North Carolina/Culture/Events/State Fair

In North Carolina, the state fair has played an important role since its inception in 1853. The North Carolina State Fair was started by the North Carolina Agricultural Society, the brain child of Dr. John F. Tompkins. It originally was designed as a fair for the promotion of agriculture and industry.

In modern day, the North Carolina State Fair has begun to hold a carnival as part of the fair. In addition to a carnival, year round events have begun on the state fairgrounds. J. S. Dorton was the first person to add year round events to the calendar. The fair is no longer under the control of the North Carolina State Agricultural Society. The fair is now run by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.