Topsfield Fair, Topsfield, MA

America’s Oldest County Fair, the Topsfield Fair, was started in February 1818 by the Essex County Agricultural Society as a cattle show. It was originally a way for the local farming communities to get together and exchange ideas and farming methods. The fair was held in different locations in Essex County until 1895, when it bought 50 acres of land in Peabody, MA. In 1910, it moved to its current location in Topsfield, on a 150 acres of farmland.

The Topsfield Fair has only been canceled on three occasions – in 1918 because of the Spanish Flu pandemic, 1943 – 1945 because of World War II, and in 2020 because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The fair runs for 10 days and ends on Columbus Day and has between 400,000 – 500,000 guests each year. Some attractions and exhibitions include; Beekeeping, Goat and Sheep Barn, Cattle Barn, and the Flower Barn. However, the most well known is the Great Pumpkin Weigh Off, which takes place on the first day of the fair each year. The first pumpkin to weigh over a ton was weighed at the fair in 2012.