Georgia National Fair (Perry): 2026 Dates, Tickets & Mega Pass Rules

The Georgia National Fair runs October 8-18, 2026 at the Georgia National Fairgrounds & Agricenter in Perry. Gates open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily, except opening day, October 8, when they open at 3 p.m., and advance adult admission is $15.

2026 is the 37th annual fair: 11 days of midway rides, livestock shows, concerts that are free with admission, and fair food. This guide covers what’s confirmed for 2026 on the fair’s own site: gate admission versus the Mega Pass, free parking, stroller and wagon rental, discount days, and how to plan a visit around nap schedules and the drive from Atlanta.

The fairgrounds are at 401 Larry Walker Parkway in Perry, just off I-75 in Middle Georgia, so the drive from Atlanta is almost entirely interstate; expect heavier traffic near the Perry exits on fair weekends. If you’re weighing this against a closer fall festival, see our guides to the Georgia Apple Festival in Ellijay and the Stone Mountain Pumpkin Festival.

What is the Georgia National Fair, exactly?

The Georgia National Fair is held every October at the Georgia National Fairgrounds & Agricenter in Perry, and 2026 is its 37th annual edition. Unlike a pop-up festival on a town square, it’s a full fair build: a midway of rides, livestock competitions and horse shows, Georgia Living exhibits and competitions, free concerts, vendors, and fair food. It runs 11 straight days, October 8-18 this year, spanning two full weekends.

Dates, hours, and how the admission tiers actually work

The fair’s own site confirms October 8-18, 2026, with gates open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily except opening day, October 8, when gates open at 3 p.m.; no vehicles are let onto the grounds after 9 p.m. Its ticketing page lists advance online pricing, available September 8 through October 7: $15 for adults (ages 11 and up) and $5 for children ages 3-10, with a 2-Day Pass at $27 and a Season Pass at $97.

At the gate, adults pay $15 by card or $20 in cash, seniors 60 and up pay $10, and children 3-10 pay $5. The practical takeaway: buy online ahead of time or pay by card at the gate, and budget an extra $5 per adult if you’re paying cash on the spot.

Children 2 and under get in free. Several days are discounted: on October 8 (Sneak A Peek), October 13 and October 14 (WOW Wednesday), admission is $10 for ages 11 and up and free for children 10 and under.

October 12 (Patriotic Day) is free for active, veteran, reserve and retired military with ID and their immediate families, and October 13 (American Hero’s Day) is free for firefighters, law enforcement, dispatchers and EMTs with agency ID and their immediate families.

The Mega Pass: separate ticket, separate rules

Gate admission gets you into the fairgrounds: the exhibits, the livestock shows, the shopping, the concerts. It does not get you onto the midway rides. The simplest way to ride is the Mega Pass: $41 online ($40 plus a $1 fee), sold only from September 8 until 9 p.m. on October 7 and not during the fair.

It bundles gate admission with an unlimited-ride armband for one day, which you collect at the Guest Services/Armband Redemption Station at the West or South Gate midway entrance. It works on only one of these days: October 8, 9, 12-16 or 18.

Armbands aren’t available at all on Saturdays or the first Sunday, October 11, so on those days you ride with tickets (2 for $3; rides take 2-8 tickets). On armband days the fair also lists armband prices of $30 (October 8 and 12-15) or $35 (October 9, 16 and 18).

Parking, strollers, and getting around

Parking is free at the three public entrances (North, East, and West gates), with handicap parking at all three lots. The South Gate lot isn’t open to the general public during the fair.

The fairgrounds cover a lot of ground, so a stroller is worth having for toddlers and preschoolers who won’t want to walk the whole midway-to-livestock-barn distance twice. If you don’t want to bring your own, the fair’s rental vendor offers single strollers ($16.05/day), double strollers ($21.40/day), and wagons ($21.40/day) at the North, West, and East gates, plus wheelchairs ($32.10) and scooters ($85.60). Reserve ahead at 888-441-7575 to make sure one is available.

What’s actually there: livestock, rides, food, and concerts

Livestock competitions are the backbone of the fair: cattle, goats, lambs and swine arrive for the junior livestock shows, and there are horse shows and a rabbit exhibit too. Pair that with the midway (rides, games, and classic fair food), the Georgia Living exhibits and competitions, vendors, and the concert series. The fair says all concerts are free with admission, and the 2026 lineup is on its concert page.

Is it a good fit for young kids?

Mostly yes, with caveats. The livestock barns, exhibits, and entertainment are easy, self-paced stops for toddlers and preschoolers. The midway is the part to plan around: it’s loud, crowded on weekends, and many rides have height requirements, so a Mega Pass bought for a 4-year-old may go mostly unused.

A weekday visit, which is also when most Mega Pass days fall, is calmer for nap-schedule toddlers than a Saturday. Remember the fair’s rule that after 5 p.m. no one 17 or under is admitted without a legal guardian. Pack sunscreen and a change of shoes, since much of the fairgrounds is outdoors.

