Navajo County Arizona Fairgrounds Events – County Fairgrounds Events

The Navajo County Fairgrounds sit on East Hopi Drive in Holbrook, the county seat. Holbrook is a Route 66 and Interstate 40 town with a rail line running through it, and for one week every September the fairgrounds become the busiest place in northeastern Arizona. The 95th Navajo County Fair and Rodeo ran September 16 through 19, 2026. The grounds also host horse shows, derbies, private rentals, and long-term stall and RV use the rest of the year.

This guide covers what happens at the fairgrounds, how to get in, how to enter or sell something, and what to check before you drive out. Where something couldn’t be confirmed from current sources, it’s marked so you can call the fair office first.

Overview of Navajo County Fairgrounds

Location and address

The fairgrounds are at 404 E. Hopi Drive, Holbrook, AZ 86025, on the east side of town. Holbrook sits at about 5,000 feet, so September days are warm, nights are cool, and monsoon storms can still roll in during fair week. Local weather notes the week before the 2026 fair were already warning about storms.

Size and layout

The fair’s own facilities page puts the grounds at 80 acres. It lists several buildings, a stage, two arenas, overnight horse stalls, stock pens, and camper hook-ups, plus monthly stalls and pens for rent. The named spaces are:

Open Class Building: the main exhibit space for pies, quilts, photography and similar entries.
Martinez Hall: an indoor hall that has hosted events such as movie nights during horse shows.
A cantina: rentable for food and alcohol service.
A stage with small dressing rooms and bleachers.
Two arenas: a main rodeo arena and a smaller one. The 4-H horse show packets describe running events in both at the same time.
North and south parking lots.

I couldn’t find a published grandstand seating capacity, so I’m not going to guess one.

Who runs it

The fair is produced by Navajo County Fair, Inc., an incorporated organization in Holbrook. The fair’s own materials acknowledge the partnership with Navajo County and the City of Holbrook. Its Board of Directors has historically met the first Wednesday of each month, and all outside events have to be approved by that board. The fair office phone is (928) 524-4757, and the mailing address is P.O. Box 309, Holbrook, AZ 86025.

How long it has been running

The fair counts its age from 1931, which is why 2026 was number 95. Early history is told two ways:

Local history puts the first fair in Taylor in 1926, as a two-day event with rodeo in front of a grandstand.
An older newspaper account says the first county fair was in the Snowflake-Taylor area, when the county fair belonged to the southern part of the county.

Both agree on the main point. County supervisors moved the fair to Holbrook in the early 1930s because it was the county seat and centrally located. The grounds were built as a permanent home for the fair and other events.

Why it matters locally

Navajo County is large and spread out. Holbrook, Winslow, Show Low, Snowflake, Taylor, and the Hopi and Navajo communities are all far apart. The fairgrounds are one of the few places that pulls ranch families, 4-H kids, rodeo contestants, and townspeople into the same place for four days. For many families it’s also the one week they see relatives from the other end of the county.

Upcoming Events at Navajo County Fairgrounds

The next fair

The 2027 dates haven’t been published. The fair has recently run the second or third week of September:

2019: September 11 to 14
2024: September 11 to 14
2025: September 10 to 13 (the 94th)
2026: September 16 to 19 (the 95th), with a free-admission Sunday added on September 20, according to a local fair-week guide

Expect the 96th to land in mid-September 2027. The fair’s official website is where dates, ticket sales, and the fair book go up, and the Navajo County Fair & Rodeo Facebook page posts updates. Searching the fair’s name will find both. One caution: an older version of the fair website, frozen around 2019, still shows up in search results with outdated dates and rental pricing.

Events through the year

The fairgrounds aren’t dormant outside September. Documented uses include:

Demolition derby and burnout contest: one was listed for May 29, 2026, separate from the fair-week derby.
Arizona State 4-H Horse Show: held at the fairgrounds in 2022 and 2023, with RV and horse-trailer parking booked directly through the fairgrounds office.
Gymkhanas and roping: the rental schedule includes gymkhana and roping chute fees.
Community and private events: Martinez Hall has hosted City of Holbrook library programming.

