Faulkner County Arkansas Fairgrounds Events
The Faulkner County Fairgrounds sit on East Oak Street on the east side of Conway, about two miles from Interstate 40. Locals mostly just call the place “the Expo.” Once a year, in the second half of September, it becomes the Faulkner County Fair. Between fairs, the same grounds host markets, trade shows, livestock sales, and private events.
This guide covers where the fairgrounds are, how the fair works, how to enter or sell something, and how to rent the buildings.
Faulkner County Fairgrounds Overview
Location and Address
The fairgrounds are at 2505 East Oak Street, Conway, Arkansas 72032. Older printed material and some vendor forms use 2501 East Oak, and the city’s facility page also lists a Expo Boulevard address. If a GPS gets confused, search for the Conway Expo and Event Center and you’ll land in the right place. Conway is the county seat, and the grounds are inside the city limits on the east side.
Who Owns and Runs It
The City of Conway owns the property, and the Conway Parks and Recreation Department manages the buildings and handles rentals. The annual fair is a separate operation. The Faulkner County Fair Association and its board of directors put the fair on, with help from the county Cooperative Extension Service, local FFA advisors, volunteers, and the sheriff’s office. That split matters when you’re trying to reach someone. Rental questions go to the city, and fair questions go to the fair board.
Size and Layout
The city bought roughly 40 acres of the old Doc and Pete Hart farm along East Oak Street in 2008. The fair was first held on the new grounds in 2010, and the event center was finished in 2017. The main buildings are:
- A 40,000-square-foot, column-free expo center
- An attached event center of about 5,500 square feet that divides into as many as six rooms, with built-in audio and video and a catering kitchen
- A 50,000-square-foot pavilion, which the city’s rental schedule has long tied to pens, cages, stalls, and coops
The rental schedule also lists a carnival area and RV sites, so the grounds were laid out with a midway and overnight stays in mind.
Why It Matters Locally
The fair is one of the few that has stayed free to get into, and the board has said it wants to keep it that way. For many Faulkner County families it’s the one week when the 4-H and FFA kids, the church and civic groups, and downtown businesses all land in the same place. The parade through downtown on opening night still pulls people who haven’t been to the fair in years.
Upcoming Events at Faulkner County Fairgrounds
What Happens Here Beyond the Fair
The grounds work year-round as a general-purpose event site. The expo hall hosts trade shows, vendor markets, and community expos. A late-August 2026 vintage market is one recent example. The event center handles meetings, banquets, and conferences. The pavilion is set up for animal events because of its stalls and pens.
I could not confirm a regular schedule of gun shows, rodeos, demolition derbies, or motocross at this site, so don’t assume any are on the calendar. If you want one of those, ask the city whether it’s allowed.
Seasonal Pattern
Late summer through fall is the busy stretch, and the fair is the main event of the year. The county fair was the big, fixed date in recent years. The Little Miss pageant for the 2026 fair, for example, ran the Saturday before fair week and benefited the fair’s scholarship program. Other months fill with whatever markets, expos, and private bookings the city schedules.
Finding the Current Schedule
Go to the fair’s official website or the Faulkner County Fair and Parade Facebook page for fair information. For anything else on the grounds, call the City of Conway Expo and Event Center at 501-327-2532. Dates are usually posted in the spring or summer, so check there rather than relying on a third-party calendar.
Renting the Facilities
The city rents to outside groups. Its fee schedule has had separate categories for the expo building, the pavilion, stall and pen rental, the carnival area, RV sites, and tables and chairs, with lower rates for documented nonprofits. Those published rates date back to 2010 and 2011, so treat any number you see online as old and ask the city for current pricing.
The Faulkner County Fair
Name, History, and Timing
The event is officially the Faulkner County Fair and Parade. It opens on a Tuesday in the second half of September and runs through Saturday. Recent runs:
- 2023: September 19–23
- 2024: September 17–21, with a “Wild Wild West” theme
- 2026: Tuesday, September 22 through Saturday, September 26, with an America 250 theme
I did not find a confirmed 2027 date. Expect another Tuesday-to-Saturday run in the second half of September, and check the fair’s official site in spring.
Visitors exploring Faulkner County Arkansas Fairgrounds Events can also discover local activities through Drew County Arkansas Fairgrounds Events. Exploring both counties allows families and travelers to discover community gatherings, learn about regional heritage, and enjoy seasonal celebrations.
