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(2 months ago)
The fiesta is over for this year.
It comes around the Labour Day long weekend, every year since 1856.
Every Labour Day weekend a village of about 1,700 people hosts a fair that draws around 55,000 — livestock and 4-H shows, the midway, the truck-and-tractor pull and the demolition derby, and the grandstand concerts. This is the 170th fair. The day-by-day programme below is transcribed from the Fair's own published 2026 schedule; it can still change, so the official schedule is the last word.
The fiesta is over for this year.
It comes around the Labour Day long weekend, every year since 1856.
The programme
Programme for 2026.
Thu, Sep 3
Thursday — opening day
16:00Entrance gates open
17:00Midway opens (Beauce Carnaval)
17:00Exhibits open
18:00Beer tent opens — Open until 12:30 a.m.
19:00Official opening
19:00Truck & Tractor Pull — The first of the grandstand nights.
09:004-H Lamb & Goat Market, and the 4-H Regional Club Show — ewe lambs, goats, rabbits
09:00Horse Show — line classes
10:00Exhibits open
12:00Midway opens (Beauce Carnaval)
12:00Beer tent opens — Open until 12:30 a.m.
12:30Beef Pee Wee Show, then the Beef Cattle Show (Arena)
13:00Heavy Horse, Commercial and Mini Horse Show
14:00Larry and Arnold — Beer Tent
19:30
Sun, Sep 6
Sunday
08:30Entrance gates open
09:004-H Market Steer, and the 4-H Regional Club Show — dairy and beef
10:00Exhibits open
11:00Horse Pull
11:30Sheep Show
12:00Midway opens (Beauce Carnaval)
13:00Beer tent opens — Open until 12:30 a.m.
13:30Gymkhana Horse Show (Arena)
14:30Gail Gavan & Friends of the Pontiac — Beer Tent
18:304-H Market Steer and Lamb-Goat Auction
Mon, Sep 7
Monday — Labour Day
08:00Entrance gates open — The fair ends early today — gates close at 4 p.m.
09:30Pontiac Firemen Challenge
11:00Exhibits open
12:00Classic Car and Bike Show
12:00Demolition Derby — The last big grandstand event of the fair.
12:00Midway opens (Beauce Carnaval)
12:00Beer tent opens, with Jukebox playing
16:00Entrance gates close
16:00Midway closes
17:00
The story behind it
One of the oldest fairs in the country
The Pontiac Agricultural Society has run the Shawville Fair every year since 1856, and 2026 is the 170th. It is a working agricultural fair — cattle and horse shows, sheep, goats, poultry, 4-H — wrapped around a midway, a classic car and motorcycle show, the truck-and-tractor pull and the demolition derby.
One price at the gate covers the midway rides, the shows and the exhibits. Thursday $20, Friday $25, Saturday $30, Sunday $30, Monday $25, plus fees if you buy online. A five-day pass is $125. Children under 3 get in free if they aren't riding the midway. Advance weekend and camping passes are sold through Ticketscene and stop at 9 p.m. on 27 August; day passes stay on sale up to the day itself. Gate sales close at 10:30 p.m.
Beyond the timed programme, the same things run all five days: the Beauce Carnaval midway, the petting farm and small-animal barn, free pony rides from the Agricultural Society, the crafts and horticulture displays, the beef breed display and educational tent, the vendors' kiosks, the food concessions, and the Pontiac Museum open daily. Family entertainment through the day includes the Canine Circus, the Great Canadian Lumberjack Show, Dr. Von Houligan's Family Extravaganza, Dan the One Man Band, and the comedy hypnotist and mentalist Fernandez.
These are the times as published for Shawville Fairground, 215 Lang St. A festival’s exact schedule is confirmed by the organisers close to the dates and can change.
Check the official links above for the final programme before you set out.
Entrance gates close
22:30Sussex — Beer Tent
23:00Midway closes
The Timberline — Main Stage
21:00Jackson Dean — Main Stage — Saturday night's headline concert, 9:00–10:30 p.m.
The fairground is at 215 Lang St, Shawville (819-647-3213). Camping on site is sold with the weekend pass through Ticketscene. The 910 bus down Route 148 runs weekdays only, so it can get you here on the Thursday and Friday but not over the weekend or on Labour Day itself.