Fields, Food & Fall Colours: Your Insider’s Guide to the Creston Valley Fall Fair
- blawrence1701
- Sep 3
- 5 min read
Updated: Sep 5
By Brian Lawrence
As the summer heat cools, fresh apples are chopped for pies and green leaves start to turn to bright oranges and yellows, Creston Valley locals know that it’s time for one of the year’s most anticipated events, the Creston Valley Fall Fair!
More than 3,500 visitors attend the event each year, joining with the agricultural community in celebrating the season’s incredible harvest, while savouring tasty local foods, delighting in close encounters with farm animals, marvelling at enormous pumpkins, and watching or participating in all manner of fun, family-friendly farm games and challenges! Read on to learn more!
the Creston Valley Fall Fair's Origins
Established in 1918, the Creston Valley Fall Fair was a collaborative effort between the Agricultural Association, Fruit Growers’ Association, and the Creston Women’s Institute. This inaugural event showcased the best of local agriculture, featuring competitions for fruits, vegetables, and livestock, alongside lively entertainment, including a pie-eating contest!
Initially, the first fair required three locations—two meeting halls and an empty lot—prompting the Agricultural Association to construct the Park Pavilion in what is now Centennial Park. In the following years, the fair would have to endure through many challenges, including interruptions during the Great Depression and then World War II. Tragedy then struck in 1946 when the original Park Pavilion burned down, leading to a relocation to the downtown Civic Centre, which also destroyed in a fire in 1968. After a brief hiatus, the fair found a new home at the Creston & District Community Complex for nearly fifty years before moving to its current venue at the Creston Flats Stables last year.
Despite the ups and downs, dedicated community members have always championed the fair, recognizing its significance to the Creston Valley, so it was a remarkable milestone when the fair marked 100 years in 2018 — and then kept growing!
A Special thanks to the Creston Museum for their invaluable assistance in providing the historic information and the historic photo featured here!
Things To Do & See at the Fair
Held at the Creston Flats Stables, located about 6 KM north of Creston, the Creston Valley Fall Fair takes place on the second Friday and Saturday of September. In 2025, the fair will be on Friday, September 5th, and Saturday, September 6th.
The event kicks off on Friday at 12:00 PM with the Opening Ceremonies, followed by a packed schedule of activities including a tractor pull, tug of war, corn shucking competition, live music, and two-step dancing lessons! This year also introduces the Artisan Alley, featuring workshops and demonstrations by local artists selling their original works. Friday evening also features the very popular Farmers’ Olympics, where teams of four enter to compete in various farm-themed challenges like carrying buckets, navigating hay bale obstacles, hopping in a grain sack race and racing through the bushel basket scramble! Friday's festivities then culminate in a Line Dance to conclude the day's festivities.
Saturday continues the fun with similar games and activities, including horse riding competitions, a livestock "beauty pageant," a watermelon eating contest, sheep shearing demonstrations, and a kids zone with a dunk tank. Attendees wanting to shake a leg can also enjoy more two-step lessons or take a stab at some line and contra dancing. The day concludes with judging of the fair competition entries, awarding trophies and ribbons, and the Grand Parade of Champions at 3:30 PM, celebrating all the winners and participants.
Food and drink options will also be plentiful, with eight food trucks offering a variety of choices from fresh donuts to coffee to popcorn. A 19+ beer garden will also be available throughout the event. On Saturday night, the Local Food Feast—a popular dinner featuring locally sourced food, live music, and a dance—serves as a fundraiser for the Fall Fair Society's bursaries for local students pursuing post-secondary agricultural studies.
For a complete schedule of events, visit the Fall Fair's website or download a PDF copy here.
Top Tips For Visiting the Fall Fair
Now that you've gotten a taste for what's in store at the Fall Fair you are probably asking where to get your tickets, how to get there and all the other details to enjoy your time!
Purchasing Tickets:
General Admission tickets are available for both adults as well as children & seniors, ranging from $12 for adult and $10 for youth & seniors for the weekend pass and then $6 and $5 respectively for day passes on either Friday or Saturday. Tickets can be bought in advance online at the Fall Fair’s website or simply by purchasing with cash at the gate. Please note that the entry passes do not include admission to the Local Food Feast on Saturday night, which can be purchased separately on the Fall Fair's website as well.
Getting to the Fair:
Being about 6 KM outside of Creston, the Creton Flats Stables, which hosts the event will require some form of transportation to get to. Most people will choose to drive their own vehicle and there is plenty of parking — the lot is a 60-acre hayfield! That means getting from your car to the fairgrounds may be a bit of a walk, so the fall fair team will have shuttles running between the two all weekend. For those wanting to skip the car, BC Transit is also offering complimentary bus service to and from the Creston & District Community Complex every two hours, also making stops at the Creston Valley Farmers’ Market downtown on Saturday morning. Biking would also be another great option to get to the fair from town and a bike parking stand will be available for those arriving on two wheels!
Other Tips:
With so many things to participate in and lots of local goodies to purchase, be sure to plan ahead and bring some cash. There is no ATM onsite and while there is wi-fi, not all vendors are setup to accept plastic, so you’ll definitely want to consider paying the old-fashioned way! We also remind anyone interested in attending not to bring your pets - the fair will be full of people and livestock and thus pets are not allowed on the grounds. For more details and tips, be sure to visit www.crestonvalleyfallfair.ca or follow the Creston Valley Fall Fair on Facebook and Instagram.
More Things to Do While VisiTing Creston
Aside from coming for the fair, late summer and early fall are is a wonderful time to enjoy the Creston Valley, with lots of other things to do while you are here. Perhaps visiting one of the many local fruit stands to pick up some freshly picked goodies, or exploring around some of the quaint boutiques and shops downtown or going to one of the area's popular wineries? Check out our fall vacation guide blog here for more ideas of things to do while here for the fair. Otherwise, don't miss the rest of our Get Inspired blogs for more trip planning inspiration!
The Creston area also has all the services you'll need to rest, refresh and refuel while visiting. For accommodations choose from a great selection of cozy hotels, motels, delightful B&Bs, or campgrounds and RV parks for a restful night's sleep. For dining options Creston has a selection of charming cafes, coffee shops, and bakeries for breakfast and lunch and a great range of restaurants for dinner!
Until next time, happy harvest and enjoy the crisp air of fall in the Creston Valley!
Freelance writer Brian Lawrence is a former editor and publisher of the Creston Valley Advance. In his spare time, he enjoys hiking and trail running, and acting in and directing productions with Creston's Footlighters Theatre Society.
