South Carolina State Fair 2026

South Carolina State Fair 2026 runs Oct 15–25, 2026, in Columbia, South Carolina.

Columbia, South Carolina (South Carolina State Fairgrounds).

Oct 15–25, 2026.

Best categories: rv, towable, trucks-vans. The South Carolina State Fair runs October 15 through 25, 2026 at the state fairgrounds in Columbia. Anyone planning to arrive by RV should read the fair's own camping rule first, because it is strict: only pre-registered exhibitors, in connection with an event on the fairgrounds, may camp overnight there, and the fair states that it is not a campground and does not offer camping to the public. The same registration form handles exhibitor camping for the annual fair, for special events and for Carolina football RV parking, so the grounds' RV spaces serve exhibitors and football weekends rather than fairgoers. A fair trip in a rig therefore splits in two: a campground elsewhere in the Midlands for the nights, and a day visit to the fair itself.

Recommended lead time: 6 weeks. Event windows book up early, so search and lock your dates as soon as your plans firm up.

Only if you are a pre-registered exhibitor. The fair's RV registration form says only exhibitors tied to an event on the grounds may camp overnight, and that the fairgrounds are not a campground and do not offer camping to the public.

Through the RV registration form on the fair's site. After review, the fair confirms the booking, collects payment or emails an invoice, and then sends an assigned space number, an overhead map of the camping area and a gate code.

Do not plan to sleep in a parked rig at the fairgrounds; overnight camping there is limited to registered exhibitors, so settle the night's campsite before you drive to the fair.

If you are showing livestock or exhibiting, register the camper through the fair's RV form early; the fair assigns the space, sends a map and a gate code, and bills you before arrival.