The Michigan State Fair comes to the Vibe Credit Union Showplace in Novi on September 3, 2026.

It’s a smaller event than the original state fair in Detroit, which usually began a week-and-a-half before Labor Day. Billed as one of America’s oldest state fairs, Michigan’s annual tradition drew more than 1 million people at its peak in the 1960s.

By the early 21st century, attendance and revenue had fallen so much that the state couldn’t afford to keep it going. The 2009 fair had 217,000 visitors. Almost two months later, then-Governor Jennifer Granholm vetoed funding for the fair.

A few years later, members of Michigan’s agriculture industry rounded up corporate sponsors and revived the event. They’ve held it in Novi since 2012.

Riley Stechschulte is the manager of volunteers and sponsor relations for Michigan State Fair, LLC. She says their agriculture and livestock teams are the heart of the event.

“They had the heart to bring it back so that future generations would have the fair,” she says. “It’s turned into something that families love to attend every single year.”

The tradition lives

Stechschulte says the fair draws an average of 200, 000 visitors over 5 days. It covers a smaller area than the old Detroit fairgrounds, much of which has been redeveloped.

But she says it has something for everyone to enjoy.

“We’ve had a circus in the past, we’ve had BMX bikes in the past, and this year we’re going to have monster trucks,” she says. “It’s a good mix of the old and new.”

The “old” elements refer to traditional features such as animal and plant exhibits showcasing the agriculture industry. One of the highlights is a cow sculpted from Michigan butter. Stechschulte says first-time fairgoers are surprised to learn how much farming matters to the state.

“Agriculture is the second largest industry in Michigan,” she says. “People who live in southeast Michigan don’t see just how much of the state is cornfields and livestock farms.”

Besides sweet corn, Michigan is a major producer of apples, cherries, grapes, peaches, berries, and asparagus.

The next generation of farmers isn’t necessarily rural

The fair gives children living on Michigan farms a chance to show what they’ve learned. But Stechschulte says city kids get involved, too.

“We have an urban scholarship program as well as a livestock and agriculture scholarship for youth involved in the fair,” she says. “Our goal is to get those kids together from rural areas and urban areas and have them teach other about the things that they do.”

The Michigan State Fair runs Sept. 3-7. Admission is $10.