Durham Fair — Local services in Durham

Wow is all I can say about this fair. Went Yesterday on a Saturday night Parked at the Strickland lot. It was well organized and the staff was pleasant. Waiting for the bus took about 25 minutes ,not to bad.

The bus ride to get to the fair was a different story,over 45 minutes stuck in traffic on a hot bus. Annoying but doable.

We get in and its just a wall of people EVERYWHERE. The main drag the venders just a hot mess. People waiting for food 15-20 people deep, but the waiting line extends to the main walkway bottle necking everything.

WE went to see Styxs and meet up with some friends and at the hill near the main stage its a cluster. Hundreds and hundreds of people which is fine but there was NO organization on where to sit. I realize its just a grass hill but you couldnt even walk without stepping on someones blanket, foot etc. There had to be 5000 people plus on that hill. It was ridiculous trying to walk around. We saw our friends said hi ,turned around and got out of there. Maybe if ther were striped lines on the hill it would have helped out with the craziness

I've been to many a fair and concerts but never saw anything like this.

I realize it was a Saturday night and a headliner band was playing but there needs to be better organization. And I'm in no way knocking the many volunteers that put this fair together, but this was not an enjoyable event considering we paid $10 to park,$20 each for tickets, got in and walked right out

We were at the Big E the day before mid day and it was apples to oranges...

If you are into overpriced carnival rides, buildings that lack fair crafts and fun, and having to park off site to either take a shuttle or walk 20 mins then this is the fair for you.

Parking - Parking is off site. $5 is a great deal however they use school buses and cannot accommodate many (if any) strollers, wheel chairs or wagons leading you to have to park at a private lot. Starting at $10 up to $30 (2024) will determine how far you will walk to the fair to only have to pay $20 per person just to get in.

Food - overall the food was lacking. All the same over priced fair foods, nothing unique and they lacked flare and flavor.

Barns/Buildings - the buildings were very lame. Again lacking interesting crafts, very minimal animal buildings and nothing to really oo and ahh about.

Layout - the fair is situated on a hill. If you have to push kids around, have trouble walking or are in a wheel chair, you may want to rethink going here strictly for this reason.

Rides - the ride prices are insane. Either you pay $40 for a wristband or $1.50 per ticket with most rides being 4 tickets including kid zone rides for the little ones. $10 for my wife and I to hold out kids on the carousel.

This is no Durham Fair I remember. Everyone steered clear of the Big E this year due to crowds but this fair was no different. Overpriced...

We attended the 2024 Fair and what a great time! It was a good size crowd with lots to do see and taste. The fairgrounds were clean, the "streets" wide enough to accommodate the crowd, the real bathrooms were clean and well managed. The fair was laid out in sections so you could easily find what you wanted to do without getting caught up in other events. The kids rides were seperated from the larger rides. We enjoyed the agricultural exhibits from the Cow Palace full of beautiful cattle, sheep, goats, chickens, bunnies and Llamas. We didn't find the pigs but saw a 2k pound pumpkin. The marketplace had a wide variety of crafts and products to choose from. The games and rides had something for everyone. The entertainment while we did not sit and watch, was plentiful and sounded great. And then there was the food. Wow... so much to choose from. So many interesting food vendors with amazing offerings. The worst part about the food was trying to choose what to eat! The lemonade was yummy!

It really was a spectacular fair experience. While the parking situation kinda stinks... they really do the best they can given the size of the crowd. Shuttle service is provided from the various parking points which smoothes out the rough edges. All in all a great time had by all and we will definitely go back again. Great job...