Drumbo Fall Fair 2026: Simply Country, Simply Fun

176 years of old-fashioned rural fun in Oxford County

📍 Get Directions Full Schedule

Two days at the Drumbo Fairgrounds — beef, poultry, horse and pet shows, a Children’s Village with pony rides and inflatables, homecraft and school fair exhibits, and outdoor stage entertainment, all under the fair’s long-running tagline: Simply Country, Simply Fun.

🐴 Draft & mini horse shows 👶 Children’s Village 🐄 Beef & poultry shows 🎤 Outdoor stage

💡 The Drumbo Agricultural Society president has been explicit about the fair’s priority: keeping it affordable for young families rather than chasing the scale of bigger nearby fairs.

Why Go Schedule Essentials History Getting There Tips FAQ

✨ Why This Fair Is Worth the Drive

The Drumbo Agricultural Society has run its fall fair since 1850, and 2026 marks the 176th annual edition. Susan Elmes, the Society’s president, has been candid about the fair’s identity: it isn’t trying to be a large spectacle like some nearby fairs — the priority is giving young families a memorable weekend that doesn’t break the bank, with a genuine focus on rural fun.

That philosophy shows up throughout the schedule. The Children’s Village runs unlimited activities all day — pony rides, inflatables, face painting, and a candy toss — while train rides and horse-drawn wagon rides run across the whole weekend. On the agricultural side, Beef, Youth Poultry, Rabbit, Youth Horse, Mini Horse, and Heavy Horse shows all reflect the fair’s deep roots: the cattle show has run continuously since the very first fair in 1850.

Homecraft and School Fair Exhibits round out the exhibit hall, showcasing local baking, quilting, preserves, and student creativity — the same categories, in spirit, that farmers registered products in back in 1856 when the first official Drumbo Fall Fair was held.

That combination of affordability and old-fashioned programming is exactly what keeps families coming back year after year — it’s a fair built around a genuine day-long outing rather than a quick pass through a midway, with enough spread across the two days that most visitors end up picking a favourite between the livestock shows and the Children’s Village rather than trying to see everything at once.

📋 Fair Weekend Schedule

Based on the fair’s consistent weekend format in recent years. Exact 2026 event-by-event times weren’t separately published as of this writing — confirm with the Drumbo Agricultural Society or Blandford-Blenheim’s community calendar closer to the date.

📌 Essentials

🏛️ 176 Years, From a Farm Picnic to a Fairground

The first fair in Blenheim Township was held in 1850 as a community event on John Spiers’ farm just outside Drumbo — a picnic-style gathering where local farmers showed off their crops and livestock. The Blenheim Agricultural Society moved the picnic to a different farm each year until October 7, 1856, when the first official Drumbo Fall Fair was held on the Muma farm, north of Drumbo, chosen specifically because of its new barn.

The fair continued rotating between Drumbo, Princeton, and Plattsville until 1891, when the Society set up permanent buildings in Drumbo itself. By 1905, exhibits had moved to the Drumbo Curling Club premises, and in 1907 the Society renamed itself the Drumbo Agricultural Society — the name it still carries today. A new Agricultural Hall was built in 1967, and the cattle show that opened the very first fair in 1850 has run continuously ever since, a direct thread connecting the modern Beef Show to the fair’s earliest days.

🚗 Getting There

The Drumbo Fairgrounds sit at 42 Centre Street in the village of Drumbo, part of Blandford-Blenheim Township, Oxford County — just a few minutes from Highway 401, making it an easy stop for anyone travelling between Kitchener-Waterloo and London.

💡 A Few Things Worth Knowing Before You Go

💵 Bring cash. Gate admission is cash only — plan ahead so you’re not caught without it at the entrance.

🥞 Sunday starts with breakfast. A Pancake Breakfast has traditionally kicked off Sunday morning — a good reason to arrive early on the second day.

👶 Kids can spend the whole day in the Children’s Village. It’s unlimited access, not a pay-per-ride setup, so young families can settle in without watching the clock.

🚜 It’s close to the 401. If you’re driving between Kitchener-Waterloo and London, this is an easy detour worth building into a road trip.

❓ Common Questions