The Port Perry Fair

FEATURE: Serving our community for over 156+ years

Since 1853, the Port Perry Agricultural Society has been running Fairs in Scugog.

That year, Reach Township set about creating their own Agricultural Society known as The United Township of Reach and Scugog Agricultural Society and agreed to hold spring fairs in Prince Albert and Autumn Fairs in Epsom.

In 1862, Utica held its first Fair and in 1863 a fair was held in Port Perry. In 1867, the spring Fair was cancelled, and in 1869, the agricultural society decided to hold all fairs in Prince Albert. In the 1870s, the property adjacent to the Paxton Tate Foundry was loaned to the agricultural society for use for the Fair, but following a major downtown fire, the board decided to move out of the downtown area.

In 1886, the present Port Perry fairgrounds were purchased, and were known as the Central Ontario Fairgrounds, but following financial difficulty the site was purchased by the Port Perry Council.

The site changed hands a few times with the Regal Packing Company purchasing it in 1900, but following a fire at the factory the site was again purchased by the Port Perry Council and they leased it back to the agricultural society.

In 1908, the society adopted the name Port Perry, Reach and Scugog Agricultural Society, and the society decided to hold all fairs and meetings in Port Perry. In 1943, the agricultural society decided to hold the fair permanently on the Labour Day weekend.

In 2006, the Fair celebrated its 150 year anniversary. As of 2023, the Port Perry Fair has been operating for 166 years. This years fair is being run from Sept. 2nd until Sept. 4th.