Arts & Entertainment
Annual Bolton Fair Starts This Weekend, But Delayed By Debby
The 150-year-old Bolton Fair is the largest agricultural event around. Events from livestock shows to rides will go on with a rain delay.
![Alongside food, rides and music, the Bolton Fair offers agricultural events like tractor pulls and livestock shows.](https://patch.com/img/cdn20/shutterstock/22906546/20240808/090314/styles/patch_image/public/shutterstock-1175717461___08084346372.jpg)
BOLTON, MA — The annual Bolton Fair will kick off this weekend, celebrating small-town New England agrarian roots. Of course, it wouldn't be a New England event without some weather interference.
The fair, which marks 150 years in 2024, will delay its opening until Saturday due to heavy rains riding into the region thanks to former hurricane Debby. Rain is forecast to begin Friday afternoon and last into Saturday morning.
When the fair opens at 9 a.m. Saturday, visitors can expect a wide range of experiences, from livestock shows and tractor pulls to a farmers market, rides, lumberjack demonstrations, a petting zoo and livestock shows featuring cattle, goats and sheep. See the full lineup for Saturday and Sunday here.
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The Bolton Fair is one of the earliest agricultural fairs happening in the state this year ahead of marquee events like the Topsfield Fair and the Big E. The Bolton Fair got its start in 1874 as a small event showcasing the region's livestock and produce, and is one of less than 40 similar events still held across the state in late summer and fall.
Other ag fairs coming up nearby include:
Find out what's happening in Marlboroughwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
- Hardwick Fair, Aug. 16 - 17
- Middlesex County 4-H, Aug. 23 - 25
- Spencer Fair, Aug. 30 - Sept. 2
- Sterling Fair, Sept. 6 - 8
- Upton Grange, Sept. 28
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