Beaver Valley Fall Fair 2026: 154 Years of Autumn Tradition

Grey County’s longest continuously running event returns to Thornbury

📍 Get Directions Full Schedule

A petting zoo, dog sport shows, an antique tractor display, live music, and a Roast Beef Dinner — a two-day celebration of Beaver Valley’s farming roots that’s been running since 1870.

🐐 Petting zoo 🐕 Dog sport shows 🚜 Antique tractors 🎪 Wrestling & live music

💡 A $10 fair membership gets you entry for both days — the same price as a single day pass for adults, so it’s the better value if you’re staying the full weekend.

Why Go Schedule Essentials History Getting There Tips FAQ

✨ Why This Fair Is Worth the Drive

The Beaver Valley Agricultural Society has been running this fair since 1870, when it started as the Collingwood Township Agricultural Society before renaming twice — first to honour Canada’s centennial, then to reflect its move to Thornbury’s community centre in 1972. That makes it the longest continuously running public event in the region, and 2026 marks its 154th year.

This isn’t a fair chasing a big-name concert or a sprawling midway — it’s built around genuinely local programming: a petting zoo, an antique tractor display, dog sport demonstrations, and a light horse show alongside the traditional homecraft, baking, and horticulture exhibits that have anchored the event since William J. Marsh’s presidency in the 1870s. Add a Friday night wrestling show and Saturday’s Roast Beef Dinner, and you’ve got a weekend that leans into the character of the Beaver Valley — Kimberley, Thornbury, and Clarksburg — as much as the fair itself.

If you’re weighing a move to the area or just want a genuine look at what makes this corner of Grey County tick, this fair is as good an introduction as any.

📅 Full Schedule

Friday is about exhibit entries and evening entertainment; Saturday is the full fairgrounds day.

📋 Essentials

🕰️ From Collingwood Township to Beaver Valley

The society that runs this fair started life in 1870 as the Collingwood Township Agricultural Society, splitting off from the older Euphrasia Township Agricultural Society. Ontario’s agricultural societies formed with a shared goal of improving farm stock and crops, and the Beaver Valley’s climate made it well suited to both pasture for livestock and grain production — a legacy that still shows up in the fair’s exhibit categories today.

The society renamed itself twice: first to the Clarksburg Agricultural Society in 1967, honouring Canada’s centennial and the fair’s location in Clarksburg at the time, then to the Beaver Valley Agricultural Society in 1972 when the fair moved to its current home at the Beaver Valley Community Centre in Thornbury. Through all of it, the core purpose has held steady — homecrafts, baking, preserves, fruits, vegetables, flowers, and hay and grain crops remain the backbone of the exhibit hall, even as the surrounding entertainment has grown to include dog sport shows and children’s entertainers.

🚗 Getting There & Parking

The Beaver Valley Community Centre sits at 58 Alfred Street West in Thornbury, part of the Town of The Blue Mountains, right at the mouth of the Beaver Valley on Georgian Bay.

From Collingwood or Owen Sound: Highway 26 runs along the Georgian Bay shoreline connecting both towns directly to Thornbury.

Parking: On-site parking is available at the community centre and arena grounds.

💡 A Few Things Worth Knowing Before You Go

🎟️ Get the $10 membership if staying both days. It matches the price of a single adult day pass but covers the whole weekend.

🍽️ Plan around the Roast Beef Dinner. Saturday’s 5:30pm dinner is a genuine highlight of the weekend — check the fair book for advance ticketing.

🐕 Bring the kids for the dog sport shows. There are multiple showtimes throughout Saturday, so you don’t need to plan your whole day around one performance.

📖 Download the Fair Book ahead of time. It has the full exhibit categories, entry deadlines, and event details that don’t all fit on the website’s schedule page.

❓ Common Questions