Fireworks in January? That and much more at the NYS Fairgrounds
By Mary Beth Roach
Who doesn’t need a dose of summer in the middle of a gray Central New York winter?
The 7th annual Syracuse Winter Fair 2026 provides more than a dose.
It’s three days of fun, food and a full slate of entertainment, capped off with two nights of fireworks, all held in and around the Expo Center at the New York State Fairgrounds.
Festivities kick off at 3 p.m. on Jan. 30, and run to 9 p.m. On Jan. 31, doors will open at 11 a.m. and continue through until 9 p.m. and on Feb. 1, events run from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. As a finale to the fun on Friday and Saturday, there will be fireworks shows at 8:45 p.m.
The event promoter, Steve Becker, owner of Premier Promotions, offered some highlights.
This year’s event, with the theme of “Look to the Children,” will focus on the community’s youth and this area’s rich mix of cultures. Young people will be featured on stage throughout the weekend; there will be areas set up inside the Expo Center, similar to those found at summer fair, Six Nations Indian Village, Latino Village, Van Robinson Pan-African Village and New Americans Diversity Village; and various food vendors will be offering appetizing ethnic menus.
Along the main walkway into the Expo Center, welcoming guests into the fair, will be ice sculptures crafted by artisans from The Ice Farm, in Jordan. The pieces will feature students through their journey from elementary school to college.
On that walkway on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., there will also be two live reindeer and fairgoers will have opportunities to take photos with the animals for free.
And there’s so many more opportunities for photos and fun inside the Expo Center, which is filled with a mini-midway, games, vendors, crafters and nonprofits and government agencies and stage entertainment.
And how can you have a fair event without food? And there’s plenty: Villa’s Pizze Fritte; Limp Lizard BBQ; Baked Potato Express; Paradise Companies’ pizza, sausage sandwiches, ice cream, lemonade, beer and wine slushies; Dean Concessions with chicken tenders, a variety of fries and blooming onions; Sammies N Sweets’ beef on weck and cheesecake. Those wishing a more ethnic food experience can try Kiki’s Authentic Greek Food; Mamacitas (Puerto Rican food); Oompa Loompyas (fusion food); Ji-Woo’s Korean Seoul Food; and Ukrainian food, including stuffed cabbage and beet soup.
Still hungry? Other food vendors will be on hand with baked goods, cheeses, nuts, honey, beef jerky, pickles, crunchy fruit sticks, hot cocoa and slush drinks.
Much of the stage entertainment over the three days underscores the festival’s theme of spotlighting youth.
On Friday, local musician Austin Jimmy Murphy will perform with student band, Blues Ignition; followed by an international student performer; Los Blancos; Gotta Dance; and Brass Inc.
Saturday’s lineup includes Paul Davie with a Beatles Tribute, featuring students from Cicero-North Syracuse High; a demonstration from Karate John’s; Francis School of Irish Dance; an international student performer; a Scouting America campfire sing along, with a crackling campfire being shown on a video screen; juggling star Joshua J. Superstar; Native American dancers; the Barn Dogs; Latin dancing; and The Arcade, a local ‘80s tribute band, whose show, according to its website, offers video displays highlighting some of the iconic games, scenes, movies and TV clips from the 1980s.
Sunday’s stage entertainment, in celebration of Black History Month, includes C Jack Run students; urban kids fashion show; international student performers; a gospel hour; African drumming with Adanfo; and the BlackLites, an R&B, funk and soul group that will have the audience dancing.
Those fairgoers who “got game” can try their skills at the Winter Fair hoops by attempting freethrows to win prizes. This attraction will run all three days of the fair and monies raised will go toward the Boys and Girls Club of Syracuse, in memory of Syracuse University basketball legend Lawrence Moten, who passed away in September 2005. Moten was a supporter of the fair, Becker said. Basketball greats from SU and LeMoyne College will also be on hand throughout the run of the fair.
In addition to Moten, the fair will also honor community leader Van Robinson, who was instrumental in getting the Winter Fair started. He had served on the Syracuse Common Council for 18 years; was its first African-American president; was one of the founding members and president of the Syracuse Onondaga County NAACP; and was instrumental in establishing the Pan-African Village at the New York State Fair. Robinson passed away in May of 2025.
Free parking is located right by the Expo Center.
Advanced sale tickets, available at the Winter Fair website (www.nyswinterfair.com), are $5 plus a service fee and $3 plus a service fee for seniors and teens.
Tickets will also be available at the box office during the event. Adults are $8, seniors and teens are $6.
Children 10 and younger are free.
Also, Market 32/Price Chopper will be selling tickets at their 130 locations in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont. Adults: $4.50, seniors and teens: $2.
Schedule is subject to change.
For more information, visit www.nyswinterfair.com
Fair Counts With Wide Range of Sponsors
Sponsors to the 7th annual Syracuse Winter Fair 2026 include Onondaga County, Visit Syracuse, City of Syracuse; AmeriCU Federal Credit Union, LeadSafe CNY Coalition of the United Way, A-Verdi Storage Containers, Woodford Brothers Basements, Market 32/Price Chopper, Good News York, Karate John’s Martial Arts, Kiki’s Authentic Greek Food, Bass Pro, D’Arcangelo CPAs, Main Event Amusement, The Villa Pizze Fritte, Marriott Downtown Syracuse, 7O’s/RV Way, Michelob Ultra, Charles Signs, Cumulus Media (93Q, 95X), NewsChannel 9, Park Outdoor, Eagle News, CNY Latino, Table Hopping, CNY Business Journal, and 55 Plus.