Ohio State Fair 2027

The Ohio State Fair is Ohio's 12-day summer state fair in Columbus, run by the Ohio Expo Center & State Fair. It combines livestock and youth agricultural competitions, fine and creative arts, concerts, Midway rides and commercial vendors, and dates back to 1850.

Ohio State Fair 2027

Ohio State Fair runs July 28–August 8, 2027 in Columbus.

What it is

This is a 12-day public state fair, not a trade show. The organizer calls it "a favorite family tradition since 1850". It combines a Midway of rides, food vendors, free stages, livestock and youth agricultural competitions, horse shows, fine arts and an eight-acre natural resources park with free fishing for kids.

The fair has had its permanent home in Columbus since 1886, at what is now the Ohio Expo Center. The first butter cow and calf appeared at the fair in 1903.

For vendors and exhibitors

• Commercial exhibitors either sell indoors in the air-conditioned MarketPlace building or rent outdoor lineup and center spaces. Food concessions are outdoors.
• To apply, download the rental application and return it with photos of your display to the Concessions & Vendor Relations Department. Exhibitors from the previous year are usually offered a place back. New applicants are judged on how unique their product is, their booth design, their experience and the space available.
• Under the 2026 rules, indoor exhibits had to be staffed from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily, closing at 6 p.m. on the last day. Outdoor exhibits had to be open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. at a minimum.
• Vendors must buy admission for each day they attend the fair. The 2027 exhibits and concessions manual is due in early spring 2027.

Visiting

In 2026, advance-sale admission ran from May 1 through July 28 and cost less than tickets bought at the gate. Three-day and 12-day tickets allow one scan per day. Children five and under got in free, as did veterans, military and first responders with ID.

Parking and ride wristbands are sold separately. Several buildings close early on the last Sunday of the fair.