2026 Racine County Fair: The Complete Family Guide

The Racine County Fair is one of the best summer traditions in the greater Milwaukee area, and the 2026 edition runs Wednesday, July 29 through Sunday, August 2 at the Racine County Fairgrounds in Union Grove.

Now in its 104th year, this five-day fair packs in demolition derbies, truck and tractor pulls, carnival rides, live music, 4-H livestock shows, racing pigs, and enough deep-fried food to fuel a week of memories.

Admission starts at just $12 for adults, kids 7 and under get in free, and parking is free. Whether you're driving down from Milwaukee, coming over from Kenosha, or heading out from Waukesha County, the Racine County Fair is worth the trip.

Dates, Hours & Location

• Dates: Wednesday, July 29 – Sunday, August 2, 2026 (five days).

• Address: Racine County Fairgrounds, 19805 Durand Ave., Union Grove, WI 53182.

• Hours: Wed–Sat 8:00 am – 11:30 pm; Sun 8:00 am – 9:00 pm.

• Directions: From I-94 take Exit 333, west on Hwy 20, west on Hwy C/Spring Street, continue to Hwy 45, then turn right (west) at Hwy 11/Durand Ave.; fairgrounds are on the south side.

• Accessibility: Grounds are wheelchair-friendly and largely paved; wheelchairs are loaned first-come, first-served at the Fair Office. ATMs are scattered across the grounds. Dogs are not permitted (service animals with documentation only).

Admission Pricing

Category Price Adult (14–62) $12 Senior (62+) $9 Junior (8–13) $7 Children 7 & under FREE 5-Day Season Pass $50 Wednesday food-drive deal (8 am–5 pm) ½ off one adult admission with 3 non-perishable items

Tickets sell at the gate or online via racinecountyfair.ticketspice.com. The Ag Society warns against third-party resellers. Fair admission also covers most grandstand events, live music, daily shows, animal exhibits, and the petting pen.

Carnival (Alpine Amusement)

• Hours: Noon to close every day (Wed–Sun).

• Daily Wristband: $30/person.

• Thursday Special: $25/person to ride 1:00–5:00 pm.

• Mega Band (all-fair ride pass): $60, sold July 7–22 only at participating Community State Bank locations — buy ahead because it is not sold on the grounds during the fair.

• Individual ride tickets are available at carnival ticket kiosks.

Grandstand Lineup 2026

All grandstand events are free with paid fair admission.

Day Event Time Wed 7/29 Truck & Tractor Pulls 6:30 pm Thu 7/30 Garden Tractor / Mini Rod Pulls + Combine Demo Derby to follow 6:30 pm Fri 7/31 Antique Tractor Parade 5:30 pm Fri 7/31 Truck & Tractor Pulls 6:30 pm Sat 8/1 Bulls-n-Muttin Bustin (bull-riding plus the kids' mutton-bustin' event) 7:00 pm Sun 8/2 Garden Tractor Pull 8:00 am Sun 8/2 Demolition Derby (Show 1) 2:00 pm Sun 8/2 Demolition Derby (Show 2) 6:00 pm

Note: Past years (2023–2025) included a Thursday-night Monster Truck Freestyle Show, but no Monster Truck show is on the official 2026 dated grandstand lineup. (Promotional/SEO text on the Fair's website still references "Monster Truck Freestyle Show" and "ProNationalTT," but those phrases appear to be carry-over boilerplate; the dated event list does not include them.)

Demolition Derby

Sunday, August 2 is the signature derby day, with two shows (2:00 pm and 6:00 pm). Classes typically include Gut & Go Mini Truck/Van/SUV, Compact, Midsize, Full Size Stock, Full Size Truck/Van, Super Stock Semi-Weld Truck, Mini Truck/Van, Gut & Go 4 & 6 Cylinder, and a separate Garden Tractor Demo. Driver applications and rule sheets for each class are posted at racinecountyfair.com/demolitionderby.

Center Stage (Outdoor Beer & Wine Garden Entertainment, 2026)

Day Act Time Wed 7/29 Gebel Girls 4:00 pm Wed 7/29 North Cape Express 7:00 pm Thu 7/30 Full Flavor 3:00 pm Thu 7/30 Sadie 4:00 pm Thu 7/30 Breaking Cadence 7:00 pm Fri 7/31 Music Bingo 1:00 pm Fri 7/31 Cork N Classics 4:30 pm Fri 7/31 TBA headliner 7:00 pm Sat 8/1 Union Grove High School Summer Band 1:00 pm Sat 8/1 Bedlam 8:00 pm Sun 8/2 Church Service 9:00 am Sun 8/2 Swing House Big Band Noon Sun 8/2 TBA 3:30 pm

Activity Building (Indoor Band Stage, 2026)

Day Act Time Wed 7/29 DJ Kody 7:00 pm Thu 7/30 Dib's 7:00 pm Fri 7/31 Steve Meisner Legacy Band (sponsored by Community State Bank) 2:00 pm Fri 7/31 Lunch Money Bullies 7:00 pm Sat 8/1 Bootjack Road 7:00 pm Sun 8/2 The Lonely Ninjas 6:00 pm

Daily Family Attractions (every day of the fair)

• Petting Pen (Children's Area): 9 am – noon, 1:30 – 4:30 pm, 6 – 8 pm daily.

