Carnival & Fair News

Sopranos, Bruce Springsteen, the Turnpike. New Jersey invokes many iconic images and urban stereotypes, but the reality is that the Garden State continues to live up to its nickname. New Jersey boasts approximately 10,000 farms and has more horses per square mile than any other state, making the New Jersey State Fair & Sussex County Farm & Horse Show an annual agritourism destination.

“It's such a cool vibe, it's a large country fair,” said Ricky Reithoffer of Reithoffer Shows, which has been the midway provider for the fair since the 1990s. “The fairground is beautiful, you can see the mist rising off the grass in the morning. It does not take long to get here from major cities and I think a lot of families come out here to get out of the city and to see the farm and the horse show. They also have some of the best motor sports I've seen, Demolition Derby, Monster Trucks, Tractor Pulls. You definitely see people coming out for these things that you don't get anywhere else but a country fair.”

Farms & Horses

New Jersey's overall agricultural products sold increased from just over $1.1 billion in 2017 to nearly $1.5 billion in 2022. In addition, agritourism has been growing throughout the state, with New Jersey offering everything from seasonal pick-your-own fruit orchards and pumpkin patches to farm-to-table dining, winery tours and educational farm stays.

New Jersey not only has agricultural roots, but a thriving farming industry today. Perhaps even more surprising, New Jersey has more horses per square mile than any other state, according to Rutgers University's Equine Science Center. New Jersey is home to roughly 42,500 horses, with approximately 96,000 acres directly related to equine activities. The horse was named New Jersey's official state animal in 1977.

The New Jersey State Fair & Sussex County Farm & Horse Show is an annual celebration of farms, horses and their place in the state's traditions and contemporary culture.

“We had a very good run this year,” said Kathy Cafasso, media coordinator. “Each area of the fairgrounds seemed to be busy.”

The fair has not released official attendance figures, but annual attendance is generally estimated at more than 200,000. In 2025, the fair enjoyed ideal weather, but this year Mother Nature was not as kind. The 2026 New Jersey State Fair & Sussex County Farm & Horse Show experienced a strong run, though it fell short of the exceptional results of the previous year.

Weather Interruptus

“There was the threat of rain several days, but for the most part, it didn't interfere with people coming,” said Cafasso. “We didn't have high temperatures, which was helpful. Attendance was excellent, but not as high as last year. 2025 was a record-breaking year with beautiful weather every single day. 2026 was a great year with a little rain and the threat of thunderstorms, which tend to keep people away. The fair business is one in which we are at the mercy of the weather. All in all, this was a great year.”

She noted that the first Friday was particularly strong.

“The first Friday we opened at 5 p.m. and offered significant discounts. It was also a beautiful day/night. This was one of our busiest opening days ever.”

Reithoffer also noted a weather-induced attendance drop-off from 2025.

“It was still a good year, last year was a perfect run of weather, so we expected that. We lost the second Friday of the fair because rain was predicted between the hours of 4-7 and that killed the majority of the night.”

Economic concerns dominating the headlines also impacted the fair, particularly as consumers continued to contend with higher everyday expenses.

“I think people are feeling the cost of everything, especially the price at the pump,” said Reithoffer. “We're seeing very high credit card usage, no one is spending from their debit card. We always do a dollar day, which we did on opening, and it was a great kickoff and we worked off the volume. The fair had a very good turnout but people are more aware of spending.”

“Fairgoers took advantage of the discounts for food, attendance and wristbands,” Cafasso said. “We encouraged food vendors to have a $5 item offered one day of the fair. We offer a megapass with one-day admission/wristband if purchased prior to the opening day and we hit that heavily with social media.”

Where Farm Meets Fun

Social media spearheaded this year's marketing efforts, with the fair expanding its presence across more platforms and increasing its activity.

“We increased our media presence and highlighted families that were involved in the fair for generations. In addition, we made a concerted effort to include all areas/divisions in our pre-fair posts. Social media plays an important part in our advertising during the fair. We can feature upcoming events while also posting videos and photos of events that have already occurred.”

The marketing theme for 2026 was “Where Farm Meets Fun,” a perennial tagline for the event. With the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, however, Cafasso said the visuals this year were heavily focused on red, white and blue.

“We focus on social media, radio, billboards and print. We purchased a new digital sign this year and find that it is very eye-catching and important to our year-round advertising. Marketing budget stayed about the same, however has shifted more towards social media.”

The Reithoffer Shows midway featured 30 rides, with the Crazy Mouse, Hulk and Drop Tower leading the ride grosses.

“We provide the acreage and [Reithoffer] adjusts each year with updating and improving rides,” said Cafasso. “The Crazy Mouse roller coaster is always popular, as are timeless rides like the carousel and Ferris wheel.”

“We had a good run,” said Reithoffer. “It's a large site and that gives us a good footprint. The fair is more intimate than a bigger state fair, it's a real country fair, with a very supportive community and the staff is very professional.”

Not counting midway food stands, the fair featured 60 food vendors.

“The fair of 2025 was a banner year,” said Cafasso. “This year, food vendors were down a little. Drink vendors were up as well as some of our nonprofit stands. Overall, this year was on par with other successful years.”

She added, “The hot food items were steak sandwiches and gyros.”

The 2026 fair marked the 50th anniversary of the New Jersey State Fair & Sussex County Farm & Horse Show at the Sussex County Fairgrounds. The fair moved to its permanent grounds on Plains Road in Augusta in 1976.

“This was the 90th anniversary of the Horse Show and the 86th anniversary of the Farm & Horse Show. Prior to 1940, the Farm Show was held separately from the Horse Show.”

The event has become a multigenerational tradition whose preservation of farming and equestrian culture continues to find new audiences.

“Agricultural fairs are a window into a past way of life that most people today have never experienced. Even in Sussex County, a rural county, the majority of our inhabitants are only first- or second-generation residents. Farms are also disappearing from the county or dipping into agritourism. This is an opportunity for people to see animals up close. Agricultural fairs are an American tradition. In states across the USA, you'll find county fairs both large and small. They are popular because Americans love the tradition and the fun that fairs represent.”