Commentary: The great American fair is evolving

The state and county fair season is in full swing-but what visitors want is changing, even if many fair boards are still clinging to the past. The momentum is clear: Guests are embracing innovative, animal-free entertainment-and moving away from exhibitions that depend on exploitation.

At forward-thinking fairs across the country, visitors are lining up for interactive exhibits that make the midway seem mundane. The Minnesota State Fair's immersive "Journey to Space" installation simulates the International Space Station with real artifacts (e.g., moon rocks) and full-scale spacesuits

At New York's Dutchess County Fair, organizers introduced a virtual reality "tractor ride along" experience that had folks lining up. The State Fair of Texas offers "Ride & Drive" programs, in which guests can maneuver EVs through an on- and off-road obstacle course. Guests participate in an augmented reality scavenger hunt using their smartphone at the Iowa State Fair. These fresh ideas are proof that today's fairgoers are open to entertainment that doesn't come at an animal's expense.

But too many fairs are still stuck in a bygone era, recycling the same cruel displays. A couple of exhibitors continue to travel the country with lions and tigers, making these wild animals perform demeaning tricks in tiny, temporary holding pens and live out of trailers for weeks on end. Venues that book these cruel acts are contributing to the continued exploitation of these big cats.

One particularly egregious exhibitor hauls sea lions, sharks and stingrays around the country in tiny, mobile trailers. At each stop, workers set up two above-ground performance pools, a drop in the bucket compared to the vast open ocean where they belong. Sea lions are manipulated with food into doing silly stunts and posing for selfies with strangers, while the sharks and rays are exposed to bacteria and chemicals as fairgoers grope and harass them.

The list goes on. Pigs go unfed so they'll "race" for food, miserable ponies plod endlessly on carousel turnstiles and goldfish are handed off as disposable prizes, many dying before they even make it home. Multiple exhibitors tie monkeys to dogs, then have them race around a small track. The monkeys are violently jerked up and down and side to side, putting them at risk of serious injury.

These relics are facing growing public scrutiny. In Virginia, a "pig scramble" event sparked outrage after children chased frightened pigs. Protesters lined up outside a Pennsylvania farm show to condemn pulling contests, in which dogs, mules, horses or oxen are forced to pull oversized loads, risking hernias or heart failure. In Connecticut, lawmakers have banned the use of goldfish as carnival prizes after recognizing just how often these animals suffer and die. The Los Angeles County Fair stopped offering "exotic" animal displays after hearing concerns from the public. A growing number of states have restricted traveling wild-animal displays.

Animals on the fair circuit are hauled from one venue to the next in cramped, sweltering trucks, with little opportunity to rest or receive medical care. Tight travel schedules prioritize profit over welfare, leaving sick or injured animals at risk of being ignored altogether. These traveling caravans are notoriously difficult to monitor-federal oversight is spread thin, with limited staff tasked with inspecting thousands of licensed animal exhibitors nationwide.

The good news is that the shift is already underway and change is being driven by the next generation of fairgoers. Today's young people are more environmentally conscious and more compassionate than ever. They're asking questions, and they're not satisfied with answers that treat animals as props.

This summer, choose kindness over tradition and leave cruelty in the past-where it belongs.

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Jennifer O'Connor is a senior writer for the PETA Foundation, 501 Front St., Norfolk, VA 23510;www.PETA.org.

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This story was originally published July 14, 2026 at 4:07 AM.