Culture & heritage / Novi
Michigan State Fair
Livestock barns, the butter cow, giant pumpkins, a midway and monster trucks: one of America's oldest state fairs, every Labor Day weekend in Novi.
01 / The story of this place
Make time for these
The first official Michigan State Fair was held in Detroit in 1849, and from 1905 it lived for more than a century at the state fairgrounds near Woodward and 8 Mile, drawing 1.2 million people in 1966. The state pulled funding in 2009 and the old fair ended, but farmers and fans refused to let it go. It came back in Novi in 2012 as the Great Lakes State Fair, and since 2013 Michigan State Fair LLC has run it privately with no taxpayer money. Everything you want from a state fair is still here: cows, goats, rabbits and poultry, a butter cow, giant pumpkins, baking contests, midway rides, monster trucks and racing pigs.
- Livestock shows and barns full of animals
- The butter cow and giant pumpkins
- Midway rides, monster trucks and racing pigs
- Baking and home brewing competitions
- Free parking
A closer look
Photos were taken at different times; images are resized and cropped on cards.
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Sources & fact check · Checked: 2026-10-01
An independently written bilingual guide. This collection is not an attendance-based ranking.
03 / Events
Events at this place
Published events automatically linked from our event guide. Times are local to the venue.
We have no published upcoming events linked to this place yet. That does not mean the venue has no events; check its official calendar too.
Official website & visitor information ↗Keep exploring
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