When is the best time to go?

Weekdays are generally calmer than weekends, and the discount days (October 8, 13 and 14) cut adult admission to $10. If riding is the point of the trip, pick a Mega Pass day: October 8, 9, 12-16 or the final Sunday, October 18. Saturdays and the first Sunday, October 11, have no armbands, so rides there are pay-per-ticket.

Planning the rest of a Perry trip

Perry’s historic downtown sits close to both I-75 and the fairgrounds, according to Visit Perry, so it’s easy to add a meal or a walk before or after the fair; book lodging ahead for fair weekends.

If you’re weighing whether Perry is worth the longer drive versus a fall festival closer to Atlanta, our Fall in Georgia month-by-month guide lays out what’s happening across the whole state through the season, and our Family Day-Out Cost Index compares what a family day out costs across Georgia venues.

A bit of history

2026 is the 37th annual Georgia National Fair, which puts the first one in 1990. It is run by the Georgia National Fairgrounds & Agricenter, a permanent fairgrounds in Perry that hosts livestock and other events through the year. That is part of why the grounds feel more like a small campus than a pop-up fairground, with permanent barns and buildings.

What to see beyond the midway

If you only do the rides and leave, you’re skipping most of what makes this different from a parking-lot carnival. Livestock competitions run through the fair, with junior shows for cattle, goats, lambs and swine, plus horse shows and a rabbit exhibit.

The Georgia Living exhibits include judged competitions and fine arts, there’s a Schoolhouse and a Georgia Grown area, and fair food runs from corn dogs to fried specialties, priced per item at each vendor.

Weather, what to wear, and what to bring

Early-to-mid October in Middle Georgia is usually warm by day and cooler after sunset, so a light jacket for the evening is worth packing. Much of the fairgrounds is outdoors, so sunscreen and a hat help for a midday visit, and closed-toe shoes make more sense than sandals in the livestock barns. Bring some cash for smaller vendors and games, and remember that adults pay $5 more at the gate in cash than by card.

Accessibility and family logistics

Handicap parking is available at all three public lots (North, East, West), and wheelchairs ($32.10) and scooters ($85.60) can be rented at the gates. The fair’s site did not publish details on nursing rooms, a lost-child procedure, or re-entry at the time of writing. If any of those affect your plans, call the fair office (478-987-3247) before you drive down rather than assuming.

FAQ

Do I need to print tickets, or is mobile entry fine?

The fair sells advance tickets online through its official ticketing partner; check at checkout whether mobile entry is supported for 2026, since that detail wasn’t specified on the pages checked for this guide.

Is there a shuttle from parking to the gates?

Not confirmed either way for 2026 — the fairgrounds are large enough that some visitors may prefer to park closer to their entry gate of choice rather than count on a shuttle.

How does this compare to a smaller fall festival like Dahlonega Gold Rush Days or the Georgia Apple Festival?

Those are one-weekend small-town festivals built around vendor browsing; the Georgia National Fair is a ticketed, 11-day fair built around rides, livestock, and a concert series. If your family wants rides and animals, Perry is worth the longer drive. If you want a walkable small-town festival, Dahlonega or Ellijay are closer to Atlanta; see our Gold Rush Days and Georgia Apple Festival guides for what each costs.

Dates, hours, prices, parking, rental, pet and ride-armband details in this guide come from georgianationalfair.com, checked September 27, 2026. Ride armbands, the concert lineup, and discount days are the details most likely to shift, so confirm them with the fair before you buy.

How we checked this guide: Dates, hours, admission and parking prices, and access details were verified against the official sources listed below on October 2, 2026. Operators change schedules and raise prices without notice, so confirm anything time-sensitive before you drive. The figures in this guide also feed our Georgia Attraction Transparency Index and Family Day-Out Cost Index.

Sources

• Georgia National Fair: tickets (advance prices, 2-Day and Season passes, Mega Pass dates)
• Georgia National Fair: pricing and discount days (gate prices, card vs. cash, seniors, Oct. 8, 12, 13 and 14)
• Georgia National Fair: MegaPass and unlimited ride armbands
• Georgia National Fair: FAQs (gate hours, 37th annual fair, parking, service animals, curfew, ride tickets)
• Georgia National Fair: stroller, wagon, wheelchair and scooter rentals
• Georgia National Fair: concert lineup (concerts free with admission)
• Georgia National Fair: directions (401 Larry Walker Parkway, Perry)
• Visit Perry (historic downtown near I-75 and the fairgrounds)

About Hank Whitlock

Hank Whitlock is the pen name of the It's Georgia editor. Every guide is built around the questions a busy family actually asks before a trip: how long is the drive, what does parking cost, can the stroller make it, are dogs allowed. Details are checked against official park, city, and venue sources, and each guide shows the date it was last updated.