I didn’t find verified recurring gun shows, swap meets, or motocross events on the grounds. If you want to host or find one, ask the fair office.

Visitors interested in Navajo County Arizona Fairgrounds Events can also explore seasonal celebrations through Mohave County Arizona Fairgrounds Events. Both counties provide opportunities to discover local heritage, enjoy community gatherings, and explore activities that bring residents and visitors together across Arizona.

Renting the facilities

The grounds are open to public rental, but every event must be pre-approved by the fair board. You’ll need proof of $1 million in general liability insurance naming Navajo County Fair & Rodeo as an additional insured, due at least two weeks before the event.

The fair’s published rates, last updated in 2015, were:

Open Class Building: $250 a day, plus a $100 cleaning deposit
Martinez Hall: $400 a day with sound system, plus a $150 deposit
Stage: $50 a day
Arena: $400 for a day, $600 for a night (lights included), $800 for day and night, with bucking and roping chutes at $200 each
Parking lots: $50 a day each
Overnight stalls: $10 a night per head
Monthly stalls: $50 per animal or stall

Verify before budgeting. Those numbers are about eleven years old. Call (928) 524-4757 for current rates.

The County Fair Itself

Name and timing

The event is the Navajo County Fair & Rodeo. Its tagline for years has been “It’s an American Tradition.” The 2026 theme was “Honoring our Past and Shaping our Future.”

The 2026 schedule (a good model for 2027)

The 2026 format was typical of recent years:

Wednesday: gates opened at 4 p.m., with opening ceremonies at 5:30 p.m. and the carnival that evening.
Thursday: junior livestock shows, the Western Express Railroad kiddie train from 10:30 a.m., the demolition derby at 7 p.m. (derby gates at 5), and an 80s throwback concert by The Spazmatics at 9:30 p.m.
Friday: team roping slack in the morning, the Junior Livestock Auction at 1 p.m., rodeo night one at 7 p.m., and a Tyler Halverson concert afterward.
Saturday: a fair 5K, 10K, and 2-mile run or walk at 6 a.m., the Little Buckaroo Rodeo at noon, a pie-eating contest at 2 p.m., rodeo night two at 7 p.m., and a closing concert by Southall.
Sunday: free admission, with the carnival open 1 to 4 p.m.

Fair hours listed by organizers were Wednesday 4 to 10 p.m., Thursday 10 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to midnight.

The rodeo

The rodeo is sanctioned by the Grand Canyon Professional Rodeo Association, and the 2026 event was promoted as an American Rodeo qualifier. The Little Buckaroo Rodeo for small kids runs Saturday. Team roping slack and rodeo slack run in the mornings, which is when serious rodeo people show up.

Competitions and exhibits

The fair book organizes entries into lettered departments, which is more than most small county fairs offer:

Agriculture
Floriculture
Fine Arts
Photography
Native American Crafts & Food
Baked Goods
Food Preservation
Needlework & Sewing
Hobbies
Groups
Fun for Everyone
STEM/STEAM
School Fair Entries
Tiny Tots
Open Livestock
Small Stock
Junior Livestock
Horse Achievement
Open Pee Wee Horse
4-H/FFA Only
4-H Livestock

The Native American Crafts & Food department is a reminder of who lives in this county. The Hopi, Navajo, and Apache communities are part of the fair, and that shows in the exhibit halls.

Carnival and midway

Frazier Shows of America supplied the carnival in 2019 and appeared in local fair coverage in 2024. I couldn’t confirm the 2026 operator by name, so check. For 2026, unlimited-ride wristbands were sold only Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday, at $27 in advance or $30 at the fair. Friday and Saturday were ticket-only, at $1 each, 20 for $20, 40 for $35, or 100 for $75.