• Live Stingray Encounter: Wed–Sat 11 am – 9 pm; Sun 11 am – 8 pm.

• Kids Are People Too (children's variety show, Children's Area): 1:00 & 3:00 pm.

• Nick's Kids Show / Barnyard Adventures: noon, 2, 4, and 6 pm daily.

• Wild World of Animals: Wed 3 & 6 pm; Thu–Sun 1:30, 4:30, 7:00 pm.

• Racing Pigs, Goats & Ducks ("Swifty Swine"): Wed 1:30, 4:40, 7:30 pm; Thu–Sat noon, 2, 4, 6, 8 pm; Sun noon, 2, 4, 6 pm.

• Ready Go Dogs Show (stunt dogs): Wed 3:30 & 5:30; Thu–Sun 2:30, 4:30, 6:30.

• Bingo with the Waterford Lions Club: Wed & Fri 4–7 pm, Sat 2–7 pm, Sun 2–6 pm.

4-H, FFA & Livestock Schedule

Wednesday (Opening Day, July 29): Junior Poultry breed and showmanship judging (8:30 am+), Junior Rabbit and Junior Dairy judging (9 am), Junior English Horse (10 am), Open Class Dairy judging (2 pm), Goats on Parade (3 pm), Cowboy Mounted Shooting Demos in the horse arena (3, 4, 5 pm), Goat Milking Demo (6 pm). Official ribbon-cutting opening at noon.

Thursday – Children's Day (July 30): Rooster Crowing Contest (8:30 am, poultry barn), Junior Swine and Swine Showmanship (9 am), Junior Horse Western Show (10 am), Kiddie Tractor Pull registration 10:30 am / event 11 am, Cream Puff Eating Contest 1 pm at Center Stage (pre-register at the Farm Bureau Cream Puff Stand), Kiddie Stick Horse Show and Rodeo (4 pm).

Friday – 4-H, FFA & Youth Day (July 31): Junior Poultry Market judging (8:30), Junior & Open Goats and Open Class Beef (9 am), Junior Beef (9:30), Junior & Open Sheep (10 am), Poultry Auction Exhibitor Sign-up (11 am), Sue Isaacson Memorial Showmanship Competition (6 pm), Under-the-Lights Speed Event in the Horse Arena (7 pm).

Saturday (Aug 1): Horse Show Gymkhana (9 am), Large Animal Livestock Auction in the Sale Arena at 9:30 am (sale order: Beef → Goats → Swine → Lambs), Clydesdale Demos (2 & 4 pm), Line Dancing Competition in the Dairy/Beef Barn (4 pm).

Sunday (Aug 2): Church Service (9 am, Center Stage), Horse Fun Show with Costume Class (10 am), Fur and Feather Auction at 11 am (poultry building) for rabbits, chickens, ducks, and turkeys, Chocolate Dessert Contest at noon, Hay Bale Throwing Contest (1 pm), Favorite Pie Contest at 1:45 pm with Pie Auction at 2:30 pm in the Park Pavilion, and the Chainsaw Carving Auction following the Pie Auction.

The Racine County 4-H and the UW–Madison Extension Racine County office help coordinate Junior Class exhibits, judging, and the youth livestock program. Add-on bids (pledged donations to support exhibitors' projects) open online on the Saturday of the fair and close that following Wednesday at 6 pm. In recent years the livestock auction alone has exceeded $1 million in total sales, with Community State Bank serving as Official Clerk.

Food, Drink & Vendors

The fair brings together long-running community-run food stands and outside vendors. Returning favorites — most operated by local farm and civic groups — include:

• Farm Bureau Cream Puff Stand — the Racine County Farm Bureau's iconic stand, home of the famous fair cream puff and the Cream Puff Eating Contest.

• Greater Union Grove Area Chamber of Commerce sweet corn (fresh, buttered, on the cob).

• Waterford FFA loaded baked potatoes.

• Ben's Pretzels soft pretzels.

• Plus a strong rotation of corn dogs, cheese curds, funnel cakes, deep-fried Oreos, tamales, lemonade and shaved-ice vendors. The Center Stage Beer & Wine Garden offers craft beer and Wisconsin wines, with a wine-tasting event historically held Thursday/Saturday.

