Six Things That Make the Fair a Classic

1. The Midway

The midway is the fair’s bright, spinning centerpiece, with dozens of rides ranging from family-friendly options to high-speed thrills. The towering Giant Wheel remains its unofficial symbol, offering sweeping views of the midway and surrounding city—especially after dark.

The exact lineup varies from year to year, but longtime favorites have included the Himalaya, Tilt-A-Whirl, Zipper, Wave Swinger, Haunted Mansion, bumper cars, and more. Carnival games complete the experience, from Stump the Guesser and water-gun races to classic tests of aim and strength—and the chance to bring home an oversized stuffed animal.

2. The Food

For many fairgoers, the food isn’t something to grab between attractions. It is the attraction. Funnel cakes remain the undisputed classic, joined by roasted corn, cotton candy, candy apples, sausages, turkey legs, elephant ears, fried Oreos, and enough root beer floats, Cheerwine slushies, and fresh-squeezed lemonade to wash it all down.

Increasingly, those familiar favorites share the midway with global flavors and gloriously excessive mashups. Recent new-food lineups have included deep-fried gimbap, a Dubai chocolate funnel cake, pickle lemonade, and a deep-fried smashburger topped with peach-jalapeño preserves and powdered sugar. Look for this year’s new creations on the fair’s Food page.

Also worth seeking out are the fair’s 14 permanent community food booths, operated by local churches and civic groups. This is the place to find some of the fair’s most affordable—and distinctly local—meals, including chicken pie, country ham, barbecue, pintos and cornbread, and homemade desserts.

3. Entertainment Around Every Corner

You don’t have to enter the grandstand to find a show. Entertainment unfolds throughout the grounds, often when you least expect it. The Show-Me Swine Racing Pigs are perennial crowd-pleasers, sending pint-sized competitors around the track in pursuit of a treat.

This year’s free, fan-favorite shows also include the Agricadabra magic show, Aim High Canines, the Amazing Bubble Factory, and MythiCreatures. Add chainsaw carving, roaming performers, live music, and a nine-foot juggler named Sky High Skyler, and a walk across the fairgrounds can quickly become its own variety show.

4. Exhibits & Animals

Despite all the flashing lights, the Carolina Classic Fair remains an agricultural fair at heart. Livestock barns and shows bring visitors close to cows, goats, pigs, chickens, rabbits, and other farm animals. The petting zoo offers a more hands-on mix: Alongside familiar favorites like goats, sheep, and donkeys, visitors may encounter hedgehogs, kangaroos, porcupines, blue-tongued skinks, and a towering dromedary camel you can feed by hand.

Inside the exhibit buildings, thousands of competitive entries showcase produce, flowers, photography, quilts, crafts, baked goods, canned goods, and artwork by local students. Visitors can also watch artists transform blocks of butter into the fair’s annual butter sculpture—a wonderfully strange tradition that makes perfect sense once you’re there.

5. The Unexpected Extras

Even seasoned fairgoers can miss a few experiences tucked beyond the obvious attractions.

One of the biggest surprises waits inside the Fairgrounds Arena, where the renovated ice rink is open for skating every day of the fair until 9 p.m. Skate rentals and push helpers cost $5 each, while learn-to-skate lessons are free. Another often-overlooked bonus is American Legion bingo in the Home & Garden Building, where visitors can play for prizes.

While the main midway delivers the biggest thrills, younger children have a ride area all their own. Kiddie Land features gentler rides and attractions—including a classic carousel—making it easier for families to find options geared toward little ones.

Adults have a few places to slow down, too. The Busch Beer Garden offers a laid-back spot to grab a drink, catch televised sports, and enjoy DJs and other entertainment, while Yesterday Village hosts free wine tastings from participating Yadkin Valley wineries. It all adds up to a fair that contains considerably more than rides and fried food.

6. Yesterday Village

Yesterday Village is one of the fair’s most distinctive attractions—and one worth slowing down to explore. It’s a quieter corner of the fair, but that is part of its charm.

The village features 19 restored log structures built in the 1800s, including a one-room church, general store and post office, tobacco barn, museum, and two-story log home. Along the way, traditional artisans demonstrate blacksmithing, glassblowing, pottery, tinsmithing, weaving, leatherworking, woodturning, and other heritage crafts. Bluegrass music and string lights add to the old-time atmosphere, while giant homemade éclairs, free wine samples, R&R old-fashioned ice cream, and other sweet touches provide plenty of reasons to linger.

What’s New for 2026?

► America 250 highlights: This year’s “Red White and Moo” theme puts an agricultural spin on America’s 250th birthday. The celebration includes the Freedom 250 Truck, an interactive traveling exhibit exploring how the 13 colonies secured American sovereignty. A veterans’ wall and patriotic touches throughout the fairgrounds continue the theme.

►Free early bird admission: The fair is introducing free gate admission before 1 p.m. Monday through Friday. That makes an early weekday visit one of the best options for families, budget-minded visitors, and anyone hoping to explore before the evening crowds arrive.

► A hot dog legend: Competitive-eating legend Joey Chestnut, an 18-time Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest champion, will appear at the fair’s Hot Dog Eating Contest at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 8. Chestnut will host a limited-capacity meet-and-greet beforehand but will not compete in the contest—which gives the other contestants at least some hope.

►Grandstand headliners: The grandstand schedule includes two especially notable nights of music: Grammy-winning country act The Band Perry on Oct. 6 and contemporary Christian chart-toppers We Are Messengers on Oct. 7. Like all scheduled fair entertainment, both concerts are included with general admission. View the full grandstand schedule.

► New attractions: The grandstand isn’t the only place to catch a good show. A variety of shows and entertainment acts unfold throughout the fairgrounds, and all are free to watch. Among this year’s notable additions is World of Wonder (below), featuring vintage midway sideshow exhibits, unusual animals, sword swallowers, and fire eaters. You can also catch Twiggy the Water-Skiing Squirrel, a fan-favorite novelty act appearing Oct. 2–6. Fairgoers can also explore the grounds through a nine-stop scavenger hunt. Pick up a stamp card at the clock tower booth, collect all nine stamps, and turn in the completed card at the souvenir stand to receive a scratch-off prize.

Stay Updated + Stay the Weekend 

Before you go, visit CarolinaClassicFair.com for updated ride information, entertainment schedules, maps, food announcements, and special programming—including sensory-friendly experiences. Check the fair’s tickets and promotions page to find the best admission offer for your visit.

Make it a weekend: Also consider making a weekend of your fair adventure and exploring more of the surrounding city. Check out our Places to Stay to book your overnight stay in Winston-Salem.