The Parade
Opening day starts with the parade at 5:00 p.m. through downtown Conway. The sheriff’s office publishes the route and road closures every year. The staging area on Caldwell Street closes around 1:00 p.m. and the route closes around 4:00 p.m. The county courthouse has also closed early on parade day, at noon in 2024. If you work or drive downtown that Tuesday, plan around it.
Competitions and Exhibits
The fair is built around the junior and open exhibit departments. Livestock is the biggest piece. The hog show is held on opening day, and kids are in the barns before the parade. Beyond livestock, the fair has run a talent show for ages 5 to 17, a “cutest cowboys” contest, pageants, and the usual exhibit-hall categories. The premium book lists the full class structure each year. It has historically been available through the Faulkner County Extension office and local businesses, and the online registration forms are on the fair’s website.
Midway and Entertainment
The midway opens in the evening on the first day. A traveling carnival supplies the rides, and ride pricing is set by the carnival rather than the fair board, so check the day’s posted prices. The 2026 fair put entertainment on a stage called the Centennial Stage, with dance groups and local acts. Past years have also featured local bands, cloggers, martial arts demonstrations, and cheer teams, mostly drawn from Faulkner County itself.
Food
I could not confirm a specific food stand tradition to point to, so I won’t invent one. Expect the standard midway menu of corn dogs and cotton candy, plus whatever vendors the fair board contracts that year.
Admission and Parking
The fair has long been advertised as a free fair, with no gate charge, and the board has publicly said it wants to keep it that way. In 2013 the only charge was a parking fee, with a share going to the Faulkner County Shriners, who ran the lot. Parking fees and who operates the lot can change from year to year, so confirm before you go.
Facilities and Grounds
Exhibit Buildings
The expo hall is the main exhibit and commercial vendor space. During fair week, commercial exhibitors set up on Monday and Tuesday and the building is open to the public from Tuesday evening through Saturday night.
Livestock Barns and Pavilion
The 50,000-square-foot pavilion is the livestock hub. The city’s rental schedule has included cages, pens, stalls, and coops as separate rental items, which is how outside groups book animal space. For fair entries, stall assignments come through the fair’s livestock entry process, not the city.
Camping and RV
The city’s fee schedule lists RV site rental, so on-site hookups have been offered. Availability, hookup details, and whether sites can be booked during fair week are not something I could confirm. Call the Expo office before planning around it.
Accessibility and On-Site Amenities
I could not confirm ADA parking counts, path surfaces, or restroom details. The newer buildings (the expo hall, event center, and pavilion) were built in the last two decades, which generally means accessible entrances, but call ahead if you have specific needs. The event center has a catering kitchen, and concessions during fair week come from midway and food vendors.
Parking
The Expo describes itself as having ample parking. During fair week, traffic is directed by the Faulkner County Reserve Deputies under a contract with the fair, so follow the attendants.
Vendor and Exhibitor Information
Commercial Vendors
The commercial exhibit application is online through the fair’s exhibitor registration form. The terms for the 2026 fair were:
- Booth rent of $2.50 per square foot, sold in 10 by 10 increments
- Each booth includes an 8-foot back drape, 3-foot side drapes, a 6-foot table, two chairs, and an ID sign
- Additional exhibitor passes at $20 each from the fair office
- Setup on Monday and Tuesday before opening, and exhibit hours of 5:00 to 10:00 p.m. on the first day and 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. through Saturday
- A deadline of August 1 for returning vendors to keep the same or a similar spot
Exhibitors are responsible for their own booth contents and security, and the fair board can ask for a gross sales report. Vehicles on display must have limited fuel and a disconnected positive battery cable under city fire code.
Entering Competitive Exhibits
Youth exhibits go through the 4-H and FFA programs and the fair’s registration forms. For the open and special competitions, such as the talent show, pageants, and cutest cowboys, forms are on the fair website with entry deadlines posted. Pageant entries for 2026 closed the Wednesday before the contest.
Contacts
For vendor and fair board questions, use the contact page on the fair’s official website. For building rentals, call 501-327-2532.
Getting to Faulkner County Fairgrounds
Conway sits about 30 miles northwest of Little Rock along Interstate 40. The grounds are roughly two miles from the interstate. From downtown Conway, take East Oak Street east. From Little Rock, take I-40 west to Conway and follow signs toward the Expo. The route from I-40 depends on which exit you use, so let GPS handle it using the street address.
I found no public shuttle or transit service to the grounds during fair week. Rideshare drivers can use the street address, and the main entrance is the best drop-off point.
