Kent County Delaware Fairgrounds Events

If you’re searching for the Kent County fairgrounds in Delaware, you’re really looking for the Delaware State Fairgrounds in Harrington. Kent County doesn’t hold its own separate county fair. The state fair is the big summer event for Kent residents, and the same grounds host 4-H shows, trade shows, concerts, and private events the rest of the year.

The next fair is July 22 through July 31, 2027. The fair announced those dates right after the 2026 fair wrapped up, and it said 2026 was its most-attended year, with more than 330,000 people coming through the gates.

Overview of the Kent County Fairgrounds

Where the grounds are

The fairgrounds sit at 18500 S. DuPont Highway in Harrington, DE 19952. Harrington is in the southern part of Kent County, and DuPont Highway is U.S. Route 13, the main north-south road through central Delaware. Dover, the county seat, is about half an hour north. The beaches are roughly 45 minutes south and east.

Size and layout

The fair describes the grounds as more than 270 acres, and other references put the total above 300 acres. Either way, it’s a lot of ground. The property holds exhibition halls, livestock barns, an arena, a grandstand, a midway lot, a camping area, and Harrington Raceway & Casino, which shares the property. Barns carry the names of counties. The Kent Barn and New Castle Barn come up constantly in 4-H and livestock conversations, and Sussex has a building as well.

Who runs it

The fair is run as a volunteer-supported nonprofit that preserves the region’s agricultural heritage through exhibits, competitions, and demonstrations. It grew out of the Kent and Sussex County Fair, which was incorporated in January 1920. That’s why the grounds feel like Kent and Sussex property even though the name changed decades ago.

Why it matters locally

For a lot of Kent County families, July means fair week. Kids spend months raising animals for it. Churches, civic groups, and Farm Bureau chapters plan around it. Local businesses show up at the junior livestock auction to buy animals from kids they’ve watched grow up in 4-H. The fair is the social and agricultural calendar’s anchor for the county.

Upcoming Events at the Kent County Fairgrounds

The big one: Delaware State Fair 2027

Fair dates: July 22 – July 31, 2027. It’s a ten-day run at the end of July, which is nearly always the hottest stretch of the summer. Bring water, and plan your walking around the shade.

Events beyond fair week

The fairgrounds describe themselves as a year-round venue, and the schedule backs that up. Weddings, trade shows, livestock shows, motocross camps, and car shows all use the property. One date already on the calendar is the Frantic Mid Atlantic Guitar Show and Swap Meet, April 9–11, 2027, held in Memorial Hall on the grounds.

Seasonal pattern

• Spring: 4-H and FFA livestock shows, plus trade shows and swap meets in the indoor buildings.
• Early summer: livestock judging contests, horse shows, and 4-H qualifiers in the lead-up to the fair.
• Late July: the Delaware State Fair.
• Fall and winter: indoor shows, private rentals, and the occasional concert or expo.

How to find the current schedule

The fair’s official website is the authoritative source for dates, concert lineups, and ticket sales. Fairground events outside fair week are also listed on the central Delaware tourism calendar. For fair-office questions, the main number is 302-398-3269. For anything involving 4-H livestock shows, the Kent County Cooperative Extension office in Dover handles the schedule, and its number is 302-730-4000.

Renting space

The fairgrounds rent facilities to outside groups, and two buildings handle most of it:

• Exhibit Hall: about 10,000 square feet, with heating and air conditioning, restrooms, meeting rooms, catering space, and ADA access. It has hosted wedding receptions, proms, trade shows, and livestock seminars.
• Dover Building: 15,000 square feet, seating up to 2,000, with five large overhead door entries, restrooms, lighting, and ADA access. It’s popular for banquets, trade shows, and job fairs.

Both are within walking distance of the raceway and casino. The fair also advertises free parking, full-service concessions and catering, and on-site labor and equipment for renters.

The County Fair Itself: The Delaware State Fair

Hours, based on the 2026 schedule

The 2027 schedule hasn’t been published, so use 2026 as a guide. Opening day started at noon, and every other day the gates opened at 9 a.m. The carnival opened at 5 p.m. on opening day and 1 p.m. the rest of the week. Gates closed at 11 p.m. Sunday through Friday and midnight on Saturdays. The fair warns that hours can change with weather and crowd size.

Competitions

The fair runs competitive exhibits and livestock shows across a long list of departments. Dairy cattle, beef, sheep, goats, swine, horses, and poultry all have show schedules, and each department has its own premium book with entry rules. Delaware exhibitors get priority in the dairy department, and out-of-state animals are taken only as stall space allows.

Carnival and midway

Wade Shows runs the carnival. In 2026 an unlimited-ride wristband was $27 if bought in advance and $42 during the fair. The fair also ran a Monday special with $2 rides and $4 select food and games. Wristbands cover rides only, not gate admission.

