New Liskeard Fall Fair 2026: Learn, Laugh, Share, Grow

Northern Ontario’s premier agricultural fair since 1902

📍 Get Directions Full Schedule

One of Northern Ontario’s largest fairs marks its 124th year with a signature evening lineup – the Heavy Horse Pull, Western Games, and Draft Horse Hitch Classes each get their own dedicated night at the main ring.

🐴 Heavy Horse Pull 🤠 Western Games 🏆 Draft Horse Hitch Classes 👑 Harvest Queen Pageant

💡 Friday is Kids’ Day – over 2,000 school children march from New Liskeard Public School to the fairgrounds in costume, and every one of them gets free admission plus a free midway ride.

Why Go Schedule Essentials Harvest Queen Getting There Tips FAQ

✨ Why This Fair Is Worth the Trip

The New Liskeard Agricultural Society has been running this fair since 1902, and in 2026 it hits its 124th edition – more than a century of being, as the fair’s own organizers put it, a place where rural roots and community spirit shine. It’s grown into one of Northern Ontario’s largest agricultural fairs, and the numbers back that up: over 450 exhibitors compete across hundreds of classes every year, and people travel from across Ontario, Quebec, and beyond to attend.

What makes New Liskeard distinctive is its evening structure. Rather than spreading grandstand entertainment thin across all three days, the fair dedicates one signature agricultural attraction to each night’s main ring: Thursday belongs to the Heavy Horse Pull, drawing draft horse teams from Northern Ontario and Quebec and occasionally from as far as the USA; Friday night is Western Games, pulling in competitors and spectators from across Northeastern Ontario and Northwestern Quebec; and Saturday closes with the Draft Horse Hitch Classes, a genuinely showy display of horsemanship, tack, and teamwork. Each of these packs the stands, night after night.

Beyond the marquee events, the depth of competition is remarkable for a fair this size – full sections for draft horses, light horse and pony shows, junior and 4-H beef, dairy, sheep, goats, poultry and small animals, horticulture, and homecraft, alongside community touchstones like the Harvest Queen Pageant and a Kids’ Parade that brings out over two thousand local schoolchildren.

📅 Fair Schedule

The fair runs three days, opening early Thursday afternoon and closing Saturday night with the attendance draw. Here’s what each day centres on.

🎟️ Essentials

👑 The Harvest Queen Pageant

Each year the fair partners with New Liskeard Friends of Festivals to run the Harvest Queen Pageant, with six to twelve young women aged 16 to 22 competing for the title of Harvest Queen, 1st and 2nd Princess, and Miss Congeniality. The winner goes on to represent the Temiskaming region at the CNE the following year.

Judging spans the fair itself – Monday night is a fitness competition, Wednesday brings interviews and a social with parents and sponsors, Thursday is the Talent Show, and Friday night closes with the Fashion Show and Crowning. Beyond the pageantry, past Harvest Queens describe the experience as genuinely formative, including a trip to the Ontario Association of Agricultural Societies convention where they connect with dozens of other young ambassadors from across the province.

🚗 Getting There & Parking

The New Liskeard Fairgrounds sit right in Temiskaming Shores, easily reached from Highway 11 in either direction. Look for the giant cow statue landmark if you’re coming from the north – it’s a genuine local waypoint.

From Highway 11 North: Turn left at the lights towards the giant cow statue to merge onto Highway 11B/65, travel 2 km (road becomes Armstrong St), turn left at the CIBC/RBC lights, then travel 300m to the fairgrounds.

From Highway 11 South: Turn right at the bottom of the bridge/hill towards Fountain Tire, travel 500m to the stop sign, turn left onto Whitewood Ave/Highway 65, then travel 3 km through the city to the fairgrounds.

Address: 11 May Street South, Temiskaming Shores, ON P0J 1P0

💡 A Few Things Worth Knowing Before You Go

🎟️ Get the weekend pass if you’re staying all three days. At $25, it beats paying three individual $12 day passes and gets you the full evening lineup – horse pull, Western Games, and hitch classes – without re-buying admission each night.

🐕 Leave the dog at home. No dogs are permitted on the fairgrounds due to liability, with the exception of certified service dogs.

🚗 Parking is street-based, not on-site. Since there’s no regulated fairgrounds parking, plan to find a spot on city streets or nearby public lots and watch the posted signage carefully during fair week.

👑 Catch the Friday night crowning. The Harvest Queen Fashion Show and Crowning caps off Friday evening alongside Western Games – a nice pairing if you’re only there for one night.

🐎 Pick your signature night. Each evening headlines a different equine attraction – Thursday’s Heavy Horse Pull, Friday’s Western Games, Saturday’s Draft Horse Hitch Classes – so if you can only make one night, choose based on which style of horsemanship interests you most.

❓ Common Questions