The Big E — Local services in West Springfield

I have gone every single year since 2002 but 2024 will be my last time and it sounded like everyone we spoke to at the fair said it was there last year too. I understand it’s stressful for the people that work there but they still need to show some respect. We are spending our hard earned money to be there. Took me 1 hour to get there from Connecticut and another 1 hour to drive the 1/2 a mile to park. When I got there I had to use the bathroom so my husband dropped me off at gate 1. I approached Gate 1 at 12:45pm on Sunday 09/22.and tried to pay and they told me my card was declined, I asked them not to use the tap. She told me no. She was extremely rude. Then I got out of line, checked my bank balance, saw I had plenty of money and got back into another line. I asked this other women to run my discover as a debit and she told me no that she couldn’t. I told her I could see the slot for the debit on the card reader and to please do it as debit because I had to use the bathroom. Nope ! Then some jerk sitting next to her in the booth, handed me the decline slip and said to me in a very loud stern voice. “Your card is decline ma'am, get out of line “! I turned and bumped into the woman behind me that was making fun of me for my card getting decline and so was her whole family. I was mortified to tears. I walked down to gate 5 and used my debit card at the entrance where there was just the kiosk and no b*tch in a booth. No issue!!! Just like I said to the 2 women and the jerk guy… please use it as a debit. They embarrass me for no reason at all. I hope they got some satisfaction out of that. I would never treat anyone like that. Then I am walking into where you hand the tickets in at Gate 5 and I am tears because I am so angry and humiliated from what happened at gate 1. The guy would not take the ticket out of my hand. He wanted me to hand it to him. I was juggling 5 things in my hand and clearly upset so why couldn’t he just take the ticket from my hand?!?? Where is the compassion ? Spending all this money and standing in all those lines is not worth it. We are all spending our very hard earned money there, show us a little respect. Zero crowd control when you get into the fair and the “cops” Directing traffic outside have zero clue how to direct traffic. The whole day was one long expensive joke and I am mad I wasted my day off here and I will never be back.

Also for the people in the barns if you don’t want to be there and you don’t want to showcase your animals then don’t go !!! No one is forcing you to showcase your animals it’s your choice to be there… so stop...

We came from Montreal, Canada to attend the Big E fair on Saturday September 28th, 2024. We've been to lots of local fairs but love larger American venues for the whole vibe, food and entertainment. We've gone to the New York State Fair several times in Syracuse, along with the Texas State Fair in Dallas so have an idea of what makes a fun time.

The Big E is a new favorite - I love that it wasn't overwhelmingly large and easy to walk through in a couple hours. We came around opening time 10AM to ensure good parking. We parked in the fair's lot, which was $10 cash only. We noticed other businesses on the main road next to the fair also offered parking, from $15 all the way up to $30, in case you couldn't find a spot. We bought our tickets in advance online, which were $16 otherwise at the gate it was $20. The rides are an extra.

We grabbed a map and just started walking our way through the whole site, there's plenty to see, try and taste. The buildings for each states are a main attraction and these were extremely packed. It wasn't even noon yet and we could feel the crowds just increasing, some parts are hard to walk through. Many lines were forming for food stalls - sadly we did not want to wait for these and the prices are quite high, like most fairs nowadays. Going to the Big E isn't a cheap experience, but it's a beautiful place and ideal to get your steps in, people watch and just be outside.

I really liked that this fair takes place at the end of September so you can usually get good weather, many other state fairs occur when it is just too hot to spend a whole day.

The Big E has plenty of restrooms at almost every corner, lots of seating options and shade - there is greenery and trees which really helps.

I've been to other fairs that seem to have a lot more sponsors handing out goodies and promotional items, I didn't notice much of this at all here. Sometimes it can be fun to get a free tshirt, water bottle, etc, but I didn't see much of this.

If you are in the area, I would think this is a must visit. We made the 5 hour drive and benefited from a whole weekend of other activities in the area, like the MGM hotel and casino.

It was a fun time - there's something for everyone. If you can make it on a weekday, this will probably be even better to...

The cost of admission is normally $12.00, but if you go on the first day of the Big E Fair; you will pay the discounted price of $10.00. The cost of the fair will be higher if you purchase a special discount ticket combo for the fair with rides included. There is also senior and child ticket rates. You can get your hand stamped in case you need to go back in or out of the fairgrounds on that one day. Parking is a separate cost of $10.00 whether you have 1 or 10 people in your vehicle. There is also assigned sections of handicapped parking.

This was my first time attending this fair in Springfield, Massachusetts and I must say that I was impressed with the scope of the fairgrounds and things to see and do! There was live entertainment, such as famous singers/ bands and unknown or local bands that were quite good. You can look on Google to see what band is playing on which day and time schedule. This fair had multiple exhibits ie-horticultural, agricultural, animals which are all free of charge. They had a wonderfully fun to view parade that consisted of Clydesdale Budweiser horses, people on floats, costumed people, school bands, music and much more variety. The people on the floats threw out different colored beaded necklaces to spectators in the crowd. P.S.- This is a great chance to capture colorful and memorable photos. There’s plenty of shopping opportunities from jewelry, clothing, household goods, things for adults or children. The Midway is packed with rides and typical fair games with prizes. Lots of different types of concession stands and types of eateries with a wide choice of food selections. So much to see and do! A worthwhile outing for people of all ages, individuals,...