Thousands of people spent the Labour Day long weekend enjoying the 167th annual Paris Fair, which ran from Thursday, August 28 through Monday, September 1, 2025.
The long-awaited end of summer event kicked off on Thursday evening with the Monster Madness monster truck tour, the opening ceremonies, and the Paris Fair Ambassador competition where Kara Sickle officially passed along her title to Grace Aulsebrook-Smith.
During the five-day fair, both residents and out-of-town visitors alike spent their days exploring the many shows, competitions, artisanal vendors and various homecraft exhibits spread out around the grounds.
Hosted every year by the Paris Agricultural Society, the event featured several agriculture themed activities and learning opportunities. From goat shows to beef shows, NBHA barrel races and horse shows, milking demonstrations, and the 4-H dairy shows, there were plenty of chances to get up close and personal with on-site livestock.
Guests were also sure to fill the stands to watch as cars smashed and bashed their way to victory during the fair’s Demolition Derby events during the evening on both Friday and Monday, as well as the freestyle motocross and BMX shows.
Of course, it wouldn’t be the Paris Fair without the many lights and sounds of the Campbell Amusements midway, and this year marked a 50-year partnership between the two organizations.
Throughout the weekend, families of all ages spent their time braving thrilling rides like the “Freak Out,” “Vertigo,” “Fury,” and the “Cliff Hanger,” while others opted in for more classic attractions such as the “Tilt-A-Whirl, “Carousel,” “Gondola Wheel” or the bumper cars.
In between all the excitement and family fun, many guests took advantage of the large selection of fair food favourites like bloomin’ onions, cotton candy, poutine, funnel cake and jumbo corn dogs. Those looking for something a little different, opted to indulge in walking tacos, and gyro.
The fun continued throughout the weekend as hundreds of visitors were sure to check out the teddy bear clinic, one of the many Meet the Keepers shows, the annual baby show, one of two VIP 19-plus parties on the track, as well as the Hunter Brothers concert on Saturday, and The Reklaws concert on Sunday.
Sydney Adams, chair of the Paris Agricultural Society’s gates and admissions committee, said that one of the best parts of being involved in the annual summer event is seeing people soak up the last days of the summer break.
“The Paris Fair is always that one last hurrah, the kind of celebratory conclusion to summer where you get to go out with a bang,” she said. “I always love hearing people talking about how this event is a family tradition for them, you know? Like, they came with their grandparents as a kid and now they’re bringing their own kids or even their own grandkids, and it’s just nice to hear those stories and be a part of those traditions.”
Adams said that the fair and all the memories that are created year after year, just wouldn’t be possible without all the volunteers who step up behind the scenes.
“We’re kind of a special organization in the sense that 100 per cent of this is done by volunteers, and so we’re all people who genuinely want to be here, who want to see the fair succeed, and who want to see it be well received by the public,” she said. “Our focus is always set on making sure that this fair is a good experience for everyone, and I think the heart that we all put into this is really evident because we’re always trying to see how we can improve it and how we can continue to grow.”
Kimberly De Jong’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.The funding allows her to report rural and agricultural stories from Blandford-Blenheim and Brant County. Reach her at kimberly.dejong@brantbeacon.ca.
