Shelburne Fall Fair 2026: Harvest, Honey, & Home

Dufferin County’s oldest continuing organization, since 1867

📍 Get Directions Full Schedule

Three days at the Shelburne Fairgrounds — Dairy, Beef, and Sheep shows, a Kid Zone, the midway, and a brand-new Soapbox Car Derby, presented by the oldest continuously running organization in a town it actually predates.

🐄 Dairy & beef shows 🎡 Midway 📦 Soapbox car derby 👶 Baby show

💡 The new Soapbox Car Derby, run by the Shelburne Muskies, is open to all ages — build your own car and race it down the hill on Saturday.

Why Go Schedule Essentials History Getting There Tips FAQ

✨ Why This Fair Is Worth the Drive

Shelburne’s fair is older than Shelburne itself. It began in 1867 as the Melancthon Agricultural Society, held its first fair on a roadside in Masonville in 1868, and predates the town’s 1879 incorporation by over a decade. That makes it Dufferin County’s oldest continuing organization — and 2026’s edition, themed “Harvest, Honey, & Home,” marks its 159th year.

The fair still serves the same five communities it always has — Shelburne, Amaranth, Melancthon, Mono, and Mulmur — with Dairy, Beef Cattle, Sheep, and Calf Club shows that reflect a genuinely working agricultural base. The current fairgrounds trace back to 1888, when Simon Jelly donated 16 acres for what had previously been a horse-racing oval.

New for 2026, the Shelburne Muskies are partnering with the Agricultural Society on a Soapbox Car Derby — build your own car and race it down the hill, open to all ages. It’s a fresh addition to a fair whose other traditions, like the midway and Kid Zone, have carried on largely unchanged for generations.

📋 Fair Weekend Schedule

The fair runs Friday evening through Sunday afternoon, the second weekend after Labour Day. A detailed hour-by-hour schedule for 2026 had not been separately published on the official site as of this writing — the 2026 Fair Book, once posted, will carry exact show times for the livestock classes, Kid Zone, and the new Soapbox Car Derby.

📌 Essentials

🏛️ Older Than the Town It Serves

Founded in 1867 as the Melancthon Agricultural Society under President John Mills, the group held its first fair in October 1868 on the roadside in Masonville — a one-day event that predates Shelburne’s own 1879 incorporation as a village by over a decade. The fair moved several times through the 1880s, briefly relocating to George Charters’ farm on the grounds of the Shelburne Turf Association, before that organization became the Shelburne Driving Club and granted the fair permanent use of its grounds in 1887.

In 1888, Simon Jelly donated 16 acres of his farm — including a regulation half-mile racing oval — to the Driving Club, establishing the site that (in smaller form) remains the fairgrounds today. The Agricultural Society purchased the property outright in January 1892 for $1,500. A 1918-vintage Horse Stable built in 1916 is reportedly still in use, and Prime Minister John Diefenbaker attended the fair in 1958 alongside federal MP (and future Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario) Earl Rowe.

The fairgrounds have kept modernizing: a Cattle Pavilion and Assembly Hall upgrade came in 2015, and in 2018 the Society purchased mobility mats to make the grounds accessible for visitors using walkers, wheelchairs, or strollers. Canada and the Shelburne Fair both marked 150 years in 2017.

🚗 Getting There

The Shelburne Fairgrounds sit at 377 William Street in Shelburne, Dufferin County. Pedestrian entry is via William Street near the Fire Hall, while livestock trailers should use Fiddlepark Lane, east of Owen Sound Street. General visitor parking is off-site at the Centre Dufferin Recreation Complex and Glenbrook Elementary School.

💡 A Few Things Worth Knowing Before You Go

🚗 Park off-site. General parking is at the Centre Dufferin Recreation Complex and Glenbrook Elementary School, not directly at the fairgrounds — leave a few extra minutes to walk in.

📦 Building a soapbox car? The new derby has build rules and race times still to be finalized — watch the fair’s Facebook page or contact Sue Peterson at 519-217-5606 for the latest details.

🐄 Livestock trailers use a separate entrance. Enter from Fiddlepark Lane, east of Owen Sound Street, rather than the pedestrian gate on William Street.

♿ Mobility access is available. The fairgrounds have mobility mats in place for visitors using walkers, wheelchairs, or strollers.

❓ Common Questions