Albemarle County Fair

The Albemarle County Fair is scheduled from Thursday, July 30 through Saturday, August 1 on the grounds of Highland. Fair hours are 4:00 to 9:00 PM on Thursday, July 30, and 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM on Friday, July 31, and Saturday, August 1. Tickets can be purchased at the door (cash or card) and are $5 per person and free for children under 6 years of age. This fun and festive three-day agricultural celebration will be complete with exhibits, home arts, family entertainment, live music, livestock, and fun and learning for all ages. Fair goers will also enjoy demonstrations of historic and cultural significance, including wool spinning and blacksmithing, and the opportunity to have photographic silhouettes made. This year’s fair will feature an expanded lineup of fair exhibitors, in partnership with dozens of local and regional community organizations.

The Albemarle County Fair is proud to display a wide variety of home arts and agricultural wares from Central Virginia. During your visit to the fair, stop by the Barn to view the winners! Interested in submitting your own home-made creations? Adults and youth are enthusiastically encouraged to enter their submission for home arts and agricultural judging! Follow the link below for details about how residents of Albemarle and surrounding counties can enter their work at the fair:

VA250 Mobile Museum: The VA250 Mobile Museum Experience will be at Highland from 9:30 am to 4:30pm from Thursday, July 30, through Saturday, August 1. A hands-on, interactive, and immersive “museum on wheels,” the VA250 Mobile Museum Experience titled “Out of Many, One” is housed in a quad-expandable tractor trailer that is traveling throughout Virginia and beyond. The mobile museum brings key stories of Virginia’s rich history to schools, museums, local events, fairs, and more, highlighting every region of the state. Fairgoers are welcome to explore the mobile museum for free.

Fair Exhibitors: Highland and the Albemarle County Fair Board are pleased to announce an expanded lineup of fair exhibitors!  The following local and regional community partners will exhibit their offerings at the fair:

If you are a non-profit or government agency and you would like to exhibit at the fair, please send an email to jwoodle@highland.org.

Visit with the Piedmont Master Gardeners in the Highland Vegetable Garden

Saturday, August 1: Join the Piedmont Master Gardeners in the educational vegetable garden on Saturday. They will be answering questions about what’s growing, the experiments they’re trying, and the vegetable trials they are participating in. Visitors will also enjoy presentations at 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM on antique garden tools and how they were used during their time.

If you are looking for a unique gift or keepsake, Margo Hamilton and Ron Evans of Studio Zero Photography will be onsite with their modern take on the silhouette. Sittings are available for couples, individuals, and children, no appointment is necessary, and the cost will vary depending on print size.

The Albemarle County Fair Board, a private nonprofit entity separate from Albemarle County government, thanks the community for their interest and continued support and looks forward to celebrating the best of our rich and lively agricultural traditions at James Monroe’s Highland.

Please note that Highland does not permit pets on the property. Leashed service animals, as defined by the ADA, are permitted.