Thousands of cream puffs, baked potatoes and fried Oreos will be consumed over the next 17 days during one of the largest fairs in the country.
The Big E in West Springfield begins Friday with gates opening at 8 a.m.
Interested in attending this year’s fair? Here’s everything you’ll need to know.
Tickets
Tickets can be purchased online or once you arrive. Tickets cost $20 for adults and $12 for children ages 6-12. Children under the age of 5 are free.
It costs $11 if you go after 5 p.m. Sunday-Thursday.
Parking
Parking costs $10 at Gate 9. It does require cash.
If the lot is full, there is a lot of other parking on the streets near the fairgrounds. However, those parking lots are often more expensive.
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What should I eat?
To celebrate the 108th year of The Big E, Nick O’Malley from MassLive’s “I Ate It” series wrote a list of 108 foods you can find at the fair this year. He also wrote about the “crazy” new foods he’s most excited about.
And there are food guides for those who are vegan or gluten-free.
Finally, if that’s not enough to plan all your delicious treats, click here for all MassLive’s stories on The Big E.
What should I do?
The fair’s largest and more prominent stage, The Big E Arena, has around 10 headliner acts lined up. Slated performances begin at 7:30 p.m. each night at the Big E Arena.
These performances include Phil Wickham, Ludacris and Big Time Rush.
But there are tons of other free concerts to attend. Here’s the full lineup.
Where are the bathrooms, first aid or nursing room?
Here’s a full map of where all of the bathrooms, first aid and other accommodations are located.
