The Fair Is Back: Ten Days in Lebanon, and Kids Under 6 Get In Free
<p><a href=”https://mtjuliet.com/event/wilson-county-tennessee-state-fair-2026/”>The Wilson County Fair — Tennessee State Fair</a> runs August 13 through 22 at the James E. Ward Agricultural Center in Lebanon. Ten days, six stages of music, livestock shows, motorsports, exhibit halls, the walk-through history of Fiddlers Grove, and better than sixty carnival rides covering every nerve level from toddler to teenager.</p>
<p>The best thing about it, from a Mt. Juliet driveway, is how close it is. This is a fair you can do on a Tuesday after work and still get everyone in bed at a reasonable hour.</p>
<h2>The practical details</h2>
<p><strong>Where:</strong> 945 E. Baddour Pkwy., Lebanon<br />
<strong>Gates:</strong> 4 p.m. weekdays, 10 a.m. Saturdays, noon Sundays. Admission gates close at 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.</p>
<p><strong>Advance admission:</strong> $14 adults, $5 for ages 6 through 12, and free for ages 5 and under.</p>
<h2>The cheap days</h2>
<p>There are three ways to pay less, and they are worth knowing before you go.</p>
<p><strong>Opening Thursday, August 13</strong> is the discount day — $12 for adults and $4.50 for ages 6 to 12. <strong>Tuesdays are senior days</strong>, $10 for ages 60 and up, which makes a grandparent trip meaningfully cheaper. And <strong>Saturday, August 22</strong> is Ford Day: $2 off adult admission with a Ford promotional item.</p>
<p>If you are going more than twice, the math changes. A <strong>season pass</strong> is $50 and covers gate admission for all ten days — that pays for itself on the fourth adult visit. Rides are not included. The <strong>Mega Ticket</strong> is $35 and bundles gate admission with one unlimited-ride armband for a single day, but it has to be bought by August 12.</p>
<h2>Doing it with small kids</h2>
<p>Go on a weekday. The 4 p.m. weekday gate means you can arrive at opening, have the midway to yourselves for an hour, and be walking out before the evening crowd builds. Saturdays are the full experience and also the full crowd.</p>
<p>Fiddlers Grove is the underrated part of the fairgrounds for anyone under about eight — it is a walk-through historic village rather than a ride queue, which is a useful reset partway through the day. And the livestock barns are free entertainment that costs nothing beyond the gate.</p>
<p>The 2026 theme is “Tennessee Voices and Volunteers Celebrating America 250!” with a Year of Forestry thread running through the exhibits.</p>
<p>It is on our <a href=”https://mtjuliet.com/calendar-of-events/category/family-fun/”>Family Events calendar</a> along with the rest of what is coming up locally this fall.</p>
