123,206, set in 2017.
With Air Supply, Flo Rida, a full slate of family attractions and another weekend day on the calendar, Sunday will give the fair its next test of whether the strong early attendance can continue.
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