Dates, admission, camping, and where to eat and sleep around the July fair, with a free zoo across the road.
Whether you search for the Northern Wisconsin State Fair or the Northern State Fair Chippewa Falls hosts each July, you find a five-day fair on Edward Street with a free zoo across the road and a downtown ice cream counter within a mile. The 2026 edition ran July 8 to 12, and the fair's own media page lists July 7 to 11 for 2027.
Here is what the gates cost, what happens inside, where to camp, and what is worth doing around the edges. Fill in the days on either side with other stops around town.
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Fair dates, admission and gate hours
The fair runs five days in the middle of July at 225 Edward Street, and Wikipedia dates its start to 1897. That first fair came about because people in northern Wisconsin had trouble reaching the State Fair in West Allis.
The fair's 2026 admission page listed $15 for a daily ticket and $25 for a five-day wristband, with children 5 and under free. Active-duty and retired military and veterans got in free with a qualifying ID. The same page put the East Gate and agriculture campus open at 7 AM, the Main Gate at 9 AM and the walk-up West Gate at 11 AM.
The carnival midway ran noon to 11 PM Wednesday through Saturday and noon to 5 PM Sunday in 2026, and the page listed a free shuttle running 4 PM to midnight or 12:30 AM that week. Check nwsfa.com or call 715-723-2861 for current prices and hours before you buy.
What is on the grounds
In 2026 the Leinenkugel's Main Stage and Northwestern Bank Grandstand carried Sawyer Brown on Wednesday, Hairball on Thursday, Sugar Ray with Uncle Kracker on Friday and 38 Special on Saturday. Free stages ran alongside, including the Window World Family Stage and the Leinie Lodge on the grounds.
The midway had more than 30 rides in 2026, including a new rotating swing ride called the Sky Screamer. Kids Zone, run with Chippewa County 4-H and the Chippewa Falls YMCA, sat next to the family stage, and pig, duck and goat races filled out the schedule.
The food list in 2026 ran to alligator, spiral potatoes, turkey legs and fried Oreos, with booths run by the Chippewa Falls Kiwanis, Lions and Optimist clubs and Holy Ghost Parish. Livestock judging and auctions happen on the east end in the Phillips Barn, Custer Coliseum and Rooney Grain Barn, all added in 2023. Church at the Fair meets at 10 AM Sunday.
Visitors who wrote reviews of the grounds mention a few practical points. A July 2025 reviewer said adult drinks are limited to the Leinie Lodge and a couple of small vendors. A July 2026 visitor who uses a power chair wished parking and entry were free and warned that power cords across the paths made it hard to get around. The venue's Google profile lists a free lot, a paid lot and paid street parking, along with accessible parking and restrooms.
Camping at Fair Hill
Fair Hill Campground sits on the fairgrounds, with 34 full-hookup sites, electric-only sites and dry camping. In 2026 it cost $45 a night, ran May 1 through September 30 and closed to public camping from June 27 to July 13 around the fair. If you want a spot for fair week itself, ask the fair office on 715-723-2861 before you plan around the campground.
The rules include a 14-night stay limit, a 5 mph speed limit and no generators or music after midnight. One camper at a 2026 motorcycle rally said the overhead lights stayed on all night and he never got a warm shower; another asked for the hot water to be turned on and counted four showers for about 500 people.
Across the street at Irvine Park
Google lists the zoo open 8 AM to 6 PM daily, and a June 2026 reviewer called it free. Reviews in 2026 are honest about the size: two visitors said many enclosures hold a single animal, and one said the indoor part was closed when the website said open. Another visitor, stopping in August 2026 for a picnic, liked the walk-through zoo and the historic buildings. The rest of Irvine Park deserves an afternoon of its own.
A free parking lot serves the park, and Google lists the grounds open 9 AM to 9 PM. An April 2026 reviewer enjoyed the tree-identification trail with its stairway and called it a one-mile walk, and a March 2026 reviewer said the snack stand sells Olson's ice cream.
Where to eat before or after
Google lists it open 11 AM to 8:30 PM daily. A July 2025 reviewer found people lined up wall to wall on a hot air show day, and a May 2026 reviewer asked for a half-scoop toddler size. The listing shows free street parking and a free lot.
Google lists dinner from 4 PM to 9 PM Monday through Saturday, closed Sundays, with reservations accepted and a price range of $40 to $90. An August 2026 reviewer booked the private back room for a party of 19, while a September 2025 reviewer found it expensive for the quality.
Where to stay near the fairgrounds
A May 2026 guest in town for a century bike ride liked the downtown location, and an August 2026 guest called it quiet with a parking lot across the street.
The AmericInn by Wyndham on South Avenue is about 2.2 miles south of the grounds, and Riverstone Suites on Chippewa Crossing Boulevard is about 2.3 miles away.
The Hampton Inn & Suites on 30th Avenue is about 4.7 miles away.
Compare more places to stay before you book.
Come for the grandstand and the midway, and the zoo across the road and a cone on Bridge Street will fill the rest of the day.
Frequently asked questions
Published November 2, 2026
