The 2026 Georgia National Fair’s food competition just revealed 23 new dishes. Here’s everything else you need to know before you go.
If there’s one place in Georgia where “fair food” means more than a funnel cake and a corn dog, it’s the Georgia National Fair. Each October, the Perry fairgrounds fill up with deep-fried creativity, over-the-top desserts, and limited-time dishes worth the nearly two-hour drive from Atlanta.
Now in its 37th year, the Georgia National Fair is Georgia’s official state-sponsored fair, run through the Georgia Agricultural Exposition Authority on state-owned fairgrounds in Perry. It’s also, by a wide margin, the state’s largest: a record 612,706 people came through the gates last year, breaking the previous record of 565,533 set in 2019. Fairgoers come from across Georgia and the Southeast, and the crowd size reflects its popularity.
This year’s fair runs Oct. 8 through 18, and the food lineup is already giving hungry fairgoers something to look forward to: 23 new dishes competing in the annual Fair Food Fight competition. Here’s what’s cooking, plus everything else you need to know before you go to the 2026 Georgia National Fair.
Getting there and getting in
The Georgia National Fair runs Oct. 8 through 18 at the Georgia National Fairgrounds & Agricenter, a 1,100-plus-acre, state-owned complex at 401 Larry Walker Parkway in Perry, about two hours south of Atlanta on I-75.
Gates are open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily, except opening day, Oct. 8, when they open at 3 p.m. Rides run noon to 10 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekends.
Gate admission is $15 for adults (11 and up) paying with a credit card ($20 if paying with cash), $10 for seniors (60 and up), $5 for children ages 3 to 10, and free for kids 2 and under with a paying adult. Two-day passes are available for $25, and season passes get you in all 11 days for $95. Discount days are Oct. 8 and Oct. 14, offering $10 admission for ages 11 and up, with kids 10 and under free. Oct. 12 is Patriotic Day, with free admission for active, retired, reserve, and veteran military members and their immediate families, followed by American Hero’s Day on Oct. 13, with the same offer for firefighters, law enforcement, dispatchers, and EMTs.
Parking is free at the North, East, and West gates. Ride tickets run two for $3, with most rides costing two to eight tickets, or fairgoers can buy an unlimited-ride armband on select dates, priced by day from $30 to $35.
Two housekeeping notes: Bags must be clear and no larger than 12 by 6 by 12 inches (exceptions for diaper bags and medical needs), and coolers and outside food and drinks are not allowed on the grounds.
What’s cooking at the Fair Food Fight?
This culinary competition is everything you want from a state fair smorgasbord. Each October, judges crown a Best Savory winner and a Best Sweet winner from a lineup of brand-new vendor-submitted dishes, plus a Fair Fan Favorite chosen by fairgoers. Judging won’t take place until this year’s fair, but past champions hint at what tends to score well with judges and audiences alike.
Last year, Swift Concessions took the savory crown with the Tybee Island Dog, while Polar Bear Ice Cream’s Cookie Butter Sandwich Extravaganza won sweet, and The Donut Family’s Death by Chocolate Mini Donuts took home the Fan Favorite prize. In 2024, Gillette’s Pizza & Lemonade won savory with When Pickled Pigs Fly, and Polar Bear Ice Cream took sweet again with the S’More Magic Ice Cream Sandwich.
This year’s 23 entries lean hard into the fair’s America250 branding, tied to the nation’s 250th birthday, but there is plenty for fairgoers chasing global flavors or classics remixed, too.
America250 specials
Star-Spangled White Chocolate Raspberry Mini Donuts | The Donut Family
Sugared mini donuts layered with white chocolate and raspberry drizzle, finished with whipped cream and patriotic sprinkles. The Donut Family won Fan Favorite last year, so it clearly knows what the people want.
Berry Patriotic Cinnamon Roll | Sally Sue’s Concessions
A fresh-baked cinnamon roll topped with buttercream frosting and a mix of strawberries and blueberries. Basically breakfast dessert, dressed for the fair.
All-American Strawberries & Cream | The Best Around Inc.
Chocolate-covered strawberries finished with cream cheese icing and patriotic sprinkles. Simple and celebratory.
The Liberty Cone | Concessions by Cox of Ohio
Mac and cheese, smoked pulled pork, and coleslaw, served in a waffle cone and finished with BBQ sauce. It’s an entire cookout, arranged vertically.
Gillette’s Red, White, & Brew | Gillette’s Pizza & Lemonade
Hand-tossed pizza loaded with sausage, bacon, and ground beef, finished with beer cheese. Gillette’s has a Fair Food Fight pedigree (savory winner 2024), so this one will likely be worth the wait in line.
Yankee Doodle Dot Cake | Proof of the Pudding
A blue velvet sponge cake with berry compote and patriotic candy toppers. Built for the ‘gram, and an all-American sugar rush.
Red, White, & Blue-Berry | McGrotha Foods
A tropical strawberry frozen drink with vanilla Dole Whip and candied blueberries. If the walk from the parking lot has you overheated already (a real possibility in Georgia in October), start here.
