North Carolina State Fair 2026

North Carolina State Fair 2026 runs Oct 15–25, 2026, in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Raleigh, North Carolina (N.C. State Fairgrounds).

Oct 15–25, 2026.

Best categories: rv, towable, trucks-vans. The N.C. State Fair runs October 15 through 25, 2026 on the state fairgrounds in Raleigh, where the N.C. Department of Agriculture pairs the old competitions with new additions each year, this time including a Ferris wheel for the America 250 celebration. The RV fact that catches people is the calendar of the fairgrounds' own campground. It sits right beside I-40 with full-hookup sites and stays open year-round, except in October, when it closes to the public for the fair. So a fair trip needs a base elsewhere in the Triangle. Jordan Lake State Recreation Area near Apex runs a year-round campground with water and electric sites, booked through North Carolina State Parks, and discounted advance tickets for the fair sell online through October 15.

Recommended lead time: 8 weeks. Event windows book up early, so search and lock your dates as soon as your plans firm up.

No. The fairgrounds campground is open year-round with full-hookup sites, but it closes to the public for the month of October for the N.C. State Fair, according to the N.C. Department of Agriculture. Reservations for the rest of the year open 180 days out.

Look outside the fairgrounds. Jordan Lake State Recreation Area near Apex has a year-round campground with water and electric sites, reserved through North Carolina State Parks; check its posted length limit for your rig.

Fair traffic backs up around the fairgrounds on weekends; plan to park the rig well away from the gates, and keep a meeting point for kids on the busiest nights.

Buy admission online before October 16: the fair's discounted advance prices run through October 15, and gate prices apply from the 16th.