Entertainment

The fair puts on a different headline show most nights through its Delaware Lottery Summer Concert Series, and the demolition derby is a grandstand tradition. The 2026 lineup included “Weird Al” Yankovic, Bailey Zimmerman, For King & Country, Hudson Westbrook, and Men at Work with Toad the Wet Sprocket and Shonen Knife. The derby ran on Friday, July 24. Past performers include Rick Springfield, Ludacris, Riley Green, CeCe Winans, and Gin Blossoms. The 2027 concert lineup is typically announced in the fall and winter, with tickets going on sale before the new year.

Admission and discounts

Children 5 and under get in free. Groups of 20 or more save $2 per adult ticket, and a five-day adult gate pass saves money for repeat visitors. In 2026 the fair ran themed days: Food Lion Hunger Relief Day (five non-perishable items for a free gate admission), Kids’ Day (12 and under free), Armed Forces Day (free for active and retired military with ID), and two Senior’s Days (60+ free). Expect something similar in 2027, but confirm before you go.

Parking is free. The fair also sells VIP parking for a shorter walk to the main gate.

Rules to know before you go

• All patrons, vendors, exhibitors, and employees pass through walk-through metal detectors at the Main Gate, Gate 2, Gate 3, and Gate 7.
• After 5 p.m., unattended youths are denied entry. One adult may bring no more than four guests under 16.

Food

The fair’s own materials point visitors to Harrington’s diners and Main Street antiques for the rest of the trip. Rudy’s Diner is a 24-hour spot, and the Stargate Diner (now Derby’s) sits on DuPont Highway near the fairgrounds. Inside the fair, expect the standard midway food plus local civic groups running stands. Confirm the 2027 vendor lineup closer to the fair.

Fairgrounds across Delaware bring communities together through agricultural exhibitions, livestock shows, seasonal festivals, vendor opportunities, and family-friendly activities. Visitors exploring Kent County Delaware Fairgrounds Events can discover local traditions, community gatherings, and upcoming celebrations while also learning about Windham County Connecticut Fairgrounds Events, where agricultural heritage and rural festivities provide memorable experiences for visitors of all ages.

Facilities and Grounds

Buildings and barns

• Kent Barn and New Castle Barn: livestock buildings that double as the junior livestock auction site.
• Schabinger Building: hosts county 4-H livestock shows in spring.
• 4-H/FFA Building: the junior fair headquarters, including the auction office.
• Exhibit Hall and Dover Building: the two main rental buildings described above.
• Memorial Hall: used for shows like the guitar swap meet.
• Quillen Arena and the M&T Bank Grandstand: the arena and grandstand venues for concerts, derbies, and other big-crowd events. The promoter materials describe the grandstand setup as built for large-scale events.

Camping and RV

The fair has more than 300 camping spaces with water and electric hookups. Camping is no longer limited to livestock exhibitors, but exhibitors get first priority on new contracts. Applications for new campers open each year on January 15. The first round of contracts is awarded around April 1, and remaining spaces are filled on a rolling basis after that. Applying does not guarantee a space, and you have to be able to bring your camper at your assigned date and time.

Accessibility

Wheelchairs, scooters, strollers, and rollators can be rented daily inside the Main Gate starting at 11 a.m. A handicap parking lot is a short walk from the Main Gate, and if it’s full, an ADA drop-off area is next to the Main Gate. Both rental buildings list ADA access.

On-site amenities

Multiple ATMs are on the grounds, with a handful at the Main Gate. Harrington Raceway & Casino, which sits on the grounds, has restaurants and live music.

Vendor and Exhibitor Information

Competitive exhibits and livestock

Livestock exhibitors enter online and follow the department premium books, which spell out entry deadlines, health requirements, and show rules. Entries generally close in early summer, well before fair week, and some group classes have their own earlier cutoffs. 4-H members enroll through the Kent County Extension office first, and the office coordinates county-level shows and judging contests that lead into the fair.

Commercial vendors

The fair office handles vendor applications. The fair doesn’t publish a single vendor booth price list in the public materials found for this article, so call the office before budgeting.

Contacts

• Fair office: 302-398-3269
• Kent County Extension (4-H): 302-730-4000, Dover

Getting to the Kent County Fairgrounds

From Dover, take U.S. Route 13 (DuPont Highway) south. Harrington is about 30 minutes away, and the fairgrounds are on the highway at 18500 S. DuPont Highway. From the beaches, you’re roughly 45 minutes out. Parking is free and plentiful, and a designated ADA drop-off sits next to the Main Gate.

The published materials don’t describe a public shuttle or transit service to the fair, so plan on driving. Rideshare drivers can use the ADA drop-off area, but expect heavy traffic on Route 13 at peak hours, especially on concert nights.

