🌾 Tavistock Agricultural Society
🎃 Weekend After Labour Day
👨👩👧👦 Family Friendly
Tavistock Fall Fair 2026: Autumn Leaves and Pumpkins Please
Three days of parades, livestock, midway rides, and small-town tradition in Tavistock, Ontario
Dates
Sept 11–13
Cost
TBA 2026
Where
Tavistock, ON
Theme
Autumn Leaves
A parade, a heavy horse show, road hockey, fire circus performers, and a midway full of Kiddies Fun Trak rides all share the same weekend in downtown Tavistock — a fair that still feels like it’s run by neighbours, because it is.
🎪 Midway & Kiddies Fun Trak
🐄 Livestock Shows
🎉 Saturday Parade
🚗 Historic Wheels Car Show
💡 The fair runs across three separate venues within a short walk of each other — the arena, Memorial Hall, and Queens Park — so plan to do a bit of walking between events.
✨ Why This Fair Is Worth the Trip
Tavistock is a small Oxford County town between Stratford and Kitchener, and for one weekend every September it more or less doubles in size. The Tavistock Fall Fair has been run by the Tavistock Agricultural Society for generations, and it still has the texture of a fair that’s organized by the people who live there — the parade marshal knows half the crowd, the fastball game is played by a team called the Tavistock Legends, and the silent auction runs out of the arena lobby rather than a rented tent.
What sets it apart from a lot of small-town fairs is the sheer range packed into three days. There’s the expected agricultural core — a Heavy Horse Show, a Cattle Show, a 4-H Swine Show — sitting right alongside a road hockey tournament, a fire circus troupe performing three separate sets, and a program of goat races supplied by Transitions Acres. The 2026 edition also brings expanded Midway attractions, with the Ag Society investing in new rides and a bigger Kiddies Fun Trak for younger visitors.
The 2026 theme, “Autumn Leaves and Pumpkins Please,” sets the tone for exhibit categories and decorating, but the heart of the fair is really its variety of small, quirky traditions — an Egg Drop competition, Cow Patty Bingo, a Children’s Pet Show, and a Historic Wheels car show that draws collectors from well outside Tavistock. It’s the kind of fair where you can watch a lawn tractor race and a pottery class within the same hour.
🗓️ Weekend Schedule
Events run across three venues — the arena, Memorial Hall, and the ball diamond/pavilion at Queens Park — so times are grouped by day below.
Friday, September 11
5:00 — Silent Auction, Book Sales & Computer Arcade open (Arena)
5:00–10:00 — Midway & Kiddies Fun Trak
5:30–7:30 — Goat Races (Transitions Acres)
7:00 — Official Opening & Fair Ambassador Competition (Memorial Hall)
7:30 — Community Fastball Game: Tavistock Legends
5:00–10:00 — Midway & Kiddies Fun Trak
5:30–7:30 — Goat Races (Transitions Acres)
7:00 — Official Opening & Fair Ambassador Competition (Memorial Hall)
7:30 — Community Fastball Game: Tavistock Legends
Saturday, September 12
10:00–4:00 — Road Hockey Tournament (Pavilion)
10:00 — Heavy Horse Show
10:00–10:00pm — Midway & Kiddies Fun Trak
11:00 — Parade
11:00 — Cattle Show
12:00–3:00 — Kids Fireman Games
1:00 — 4-H Swine Show
1:00–5:00 — Pony Rides (Transitions Acres)
2:00–4:00 — Pottery Class, The Kiln Room (Upper Hall, Arena)
2:00 & 4:00 — North Fire Circus: Darlin Darlin
2:30–4:30 — Egg Drop Registration
5:00 — Egg Drop Competition
7:00 — North Fire Circus: Darlin & Steph (Ball Diamond)
9:00 — Band: Run Out North (Pavilion)
10:00 — Heavy Horse Show
10:00–10:00pm — Midway & Kiddies Fun Trak
11:00 — Parade
11:00 — Cattle Show
12:00–3:00 — Kids Fireman Games
