Deep Fried Traditions at the Tunbridge World’s Fair -9/17/25

There are a lot of fun reasons to go to a state fair- the rides, the greasy food, the carny games, buying items that you don’t really need, pig races, pony rides, the livestock shows, etc. Plus, it only happens once a year, so it’s worth thinning out your wallet a little to get the full experience. This post is specifically about the Tunbridge World’s Fair, which occurs every year from Thursday through Sunday on some weekend in September, located in Tunbridge, VT. The Tunbridge World’s Fair has been running continuously since 1867, with breaks from 1917-1918, 1942-1944, and 2020. You can make an educated guess why they weren’t open during those times!

The Champlain Valley Fair in Essex Junction is the largest in the state of Vermont and it runs for 10 days, with around 120,000 annual visitors, then second is the Vermont State Fair in Rutland, with around 85,000 visitors in five days. The Tunbridge fair is the third largest in Vermont with around 50,000 visitors in four days. Since we live on the east side of Vermont on the New Hampshire border, the Tunbridge fair has always been our go-to. It’s the same scene with the same events every year going back to my youth, but it’s still fun to go and walk around to eat greasy fair food and go on rides. Plus, our daughter enjoys it, and that makes it worth it. 

With 103 concession stands and around 30 of those selling food, there’s no shortage of grub to fill your belly. Granted, the vast majority of them seem to sell burgers, hot dogs, fried dough, French fries, and the like, lately, you can find somewhat healthier options like dumplings, Indian cuisine, burritos, smoothies, wraps, and salads. In our family, we generally eat healthier, so when we arrived at the fair this year, I considered it a loophole and made a beeline for the burger and fries, dragging our daughter along. I overate, by a lot. After I essentially ate two lunches, we walked around for a while, then went on some rides on a full stomach. In the back of my mind, I knew what else I wanted to eat: towards the back of the fairgrounds was another food vendor who sells deep fried cheese curds, which are absolutely phenomenal. You can pick one of several dipping sauces to go along with it. Even though I was already full, I ate a heaping pile of cheese curds because they are that good. 

My favorite non-food activity is visiting the chicken barn. They have chickens of many different breeds from around the world, and they all look pretty silly but cute. Poofy heads, poofy tails, and a variety of vibrant colors. I was especially happy this year because they hadn’t had the chicken exhibit for several years but brought it back this year! They didn’t have this chicken there, but one of their factoids on the wall stated that the Onagadori rooster has a tail that typically reaches a length of over 20 feet but can reach a length of up to 40 feet! This is due to a genetic mutation that prevents their tail feathers from molting every year.

We briefly saw one pig race and the oxen pull, but bypassed the cow barns this time around. As usual though, thousands of people were milling about, making for a very crowded scene. When we left, cars were backed up down the road, trying to get in. Even though it was a “shorter” visit this year, we were still there for three hours, barely enough time to see everything! Every year we go, we know what to expect. Every year we go, we always have a good time. 

The included photos are from this year and years past. Thanks for reading!