4-H and FFA at the Fairgrounds

What the Extension office does

Kent County 4-H is run through the University of Delaware Cooperative Extension office in Dover. The office coordinates spring livestock shows, judging contests, and horse shows, and it handles fair entries for Kent County members.

County livestock show

The Kent County 4-H Livestock Show is held each spring at the Schabinger Building. In 2025 it ran on May 18, entries cost $10 per head, and exhibitors had to be enrolled in Delaware 4-H by March 1. FFA members in good standing could also enter, limited to two animals total. Delaware 4-H members can bring up to two market animals per species. Market animal tagging for the state fair happens at the show.

Junior Livestock Auction

The Delaware 4-H Foundation hosts the junior livestock auction, held on a Thursday evening of fair week, historically at 6:30 p.m. in the Kent Barn. Top-placing beef, goat, lamb, and swine animals are sold, and more than 350 exhibitors take part. Buyers register on site or online. Businesses, Farm Bureau chapters, and community members bid, and some buyers donate the animal back to the 4-H or FFA foundation or have it processed.

Proceeds go to the young exhibitors. The money often helps pay for college, trade school, future livestock projects, and other agricultural costs. The day after the auction, juniors whose animals were donated back to the foundation can buy them back during a morning window at the 4-H/FFA Building. Animals not repurchased may be sold to the public through sealed bids.

Special Events Beyond the Annual Fair

• Swap meets and shows: the Frantic Mid Atlantic Guitar Show and Swap Meet returns April 9–11, 2027.
• Livestock and horse shows: the county 4-H livestock show, 4-H judging contests, and the Kent County Horse Show have all used the grounds.
• Motocross camps and car shows: the fair lists both among the events it hosts.
• Concerts: touring artists have played the grounds outside fair week, and listings regularly show additional dates.
• Trade shows and job fairs: the Dover Building is built for them.

History of the Fairgrounds

The idea for the fair reportedly started around a potbelly stove in the Harrington railroad station in 1919. As more people showed up to talk it over, the group moved to the fire hall and formed the Kent and Sussex County Fair, incorporated in January 1920. On February 17, 1920, the association bought 30 acres for $6,000 and laid out the track and grandstand.

The first fair opened on July 27, 1920, and ran four days. Adult admission was 50 cents, children’s was 25 cents, and parking cost 25 cents a car. Harness racing and a motorcycle race drew the crowds, and the first year ended with a net profit of $43.90.

The fair paused during World War II and has run again since 1946. It took the Delaware State Fair name in 1962. Attendance has grown from a four-day local event to well over 300,000 visitors.

In 2020, the pandemic changed the fair but did not cancel it. Organizers called off the concert series and several other events, ran the livestock shows on a revised schedule, and held the first virtual junior livestock auction so exhibitors could still sell their animals. The fair also let ticket buyers convert some or all of their purchase into a donation supporting junior exhibitors.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is the Kent County Fair in 2027?

The Delaware State Fair, held at the Kent County fairgrounds in Harrington, runs July 22 through July 31, 2027.

What time does the fairground open?

In 2026, gates opened at noon on opening day and 9 a.m. on every other day, with the carnival opening in the afternoon. Hours for 2027 haven’t been published, so check the fair’s website closer to July.

Is there camping at the fairgrounds?

Yes. The fair has more than 300 sites with water and electric hookups. New camper applications open January 15, and the first contracts are awarded around April 1. Livestock exhibitors get first priority.

How do I enter livestock?

Enter online by the deadline in the department’s premium book. 4-H members should contact the Kent County Extension office in Dover at 302-730-4000, and FFA members can go through their chapter advisor. Dairy entries from Delaware get priority over out-of-state animals.

Are dogs allowed at the fairgrounds?

Pet policies are published by the fair ahead of each year’s event, so confirm before bringing a dog. Livestock areas also have their own animal health rules.

Where do I park?

Parking is free at the fairgrounds. The fair sells VIP parking for a shorter walk to the main gate, and a handicap lot and ADA drop-off are next to the Main Gate.

Who do I contact to rent the fairgrounds?

Call the fair office at 302-398-3269. The Exhibit Hall (about 10,000 square feet) and the Dover Building (15,000 square feet, seating up to 2,000) are the main rental buildings.

How much does it cost to get into the fair?

Children 5 and under are free. In 2026 the fair offered a five-day adult pass, $2-off group tickets for groups of 20 or more, and free-admission days for kids 12 and under, seniors 60 and over, and active and retired military. The 2027 gate price will be posted ahead of the fair. Carnival wristbands, concerts, and VIP parking cost extra.

Is there a metal detector at the entrance?

Yes. All visitors are screened at the Main Gate, Gate 2, Gate 3, and Gate 7.