1:00 — 4-H Swine Show
1:00–5:00 — Pony Rides (Transitions Acres)
2:00–4:00 — Pottery Class, The Kiln Room (Upper Hall, Arena)
2:00 & 4:00 — North Fire Circus: Darlin Darlin
2:30–4:30 — Egg Drop Registration
5:00 — Egg Drop Competition
7:00 — North Fire Circus: Darlin & Steph (Ball Diamond)
9:00 — Band: Run Out North (Pavilion)
Sunday, September 13
10:00–4:00 — Historic Wheels Car Show
11:00–3:00 — Ojibwe Spirit Ponies (Transitions Acres)
12:00–3:00 — Ox on the Run, Touch A Truck & Jr. Farmers Kid Zone
12:00 — Children’s Pet Show
1:00 — Baby Show (Memorial Hall) & Cow Patty Bingo
1:00–3:00 — Little Hobby Hill Farm Petting Zoo
1:30–3:00 — Bike Rally Fun (outside Memorial Hall)
1:30 — Lawn Tractor Races
3:30 — Exhibits close & pickup
11:00–3:00 — Ojibwe Spirit Ponies (Transitions Acres)
12:00–3:00 — Ox on the Run, Touch A Truck & Jr. Farmers Kid Zone
12:00 — Children’s Pet Show
1:00 — Baby Show (Memorial Hall) & Cow Patty Bingo
1:00–3:00 — Little Hobby Hill Farm Petting Zoo
1:30–3:00 — Bike Rally Fun (outside Memorial Hall)
1:30 — Lawn Tractor Races
3:30 — Exhibits close & pickup
📋 The Essentials
🎟️ Admission
2026 gate pricing hadn’t been posted as of this writing. Individual events like the pottery class have separate small fees; check tavistockfallfair.com closer to the date for confirmed rates.
🐴 Exhibiting
Adult exhibitors pay a $6 Tavistock Ag Society membership fee. Junior (10–18) and school-aged exhibitors register free. Registration is open online year-round through the fair’s website.
👨👩👧 Best For
Families, agricultural fair regulars, car and antique enthusiasts, and anyone who wants a genuinely local small-town fair experience.
🎪 What to Expect at the Midway & Beyond
A few of the recurring attractions that give the Tavistock Fall Fair its particular flavour:
Kiddies Fun Trak Midway
North Fire Circus
Historic Wheels Car Show
Heavy Horse Show
Transitions Acres Pony & Goat Rides
Little Hobby Hill Petting Zoo
4-H Livestock Shows
Road Hockey Tournament
🚗 Getting There & Parking
Tavistock sits in Oxford County, roughly midway between Stratford and Kitchener-Waterloo, just off Line 34/Oxford Road. The fair is centred at the Tavistock and District Recreation Centre on Adam Street, with Memorial Hall and Queens Park both within easy walking distance.
From Kitchener-Waterloo: About 25 minutes west via Highway 7/8 and local roads through Tavistock.
From Stratford: About 20 minutes east via Highway 7/8.
📍 Get Directions to the Fairgrounds
💡 A Few Things Worth Knowing Before You Go
🚶 Plan to walk between venues. Events are spread across the arena, Memorial Hall, and Queens Park, all close together but not under one roof.
🎉 Get there early Saturday for the parade. The 11:00 AM parade draws the biggest crowd of the weekend, and good curbside spots fill up fast.
🎫 Ask about advance midway bracelets. The fair sometimes offers pre-registration for midway bracelets and the pottery class — check the fair’s pre-registration page ahead of the weekend.
🐷 Time your visit around the livestock shows. The Heavy Horse Show and Cattle Show on Saturday morning, and the 4-H Swine Show right after, are highlights for anyone into the agricultural side of the fair.
🚗 Car enthusiasts should save Sunday morning. The Historic Wheels Car Show runs 10 AM–4 PM and regularly draws collectors from well beyond Tavistock.
❓ Common Questions
Details may change — always confirm on the official Tavistock Fall Fair website before heading out.
Location
Get DirectionsTavistock and District Recreation Centre, 1 Adam Street, Tavistock, ON, N0B 2R0
