2025 PA Farm Show

PA Farm Show Miniature Horse Pull

Saddle Up. You "Butter" Be Coming! 
The PA Farm Show "Mooooves" in to Harrisburg, January 4 - 11, 2025.

PA Preferred Food Court Preview: Friday, Jan. 3 from noon to 9pm
Farm Show Hours: Jan. 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, from 8am to 9pm
Sunday, Jan. 5 from 8am to - 8pm  &  Saturday, Jan. 11 from 8am to 5pm

As the largest indoor agricultural exposition in the country, the PA Farm Show welcomes more than half a million visitors each year, along with 6,000 animals, hundreds of exhibits and vendors, dozens of demonstrations and contests, and one incredible butter sculpture! With 24 acres of agricultural entertainment, where does one begin? Check out our PA Farm Show Guide with must-see activities, essential eats, and pro tips:

 

Must-Sees and Dos

The PA Farm Show boasts eight full days of shows, competitions, demonstrations, and exhibits. If you’re having trouble deciding what to see and do, here are a few crowd favorites!

*Subject to change pending final schedule. 

Angora Palooza (Sale Arena) -- Angora rabbits are the fluffiest around, and rabbit breeders weave angora fibers from the bunny to the loom.  

Rabbit Hopping demonstration ( Main Hall Stage) -- Cotton-tailed competitors hop along an exciting obstacle course. 

Sheep-to-Shawl ( Sale Arena) -- Watch speedy sheep shearing! Piles of sheep’s wool are spun and weaved by a team of artisans into beautiful competition shawls.

PA Preferred Culinary Connection (Every day - Main Hall) -- Featuring celebrity chefs, demonstrations, challenges, and samples. Get inspired for your own PA farm-to-table culinary adventures.

First Frontier Rodeo Circuit Finals "The Greatest Show on Dirt" is a ticketed event, and you’ll need to purchase tickets in advance. But the excitement is worth the purchase!

Horses PA Farm show 

PA Farm Show 

Explore. Sample. Shop. 

You’re going to get your steps in walking around the PA Farm Show. Make the trek even more enjoyable as you and the family become PA Farm Show AgExplorers! Follow the map to roughly 20 interactive stations throughout the complex to learn about all things PA Agriculture, like maple syrup production, mushrooms, veterinary medicine, PA wildlife, forestry with the step-on PA Woodmobile, and more!

Swig some complimentary samples of Pennsylvania craft beer! Pennsylvania is a powerhouse for craft beer ingenuity with brewers producing bold flavors and big taste. 

Shop the PA Marketplace and bring home an armload of incredible Pennsylvania-made products from hot sauce and jerky to candy and snacks. Check out the roadside stand-style Farmer’s Market in the Main Hall with cheese, maple, honey, vegetables, and apples - all fresh, Pennsylvania products - ready to purchase in bulk.

Say ‘Happy Birthday’ to one of the baby calves born each day of the show at the Calving Corner.

Essential Eats

It’s very important that you arrive hungry. With a weeklong celebration of agriculture and farming, you know eats from the Farm Show Food Court will be fresh and delicious.  

Despite the January weather, these legen-DAIRY milkshakes are a must. The PA Dairymen’s Association has been known to churn out more than 20,000 shakes a day. Try annual staples of chocolate, vanilla, and choco-nilla mix. Need even MORE calcium? Grab toasted cheese sandwiches and deep-fried mozzarella cubes!

Did you know? Mushrooms are PA's #1 crop. You MUST try the blended mushroom burger or share a cup of breaded mushrooms. (Sharing is optional if we're being honest:)

If you thought you knew all the ways to eat a potato, sample the potato doughnuts by PA Cooperative Potato Growers, Inc., made hot and fresh before your eyes. You can also connect with PA Polish and Russian roots with a delicious potato pancake or pierogi.

Embrace the homegrown taste of Pennsylvania Dutch cooking. Goulash and meatloaf to chicken pot pie and pepper cabbage, traditional Pennsylvanian meals are good for the soul.

Farm Show Milk Shakes  

When you’re in the mood for a fresh crunch, the PA Vegetable Growers Association offers everything from salads and wraps to batter-dipped veggies and blooming onions. 

It goes without saying that you’ll find a seemingly endless array of savory sandwiches, from pork barbecue and beef brisket, turkey burgers and sausages. How about a walking goat taco or a lolly porkchop. Stop by the PA Livestock Association booth for those items plus gluten-free meatballs or the Sausage O’ the Day. 

Mouthwatering maple flavors? You'll find them in spades from the PA Maple Syrup Producers Council. Maple sundaes. Maple frozen yogurt. Maple cotton candy. Maple coated nuts. Maple sugar and MORE. 

Llama at farm show  

Things You Don’t See Every Day

The PA Farm Show is a lot of what you’d expect—farm animals, tractors, and competitions—and some things you don’t see every day, like a sculpture made entirely of butter. The American Dairy Association North East chisels the masterpiece with roughly 1,000 pounds of golden goodness. In case you’re worried that so much good butter will go to waste, they use expired butter that would have otherwise been discarded! Find it in the Main Hall throughout the event. 

You probably expected to see lots of of blue ribbon cakes, pies, craft beverages, and produce - but what about a blue ribbon - mullet? The new Mullet Contest will have participants showing off their best "business in the front, party in the back" looks and locks! (Main Hall Stage)

If you think hundreds of Square Dancing participants twirling and whirling at once would be a sight to behold, wait until you see the tractors. What? Yes, Tractor Square Dancing (Equine Arena) is the quirkiest attraction and a big crowd pleaser. Witness eight tractors circling and promenading with expert precision.

Pro Tips

There’s so much to see and do (and eat) at the PA Farm Show! Make your Farm Show experience as hassle-free as possible with these traveler tips:

  • Admission: It's FREE to visit the PA Farm Show.
  • Best Times to Visit: The ideal time to visit is between 9 AM and noon. The busiest times are weekends and weekdays from 3:30 PM to 5:30 PM.
  • Getting Here: Before you reach the Hershey Harrisburg Region, download the PA 511 app for the latest travel alerts and traffic maps. There’s a Farm Show function that can help you avoid snafus in and around Harrisburg.
  • Parking: It costs $15 per car at all PA Farm Show Complex lots. Payment is by credit card only (no cash) or pre-purchased Visa or Mastercard gift cards. At peak times the main parking lot can fill up. Stay tuned to Facebook for lot updates. You can also unload everyone at the main entrance of the Cameron Street Lobby, then park the car in the lot. Free shuttle service is available.
  • Food Vendors: Food vendors will accept both cash and credit cards. Guests should be prepared with both cash and credit for other vendors throughout the complex. 
  • Getting Around: There’s a lot of walking at the PA Farm Show, and for those visitors with mobility issues, the venue provides wheelchairs free of charge, first come, first served. 
  • Attire: In addition to getting your steps in, you might find a pile of something you don’t want to step in. Wear comfortable shoes, but not your new kicks you got for the holidays. 
  • Pets: For the safety of all animals on the property, no pets are allowed except service dogs. No dogs are permitted in the poultry area.
  • Hygiene: If you've had a chance to pet one of our beautiful animals, be sure to wash your hands thoroughly before eating or touching food items. Hand sanitizer stations are available throughout the complex.
  • Safety: Be careful around the animals. If you get too close or startle them, they may kick, bite, or move quickly.

More to Explore

Round out your PA Farm Show excursion with Harrisburg Restaurants, attractions and events!