Matheson Fall Fair 2026: A Labour Day Weekend Tradition

Exhibits, a parade, live entertainment, and a dance in Northeastern Ontario

📍 Get Directions Full Schedule

Run by the volunteer Matheson & District Agricultural Society, this Labour Day weekend fixture brings exhibits, a Saturday morning parade, live entertainment, a car show, and a Fall Fair Dance to the Floyd Hembruff Civic Centre grounds — the kind of fair that’s stayed genuinely community-built for generations.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Family Friendly 🚜 Agricultural Exhibits 🚗 Car Show 🎉 Parade & Dance

💡 Thinking of entering an exhibit? Check the official Fall Fair Book for rules and categories before Thursday’s receiving window.

Why Go Schedule Exhibits Kids Essentials Getting There Tips FAQ

✨ Why This Fair Is Worth Knowing About

Matheson sits along Highway 11 in Northeastern Ontario, part of the Township of Black River-Matheson, and its fall fair is the kind of event that runs almost entirely on volunteer effort. The Matheson & District Agricultural Society meets monthly year-round at the Floyd Hembruff Civic Centre to keep the fair — and a full calendar of smaller community events like a weekly farmers’ market and a kids’ garden club — running for the district.

What sets a fair like this apart from the bigger southern Ontario fairs isn’t scale, it’s texture. The exhibit categories cover vegetables, grains, crafts, baking, flowers, and farm animals — the full range of what a working agricultural community actually produces, judged and displayed the old-fashioned way. Add in a Saturday parade, a car show, and a Fall Fair Dance to close out the night, and you’ve got a genuinely full weekend built by and for the people who live there.

If you’re passing through Northeastern Ontario over Labour Day weekend — or you live in the Black River-Matheson area and haven’t made it out before — this is a low-key, welcoming way to spend an afternoon among neighbours.

🗓️ Labour Day Weekend Schedule

The fair unfolds over three days, starting with exhibit receiving and building to Saturday’s full slate of parade, events, and dance.

📋 Exhibit receiving actually begins Thursday, September 3, from 6–9 PM, for anyone entering items ahead of Friday’s judging.

🌾 Exhibits & Activities

The fair’s backbone is its exhibit categories, judged Friday afternoon and on display through the weekend. Alongside the exhibits, the grounds fill up with entertainment, demonstrations, food, and a classic car show. Judging follows the standard format used across small agricultural fairs in the region — entries are dropped off Thursday evening and Friday morning, judged privately before the doors open, then displayed for the rest of the weekend so visitors can see what the community grew, baked, and built that year.

The Saturday afternoon block is where the fairgrounds really come alive — live entertainment continues from Friday night, demonstrations run throughout the day, and the car show gives local owners a chance to show off restored and custom vehicles alongside the more traditional agricultural displays. It’s a nice contrast that keeps the fair interesting for visitors who aren’t necessarily there for the livestock judging.

🥕 Vegetables & Grains 🌸 Flowers 🧵 Crafts & Baking 🐄 Farm Animals 🚗 Car Show 🎟️ Penny Table

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Kids & Family Activities

Kids’ games, air bouncers, a dunk tank, and face painting run throughout the weekend alongside the main events — enough to keep younger visitors entertained between watching the parade and browsing the exhibit hall. Food vendors are on-site both days for anyone not planning to head home for meals.

📋 Essentials at a Glance

🚗 Getting There & Parking

The Floyd Hembruff Civic Centre and adjoining fairgrounds sit right on Highway 11 in Matheson, within the Township of Black River-Matheson. There’s no transit service to the grounds, so plan on driving — Matheson sits roughly midway between Timmins and Cochrane along Highway 11.

Parking: On-site parking is available at the Civic Centre and fairgrounds; expect the busiest window to be around the 11 AM Saturday parade.

💡 A Few Things Worth Knowing Before You Go

📋 Entering an exhibit? Get the Fall Fair Book early. Rules and category deadlines are set well ahead of Thursday’s receiving window, so don’t wait until the last minute to check requirements.

🚗 Get there before 11 AM Saturday for the parade. It’s the visual centrepiece of the weekend, and prime viewing spots along the route fill up as start time approaches.

💵 Bring cash for the penny table and live auction. Small community fundraisers like these are usually cash-friendly, and it’s a good way to support the Ag Society directly.

👶 Plan the afternoon block for kids. The dunk tank, air bouncers, and face painting run through the Saturday noon-to-4 PM window alongside the main fairgrounds events.

🕺 Stick around for the dance. The Fall Fair Dance closes out Saturday night at 8 PM — a good way to cap off the weekend if you’re not driving far afterward.

❓ Common Questions