International flavors
Korean Corn Dog | Umami Asian Bistro and Sushi
Hot dog and mozzarella, battered, deep-fried, and finished with sugar and toppings of your choice. The K-food trend has officially made it to Middle Georgia.
Birria Street Taco Pizza | Pizza Emporium (Swift Concessions)
Hand-stretched pizza dough topped with slow-cooked birria and mozzarella, served with a side of consommé for dipping. Be sure to grab plenty of napkins.
Greek Burger | Butcher Boys
A fresh beef patty topped with gyro meat, feta, and house-made tzatziki—think a cross between a burger and a gyro.
Mexican Street Corn Fries | Meester Mike’s
Crispy fries loaded with street corn, Parmesan, crushed Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, bacon, and spicy mayo. Meester Mike’s is another past winner (Korean BBQ Fries took savory in 2022), so this is one to keep on your radar.
Fair food, remixed
Dragon’s Breath | TBG Group Holdings
A build-your-own nitro ice cream, finished with crispy Dragon’s Breath puffs. Dessert and a show.
The Best of Both Worlds | Apple Fries
For when you can’t decide between savory and sweet: apple fries half drizzled in Ghirardelli caramel and half in Mike’s Hot Honey.
Cafe Mocha Funnel Cake | Paulette’s Food Service
A funnel cake topped with a coffee-flavored sauce, whipped cream, and chocolate drizzle. Breakfast and dessert collide yet again.
Funnel Cake Cheese Curds | Hot Wisconsin Cheese
The mashup you never knew you needed: hand-battered cheese curds, dressed up funnel-cake-style.
Fruity Pebble Twist | Fiesta Grill
Deep-fried cinnamon twists coated in fruity cereal, served with a special dipping sauce this vendor is keeping under wraps.
Deep Fried Pumpkin Oreos | Egbert Concessions
Pumpkin Oreos dipped in pumpkin-flavored batter and fried. A fair classic with a fall twist.
Peach Cobbler Corndog | Schenck’s Amusements
A hot dog dipped in batter loaded with fresh Georgia peaches, fried, and finished with peach drizzle, about as Georgia as fair food gets.
Bucket of Cookies | Mr. Cookie Dough
Exactly as advertised: a bucket of fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies, built for sharing (or not).
Chicken Bacon Ranch Tots | Fun Time Foods
Crispy tots loaded with chicken, bacon, cheese, and ranch. All the basic Southern food groups.
Beyond the corndog
Crab Cake Plate | Quality Food International Seafood Market
A pan-seared jumbo lump crab cake served over jambalaya-paella rice with Cajun remoulade. A culinary mashup for those with a gourmet palate.
Stuffed Mushrooms on a Stick | Griff’s Veggies
Mushrooms stuffed with jalapeño cream cheese, deep-fried, and served on a stick. Basically a salad.
Ying Yang Grapes | Polar Bear Ice Cream
Grapes dipped in milk and white chocolate, topped with crispy kataifi. Polar Bear has two wins under its belt, so don’t sleep on this one.
New this year
The 2026 Georgia National Fair’s America250 theme shows up well beyond the Fair Food Fight menu. A mobile museum called the Freedom Truck will be on the grounds for the fair’s full run, with Revolutionary War-era artifacts, interactive quizzes, a digital version of the Declaration of Independence that visitors can “sign,” and an AI-powered George Washington. In the Miller Murphy Howard Building, a traveling Smithsonian exhibit called Voices and Votes covers the history of voting, citizenship, and American democracy.
Over in the Georgia Grown Building, a new hands-on exhibit called “Crack into Georgia Pecans” walks visitors through the state’s pecan industry, from orchard to table, alongside existing commodity displays on Georgia cotton, peanuts, and timber.
And towering over the midway is the Georgia Wheel, a 155-foot-plus traveling Ferris wheel—the second largest of its kind in the country. Each rotation takes about 10 minutes, allowing riders a vantage point of up to 15 miles from the top.
What else is there to do at the 2026 Georgia National Fair?
There is no shortage of things to do at the Georgia National Fair. Beyond the carnival rides and midway games, live entertainment takes center stage. The fair runs nine free concerts on the Georgia National Stage, included with admission:
- Lonestar (Oct. 8)
- Hanson (Oct. 9)
- Southside Worship (Oct. 11)
- Darryl Worley (Oct. 12)
- Fuel (Oct. 13)
- Tucka (Oct. 14)
- Jesse McCartney (Oct. 15)
- Tracy Byrd (Oct. 16)
- Rumba Latina (Oct. 18)
Multiple daily livestock and horse shows showcase just about any farm animal you can dream up (even rabbits), while competitions ranging from baking and quilting to a corn dog eating contest take place across the 11-day fest. Youth organization events, a circus, and nightly fireworks round out the retinue. The fair’s website lists the full show schedule, and tickets can be purchased online in advance. Fairgoers can also follow along on Facebook and Instagram for updates.
23 dishes, 11 days, and one very tall Ferris wheel—the 2026 Georgia National Fair has a packed lineup. Whichever line you wait in first, wear stretchy pants.
