The State Fair Meadowlands (formerly the Meadowlands Fair) is a carnival held every summer at the
Meadowlands Sports Complex
The Meadowlands Sports Complex is a sports complex located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States. The facility is owned and operated by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority (NJSEA). It is named for the New Jersey Meadowlands ...
in
East Rutherford, New Jersey
East Rutherford is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is an inner suburb, inner-ring suburb of New York City, located west of Midtown Manhattan. As of the 2020 Unit ...
. The fair is held in the parking lot that surrounds the
MetLife Stadium
MetLife Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States, 5 mi (8 km) west of New York City. It opened in 2010, replacing Giants Stadium, and serves as the home for the ...
and runs for two weeks in late June and early July. It attracts over 300,000 visitors per year, peaking at around 400,000 people in 2022.
Despite its name, it is not the official state fair of New Jersey, but instead, that honor belongs to the
New Jersey State Fair, which purchased the state fair moniker in 1999. Instead, the name for the Meadowlands event is a title sponsorship; State Fair Superstore, a large seasonal merchandise seller and equipment rental company in
Little Falls, New Jersey
Little Falls is a township in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The township was named after a waterfall on the Passaic River at a dam near Beattie Mill. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 13,360 ...
, operates the carnival.
List of attractions
Family/Kiddie Rides
* Bumble Bee
* Construction Zone
*
Merry-Go-Round
A carousel or carrousel (mainly North American English), merry-go-round (International English), or galloper (British English) is a type of amusement ride consisting of a rotating circular platform with seats for riders. The seats are tradit ...
* Double-Decker
Carousel
A carousel or carrousel (mainly North American English), merry-go-round (International English), or galloper (British English) is a type of amusement ride consisting of a rotating circular platform with seats for riders. The seats are tradit ...
*
Elephant
Elephants are the largest living land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant ('' Loxodonta africana''), the African forest elephant (''L. cyclotis''), and the Asian elephant ('' Elephas maximus ...
s
* Family Swinger
* Fire Chief
* Frog Hopper
* Speedway
* Go Gator
* Happy Swing
* Jalopy Junction
* Jet Ski/Waverunner
* Jungle of Fun
* Mini Bumper Boats
* Mini Himalaya
* Mini-Indy
* Monkey Mayhem
*
Motorcycle
A motorcycle (motorbike, bike; uni (if one-wheeled); trike (if three-wheeled); quad (if four-wheeled)) is a lightweight private 1-to-2 passenger personal motor vehicle Steering, steered by a Motorcycle handlebar, handlebar from a saddle-style ...
s
* Quadrunners
* Rainbow Rock
* Red Baron
*
Rockin' Tug
Rockin' Tug is a flat tugboat ride manufactured by Zamperla. The ride is manufactured in both traveling and park versions. It is the first of a line of new "halfpiperides". Zamperla's Disk'O is another popular ride from that "family". The differe ...
* Safari Train
* Tomb of Doom
* VW Cars
* Wacky Worm
Thrill Rides
* Banzai
*
Bumper Cars
Bumper cars or dodgems are the generic names for a type of flat amusement ride consisting of multiple small electrically powered cars which draw power from the floor or ceiling, and which are turned on and off remotely by an operator. They are ...
* Cliffhanger
* Crazy Mouse
* Crazy Outback
* Cuckoo Fun House
* Darton Slide
* Disko
* Enterprise
* Fireball
*
Giant Wheel
* Gravitron
* Haunted House Dark Ride
* Haunted Mansion Dark Ride
* Heavy Haulin’ Inflate
* Himalaya
* Magic Maze
* Mardi Gras Glasshouse
* Musik Express
* Raiders Funhouse
* Ring of Fire
* Rock & Roll Funhouse
* Rock 'n Roll
* Scooter
* Sizzler
* Sky Ride
* Skyflyer
* Space Roller
* Spongebob Funhouse
* Storybookland – Peter Pan's Palace
* Super Slide
*
Tilt-A-Whirl
Tilt-A-Whirl is a flat ride designed for commercial use at amusement parks, fairs, and carnivals. The ride consists of a number of cars which rotate freely while moving in a circle. As the cars revolve, the floor of the ride undulates so that th ...
* Tornado (Wisdom)
* Wave Swinger
*
Zipper
A zipper (N. America), zip, zip fastener (UK), formerly known as a clasp locker, is a commonly used device for binding together two edges of textile, fabric or other flexible material. Used in clothing (e.g. jackets and jeans), luggage and oth ...
* Zyklon
Other attractions
Other than the rides, there are free shows and events at the fair such as racing
pig
The pig (''Sus domesticus''), also called swine (: swine) or hog, is an omnivorous, domesticated, even-toed, hoofed mammal. It is named the domestic pig when distinguishing it from other members of the genus '' Sus''. Some authorities cons ...
s, a
petting zoo
A petting zoo (also called a children's zoo, children's farm, or petting farm) features a combination of domesticated animals and some wild species that are docile enough to touch and feed. In addition to independent petting zoos, many general ...
, a
circus
A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicy ...
, a magic show, a hypnotist, concerts, etc. The fair also displays fireworks on select nights.
Incidents
At around 11:30 PM on June 22, 2017, which was the opening night for the 2017 season of the fair, gunshots were fired on the fairgrounds. Guests ran away from the area where the shots were being fired off. No one was shot or injured.
Shots fired at State Fair Meadowlands in East Rutherford, ABC 7 New York
Accessed June 23, 2017.
References
External links
State Fair Meadowlands Site
Tourist attractions in Bergen County, New Jersey
Buildings and structures in Bergen County, New Jersey
Annual fairs
State fairs
June
July
Festivals established in 1921
{{US-festival-stub