• Several food vendors set up at the Dining Hall near the Expo Building. Eating areas with shade and picnic tables sit near the Park Pavilion.

Special Events & Contests

• $1,000 Winner-Takes-All Pumpkin Contest — Opening Wednesday at 6:30 pm.

• Cream Puff Eating Contest — Children's Day Thursday at 1 pm (pre-register at the Farm Bureau Cream Puff Stand).

• Kiddie Tractor Pull — Thursday 11 am, Children's Area (registration at 10:30 am).

• Antique Tractor Parade — Friday 5:30 pm at the Grandstand, followed by the Truck & Tractor Pull.

• "It's Grow Time" Food Contest — Friday 5 pm, Open Class (Expo) Building.

• Sue Isaacson Memorial Showmanship Competition — Friday 6 pm.

• Beer and Wine Judging — Saturday 10 am, Open Class Building.

• Knit, Knot, Tangle Competition — Saturday 2 pm, Pavilion.

• Milk in a Bottle Competition — Saturday 3 pm, Goat Barn.

• Hay Bale Throwing Contest — Sunday 1 pm.

• Chocolate Dessert Contest — Sunday noon, Park Pavilion.

• Favorite Pie Contest & Pie Auction — Sunday 1:45/2:30 pm.

• Chainsaw Carving Auction — Sunday 3 pm in the Park Pavilion (carvings produced live throughout the week).

• Stars of the Show Ring (NEW for 2026) — an inclusive pig show for youth of all abilities, including those with disabilities.

Other Notable Features

• Sale Arena — site of all major livestock auctions.

• Open Class Expo Building — home crafting, food, photography, antiques, beer/wine judging, demos and contests.

• Antique Tractor Area — sawing, shingle-making, wheat threshing, and baling demos run throughout the weekend; the South East Wisconsin Antique Power & Collectible Society anchors this area.

• Children's Area — petting pen, pony rides, "Kids Are People Too," Nick's Kids Show, kiddie tractor pulls.

• Horse Arena — Cowboy Mounted Shooting demos, drill team demos, Clydesdale demos, and the speed events.

• Phone Charging Lounge and Fair Office (with loaner wheelchairs) sit near the Expo Center.

• Fairground history: The Racine County Agricultural Society was reorganized in the fall of 1922 after a 30-year absence of a county fair, choosing Burlington as the temporary host before settling at Union Grove's Old Settlers Park, where the fair has resided for more than a century. 2026 marks the 104th annual edition.

Recommendations

If you have one day, pick Saturday (Aug 1). It packs the most into one ticket: the morning Horse Show, the headline Large Animal Livestock Auction at 9:30 am, Clydesdale demos in the afternoon, the Bulls-n-Muttin Bustin at the Grandstand at 7 pm, and Bedlam playing Center Stage at 8 pm — and the carnival runs all day on top of it.

If you have kids age 3–10, prioritize Thursday — "Children's Day." Carnival wristbands drop to $25 from 1–5 pm, the Kiddie Tractor Pull is at 11 am, the Cream Puff Eating Contest is at 1 pm, and Kiddie Stick Horse Show is at 4 pm. Bring a stroller and a sunhat.

If you love demolition derby and that's the whole reason you go, plan on Sunday, August 2. Two derbies (2 pm and 6 pm) bookend the day, with the Garden Tractor Pull and Combine Demo Derby earlier in the week to whet the appetite. Sunday fair hours close at 9 pm so it's an earlier night.

Cost-saving moves:

1. Buy a $50 5-Day Pass if you plan two or more visits — it pays back at the second adult visit.

2. Buy the $60 Mega Band ride pass at a Community State Bank branch between July 7 and July 22 — that's a discount versus buying $30 daily wristbands at the gate.

3. Open Wednesday (July 29), 8 am – 5 pm: bring three non-perishable food items for half-off one adult admission.

4. Use the Thursday 1–5 pm $25 ride wristband if you have one shorter day for the kids.

5. Park free at any lot.

Bring: lawn chairs (for grandstand track viewing and Center Stage), cash (for some food stands and tipping the carnies), sunscreen, refillable water (it's pavement and bleachers in late July), and earplugs if young kids are sensitive to engine noise during pulls and the derby.

Skip if: you want big-name national headliners. Racine County's Fair leans local (community bands, regional country and rock), agricultural and motor-sports — not the touring-act model. Past years have occasionally booked national grandstand acts (Easton Corbin headlined Saturday, July 29, 2017 at 8 pm with $10 grandstand / $20 track / $40 VIP tickets, and Granger Smith featuring Earl Dibbles Jr. headlined Saturday, July 27, 2019), but the 2026 lineup is community-focused.