There's something about opening night at a fall fair. The energy is different. Everything is fresh, the crowds haven't fully descended yet, and there's this electric mix of nostalgia and chaos in the air. We got in around 4pm (free admission for opening night, thank you very much) and spent the next few hours wandering, watching, questioning, and generally having a blast.
Here's my thoughts:
The Good
We walked straight into a sideshow, stilts, knife swallowing, knife juggling, all the classic fair spectacle stuff, while a ukulele choir played nearby. That combination alone set the tone for the whole night: a little bit chaotic, a little bit wonderful, and completely unbothered by making sense.
From there we made our way to the creative exhibits, and honestly, this was the highlight. The range was incredible. Clothespin art next to full paintings, quilting beside Lego builds, decorated shoes, "imperfect perfect" veggie entries, and cereal box turned into an aquariums. There's something genuinely moving about a fair that gives equal wall space to a kid's clothespin project. That's the spirit of a community fair, right there.
We also ended up loving the chaos of the rides. Normally the screaming and noise would be a lot for us, but today it landed as humorous and exciting instead. We spent a good chunk of time just watching from different angles, trying to figure out the logistics.
How does a ride go from a flatbed transport truck to fully assembled?
Is it the same crew running it who built it, or does a separate team come through to assemble everything before the operators take over?
Small win of the night: we brought our own food and ate a raw apple, sitting on a rock under a tree, directly across from a candy apple stand. It felt oddly, deeply badass.
Also, free water refill station. Thank YOU!!!
The Bad
A few things stood out as room for improvement. It's a fall fair, and we expected more seasonal produce and local food vendors, more of that harvest-market feel. Instead it leaned more toward general fair vendors, and one of them nearly chased us down the row to get us into the booth.
The exhaust of the generators was hard to not notice. Started to think of the environmental impact but pushed through those feelings. But it makes people happy to ride, its a fun memory with families and friends, but at what cost? ok, let's put those thoughts away for a moment and move on... you're here and haven't been for decades, let's do this.
Plant-based food options were basically nonexistent, which is why we ended up bringing our own in the first place.
There was also a noticeable trend of AI-generated signage, at vendor booths and, more strikingly, at the animal exhibits. The signs shared how great, kind, easy-to-work-with, and "profitable" the animals were (there word, not mine) without ever mentioning what actually happens to them afterward. It's a strange gap. Happy to tell you everything about the animal's temperament, silent on the process that turns them into what shows up as "meat." The cows looking like they could be milked but were without their babies. That disconnect felt like the ugliest part of an otherwise good night. The omission was doing a lot of quiet work. Was happy to spend some time with them all, even though I've had this experience living in the country for my childhood.
and Security
People were grumbling about the security check-in line, but if you've traveled anywhere in the last few years, this is not new. Don't bring weapons or "shit" in your pockets and you'll be fine. We brought in a camera and outside food, got the hand stamp, stepped out and back in with zero issues. They even complimented my fruit lol. I appreciated knowing that no one has any weapons or explosives.
As Night Fell
Somewhere around dusk, the whole vibe of the fair shifted. It's hard to describe exactly what changes. Maybe it's the crowd, maybe it's just the light, but there was a point where we were ready to call it and head out.
Instead, we stayed. Not like us...
Walked around a little longer, took in the lights coming on over the rides and booths, and let the fair show us its other side before finally heading back to the studio to wind down and get ready for today.
One of the sweetest moments of the night came right near the end. A couple playing the bottle game, winning teddy bears one after another, not for themselves, but for the London Knights Teddy Bear Toss at the stadium. Turns out they've been doing this every year, stocking up bears for the kids. Genuinely adorable, and a nice little reminder of the community-minded stuff happening quietly in the background of all the fair chaos.
Speaking of today, we're heading downtown for chalk art from 12 to 4. Different kind of creative chaos, but we're here for it.
Final Verdict
Opening night delivered exactly what a fall fair should. Strange sideshow spectacle, unexpectedly moving community art, chaos that somehow felt joyful instead of overwhelming, and just enough questionable things to keep us talking about it on the walk back to our space.
Will we be back?