Food, entertainment, and extras

Organizer listings count about 16 food booths. The 2026 week also included a petting zoo, a reptile exhibit, the miniature train, and three evening concerts. Concerts are included with a fair ticket, so the music costs nothing extra. Past fairs have also run a Jr. Miss Pageant, and the 2026 lineup included a mini excavator and skid steer competition.

Admission (2026 prices)

General admission, ages 6 and up: $10 at the gate. Presale tickets ran about $8 in 2025.
Children under 6: free, including for rodeo and derby.
Thursday until 4 p.m.: seniors $5, school groups free, and veterans and active-duty military free.
Demolition derby and rodeo nights: $15 each, on top of fair admission.
Little Buckaroo Rodeo: $5.
Sunday: free in 2026.

Prices have held fairly steady over the last two years, but 2027 could change them.

Facilities and Grounds

Barns, pens, and stalls

The grounds have overnight horse stalls, stock pens, and monthly stalls for local horse owners. Livestock is checked in the Tuesday before fair week, and in past years animals weren’t allowed onto the grounds after 8 p.m.

Camping and RV

Camper hook-ups with water and electric are available. A 2026 camping listing counted 46 gravel sites with 30 and 50 amp service and a dump station, and a reported nightly rate of about $40 as of March 2026. That is well above the $25 on the fair’s old rate sheet, so call for the current number. Reviewers describe the sites as rustic and flat, at the far end of the grounds, with two shared water spigots and frequent train noise. The online reservation system was reported unreliable, so phoning the fair office is the safer route. Holbrook also has commercial RV parks if the fairgrounds are full during fair week.

Accessibility, parking, and amenities

I couldn’t find published details on ADA parking, paved pathways, first aid stations, or ATMs. The fair lists north and south parking lots. If accessibility matters for your visit, call ahead and ask about the route from parking to the exhibit halls, the midway, and the arena.

Vendor and Exhibitor Information

Commercial vendors

The fair has both outdoor and indoor vendor spaces. A 2026 vendor application is posted on the fair’s website, and the older vendor packet spelled out the rules that likely still apply:

Spaces are assigned on availability.
You pay 50% of the contract price up front, plus a refundable $150 deposit.
Payment is by money order, cashier’s check, or cash. Personal and business checks were no longer accepted.
Each space comes with two complimentary fair passes.
Every vendor needs $1 million in general liability insurance naming the fair as additional insured.

One listing gave an August 1 deadline for food vendors, and entertainers had an April 30 deadline. Treat those as “early” and call well before summer.

Competitive exhibits

Each department has its own page in the fair book. Open-class exhibits have historically been entered on forms mailed or delivered to the fair office, and the 2026 exhibits were received the Sunday and Monday before the fair. In 2019, the entry deadline was August 30, with late fees after that. The rule in the fair book then was one entry per class per exhibitor, unless otherwise stated.

Contact

Navajo County Fair, Inc., (928) 524-4757. Mail goes to P.O. Box 309, Holbrook, AZ 86025.

Getting to Navajo County Fairgrounds

Holbrook sits on Interstate 40, so most visitors arrive from the east or west:

From Flagstaff and Winslow: I-40 east, with Winslow about 30 miles west of Holbrook and Flagstaff roughly 90.
From Gallup and the New Mexico line: I-40 west.
From Show Low, Snowflake, and Taylor: State Route 77 north into Holbrook.
From Window Rock and the Navajo Nation: roughly 90 miles, via Highway 191 and I-40.

Once in town, follow East Hopi Drive to the grounds. I found no public shuttle for fair week, and no rideshare drop-off plan was published. Holbrook is small, so rideshare availability can be thin. Hotels and motels in town are close enough that some visitors walk.

4-H and FFA at Navajo County Fairgrounds

Who coordinates it

The University of Arizona Cooperative Extension office at 748 North 3rd Street in Holbrook, (928) 524-6271, runs the 4-H program for Navajo County and Apache County together. Navajo County Junior Livestock, a separate group, runs the show and sale for 4-H and FFA exhibitors.

