February 2026Prizes entice fairgoers along the colorful midway.
For more than a century, the Suwannee County Fair has been a treasured tradition for the people of Live Oak and surrounding communities. It’s a nine-day showcase for food, entertainment, business, music, innovation, agriculture, art, education, and the popular Livestock Show and Sale, all in keeping with its motto — Celebrating Fair, Family and Freedom.
The colorful lights of the midway are the backdrop for a variety of rides, which fairgoers can enjoy all evening with the purchase of a $25 armband, as well as the aromas of delicious fair fare and the laughter of those vying for prizes at game booths. Inside the exhibition hall, the talents of people of all ages and backgrounds are on display.
After the 5:45 p.m. ribbon-cutting on Friday, March 20, opens the fair, and the peewee goat and dairy shows get underway. Saturday brings the dairy shows, Sunday is the open youth goat show, and Monday features hog showmanship. From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesday, March 24, senior adults get their own day at the fair, complete with entertainment and a free lunch at noon.
The demolition derby is a big draw on the fair’s closing night.
Hogs are the stars on Tuesday evening, then Wednesday brings the steer and heifer show. The focus turns to sheep on Thursday, and then the livestock sale takes place on Friday.
Saturday, March 28, is the fair’s action-packed closing day. At 7:30 p.m., the roar of engines will echo through the fairway as the demolition derby gets underway in the covered arena. Powerful vehicles kick up dust as they smash into each other or take a turn in the exciting Figure 8 race.
Although the Suwannee County Fair Association was officially chartered with the state on October 15, 1960, for the “encouragement and promotion of agriculture and livestock development in Suwannee County,” the fair’s origins date back to November 1914. It had a few different Live Oak locales before moving to its current home at the Suwannee County Coliseum in 1956. The fair was always held in the fall, but in 1993, it began its run as a spring event.
Fair Facts
The 2026 Suwannee County Fair takes place March 20 through March 28 at 1302 11th Street Southwest, Live Oak.
Admission at the gate is $10 for adults and youths 36” or taller. Ride armbands are $25. Transactions for each are cash only.
Fair hours are 6-10 p.m. daily. Senior Citizens Day is from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on March 24.
