The expo center will offer free ice skating for visitors (600 skate rentals), will now be home to the sand sculpture, and the “I Love NY” demonstrations will all happen there. And get this – the center is so big it could fit the entire White House inside. The space is massive and even has some events schedule – like curling demos, broomball and hockey tournaments, and even a wedding on ice!

You will see another major renovation before you even pass the gates. More parking – need we say more? The Orange Lot paving project is complete. Before it was paved the lot only held 5,000 spaces, but now can hold approximately 7,000 vehicles! Fair officials also boast better lights, drainage and traffic flow – we know you won’t miss having muddy feet on rainy fair days.

Something else to look forward to is the new agricultural heritage days – Maple and Grape Day.

Now you might say there were tons of maple products in the Horticulture Building last year – but what better reason to highlight the importance of the industry in New York? Everything maple in the great state of New York will be featured on Monday – something most will look forward to.

Grape Day (August 23) looks to promote the Concord grape – this includes grape beer! Samples can be found at a special stand at the Chevy Court Pavilion. There will also be a culinary competition featuring grapes.

And what better way to celebrate agriculture and food in New York than with the Fair’s Fantastic Food competition? It challenged food vendors to come up with some pretty extreme recipes to win prizes. The only stipulation was that the vendors have to sell the product they enter. 

And the winner – not surprisingly – is Fried Specialties’ “Heart Attack” hot dog. It features two chili, cheese stuffed, bacon-wrapped, deep-fried hot dogs with a cheese and chocolate sauce drizzled on top, topped with fresh sliced jalapeños – all served on a stick. Second place might be a little more heart-friendly – a surf and turf pierogi from Babcias Pierogis.

Other things you can look forward to? The western end of the fairgrounds was expanded. Now there is a free observation center ride that will give you a bird’s eye view of the fair!

And for the first time – there will be beer ice cream! Gilligan’s Ice Cream, a company out of Sherburne, will sell beer and wine ice cream in the wine tent area.

Looking for fun with the kids or family? Try these new attractions this year:

• Drone Light Show at 9:30 p.m. every night in the NY Experience Area (expect Labor Day). The nightly show will be synced to music – fair officials calling it the perfect end to a perfect day.
• The Jolly Jest High Dive Show is a comical high diving show “sure to make a splash for the entire family.”  One of the stunts even includes lighting one of the performers on fire. This will happen every night near the Youth Building at 8 p.m.
• Kachunga and the Alligator Show features the real American bushman who “dares to step foot into the wet domain of the alligator. Fair officials say it is funny, educational and definitely safe to view. You can find it in between the International Building and the Midway at different times throughout the day.
• A big one this year is the Latino Village Weekend – an entire weekend to “fiesta.” There will be food, entertainment where people can embrace a culturally-infused experience. It will be held August 24-26 at the NY Experience area.
• We also have to mention that Sesame Street Live will have two shows per day from August 22-26. They will perform at the Empire Theater. Elmo. Cookie Monster and the crew promise there will be a lot of singing, laughter and memories to be had if you stop in to see them at the fair this year!

Last but certainly not least, we asked our resident foodie, and NYS Fair pro Brad Vivacqua to let viewers know what he looks forward to every year – and we all know he has a sweet tooth. Here is what he had to say:

The Great New York State Fair is the best place to find your favorite foods ranging from salty snacks to sweet treats. Of course, it’s always exciting to our taste buds to walk around the fairgrounds and find new and unique foods that you’ve never tried before. Heading into the 2018 NYS Fair, I’m personally looking forward to finding a combination of things I’ve enjoyed at the fair in the past and things that are new in 2018. Here are five that I’m looking forward to trying – you may even see a few highlighted as part of Brad’s Best Bets this year!

5. Emmi’s $1 Hot Dog – John Emmi comes back to the state fair every year and this year should be no different. John has always offered his hot dogs for just $1 and I always look to find him near restaurant row. His dogs are good and enjoyable. Can’t wait to get myself one again this year!

4. Maple Products in the Horticulture Building – If you’ve ever been in the Horticulture Building, you’ve probably seen the NYS Maple Products stand here. From maple flavored popcorn and syrup, to cotton candy and ice cream, I’m hoping to get my tongue on some really good tasting maple products here again this year.

3. Frozen Cheesecake on a Stick in the Dairy Products Building – I mean if you like dairy products, go no further than the Dairy Products Building (the home of the Butter Sculpture). I personally love cheesecake and things that are frozen so I’m looking forward to getting myself a creamy frozen cheesecake on a stick that you can usually find in the main hall of the DPB.  The fair is really the only place I’ve consistently found these. Hopefully, I’ll find one again this year!!

2. The Villa Fried Dough – You can find fried dough in plenty of places. However, you won’t find it quite like you can (in stick form) at the Villa at the Fair. I can’t wait to go find some with some delicious cinnamon sugar on top. Grazi and the Villa staff have been making this for years, and it’s a must if you like sweet treats!

1. The Heart Attack – Aside from the many traditional favorites, I can’t wait to try some new things as well. The Heart Attack is this year’s delight brought to us by Fried Specialties once again. OK so here’s what we have on this thing: The deep-fried creation starts with two butterflied Hofmann hot dogs. Chili and cheese go in next. As you might have guessed, five strips of bacon hold the entire thing together. Fresh jalapenos, then cheese and chocolate sauce, and a third of a Hershey chocolate bar, all serve as garnish.