How the junior livestock program works

Junior livestock shows are held Thursday, a Round Robin showmanship contest runs Friday, and the Junior Livestock Auction is Friday afternoon. The 2026 fair book includes a schedule, sale information, and terms and conditions for exhibitors. Older fair books required a Premise ID tag (beef cattle excepted) and a seasonal pass at check-in. Check the current terms before you enter.

I couldn’t confirm the number of active 4-H clubs in Navajo County or which FFA chapters bring animals each year. The fair book and the extension office can tell you.

Who bids and where the money goes

Auctions of this type are usually open to local businesses and individuals, and proceeds go to the young exhibitor. Ask the Navajo County Junior Livestock organizers for bidder registration details before you plan to buy.

Special Events Beyond the Annual Fair

Outside fair week, the fairgrounds show up on the calendar for derbies, burnout contests, the Arizona State 4-H Horse Show, and private rentals for roping or gymkhanas. Around fair week, other activities spill into town: a rodeo scramble golf tournament in 2026, plus the Holbrook high school sports schedule that always overlaps with it.

History of Navajo County Fairgrounds

The fair’s history reaches back to Taylor in the 1920s and then to Holbrook in the early 1930s. Horse racing is a big part of the story:

A large Labor Day celebration in 1908 drew what local papers called the biggest crowd Holbrook had seen, with horse races as the draw.
By 1926 Holbrook had its own track, Highland Park.
County fair racing spread in Arizona after 1949, and Navajo County was one of four counties to get it.
A September 1963 ad for the Holbrook fair put pari-mutuel horse racing front and center, with a rodeo each evening.

A 2010 newspaper account said the fair had never missed a year. The numbering has also run unbroken since then (88th in 2019, 94th in 2025, 95th in 2026), but I couldn’t find how the 2020 edition was handled. The fair office can answer that.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is the Navajo County Fair in 2027?

Dates haven’t been announced. The 2026 fair ran September 16 to 19, and recent fairs have landed in the second or third week of September. Watch the fair’s official website and Facebook page.

What time does Navajo County Fairgrounds open?

During the 2026 fair, gates opened at 4 p.m. Wednesday and 10 a.m. Thursday through Saturday, with Saturday and Friday running until midnight. Outside fair week there are no standing public hours, so call the office.

Is there camping at Navajo County Fairgrounds?

Yes. There are camper hook-ups with water and electric, and one listing counts 46 gravel sites with a dump station. Reports of about $40 a night are more current than the fair’s old $25 rate sheet. Reserve by phone.

How do I enter livestock in the Navajo County Fair?

Junior livestock (4-H and FFA) has its own 2026 fair book, schedule, and terms posted on the fair’s website. Open-class livestock and small stock are separate departments in the fair book. Livestock is checked in the Tuesday before the fair.

Are dogs allowed at Navajo County Fairgrounds?

I couldn’t find a published pet policy for fair week. Camping listings say pets are allowed for campers. Call the fair office before you bring a dog, and expect service animals to be allowed.

Where do I park at Navajo County Fairgrounds?

The fair rents north and south parking lots. Parking fees and overflow areas aren’t published, so check ahead for fair week.

Who do I contact to rent Navajo County Fairgrounds?

Call the fair office at (928) 524-4757. Events need board approval and $1 million in liability insurance.

How much does it cost to get into the Navajo County Fair?

In 2026, general admission was $10 for ages 6 and up. Rodeo and demolition derby nights were $15 extra. Kids under 6 were free, seniors paid $5 on Thursday, and veterans and school groups got in free Thursday until 4 p.m.

Is the Navajo County Fair the same as the Navajo Nation Fair?

No. The Navajo Nation Fair is held in Window Rock, roughly 90 miles from Holbrook. The Navajo County Fair is held in Holbrook, the county seat.