4-H and FFA at the Fairgrounds
Extension Office
The Faulkner County Cooperative Extension Service coordinates 4-H and acts as a distribution point for the fair premium book. The office has been at 110 South Amity Road in Conway, and the number listed for it is 501-329-8344. Confirm both before relying on them.
4-H Clubs and FFA Chapters
I could not confirm an exact count of active 4-H clubs. Several county schools have FFA chapters with exhibitors who’ve won at the state level, including Guy-Perkins, Mayflower, and Greenbrier. Mayflower also has a 4-H Show Team.
Junior Premium Auction
The Junior Premium Auction is a highlight of the week. Animals are brought into the fairgrounds and onto the stage, and 50 awards go to top winners. Businesses bid on the animals and the money goes to the young exhibitor. In earlier years the junior livestock auction was held on Friday morning, and in 2026 it was Saturday, so check the current schedule.
Special Events Beyond the Annual Fair
The Expo and Event Center is a city venue, so its calendar varies. Recent examples include a multi-day vintage and handmade market in late August. Nonprofits, school groups, and businesses book the event center for banquets and meetings. I could not confirm regular rodeos, motocross, or gun shows. Check with the Expo office if you’re planning something like that.
History of Faulkner County Fairgrounds
The Original Fair, 1909
The first Faulkner County Fair ran October 4–7, 1909. The Conway Board of Trade organized the Faulkner County Fair Association, which sold stock to pay for fairgrounds on forty acres in the eastern part of town. The grounds had a ten-foot fence, a half-mile horse racing track, an exhibit hall, a grandstand for 1,000 people, and 25 horse stalls. Stockholders got season tickets. Fairs continued until 1915.
The 23-Year Gap and the YBMA
There was no county fair from 1916 until 1938, when the Young Business Men’s Association (YBMA) decided to sponsor a free fair. That is why the fair counts 1938 as its starting point. The 75th anniversary was celebrated in 2013 on that basis. From 1939 to 1942 the fair returned to the old grounds.
Robins Street
In 1946 the YBMA bought 40 acres along Robins Street, at the corner of South German Lane. The fair lived there for decades, and the YBMA ran the city’s youth baseball program on the same property for more than fifty years. The City of Conway acquired the site in 2006, and the old fairgrounds became Conway Station Park, a nine-field youth baseball complex that opened in 2010.
The Move to East Oak Street
The city bought the East Oak Street land in 2008, held the first fair there in 2010, and finished the event center in 2017. The “free fair” tradition came along with the move.
I could not find documentation of attendance records, famous visitors, or cancellations, so I haven’t included any.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the Faulkner County Fair in 2026 and 2027?
The 2026 fair ran Tuesday, September 22 through Saturday, September 26. The 2027 dates were not published when this was written. The fair has opened on a Tuesday in the second half of September in recent years, so watch the fair’s official website and Facebook page for the announcement.
What time does the fair open?
On opening day, livestock activity starts in the morning, the parade is at 5:00 p.m. downtown, and the midway opens that evening. Commercial exhibit hours were 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and 5:00 to 10:00 p.m. on opening day. Midway hours vary, so check the posted schedule.
Is there camping at Faulkner County Fairgrounds?
The city’s rental schedule includes RV site rental, so on-site spaces have been offered. Call 501-327-2532 to confirm availability, hookups, and fair-week policy.
How do I enter livestock in the Faulkner County Fair?
Youth livestock entries run through the 4-H and FFA programs and the fair’s registration process. Get the current premium book from the county Extension office or the fair’s website, and ask your 4-H leader or FFA advisor about entry and weigh-in deadlines.
Are dogs allowed at the fairgrounds?
I could not find a published pet policy for the grounds. Call the Expo office or fair board before bringing a dog, particularly during fair week with livestock on site.
Where do I park?
On-site parking is provided, and during the fair deputies direct traffic. Parking has historically carried a fee, with proceeds going to a local nonprofit, so bring cash just in case.
Who do I contact to rent the fairgrounds?
Call the Conway Expo and Event Center at 501-327-2532. The City of Conway Parks and Recreation Department handles rentals, including the expo hall, event center, pavilion, and RV sites.
How much does it cost to get into the Faulkner County Fair?
The fair has been promoted as a free fair with no gate admission. Parking and midway rides are separate costs, and prices change from year to year.
How do I become a vendor?
Fill out the commercial exhibit application on the fair’s website. In 2026, booths were $2.50 per square foot in 10 by 10 increments, and returning vendors had an August 1 deadline to keep their spot.
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