There is no more old-fashioned way to spend a mid-September weekend than the Bracebridge Fall Fair & Horse Show. Organized by the Bracebridge Agricultural Society, it has run faithfully at J.D. Lang Park since 1867 — one of Muskoka’s longest-standing community traditions, now more than 150 years young.
The agricultural heart still beats strongest: livestock shows, horse shows and demonstrations, tractor and horse pulls, and homecraft competitions for fruits, vegetables, flowers and handiwork across junior, youth and senior classes. Around it, the entertainment stacks up — the Super Dogs Wild Woof Show, a lumberjack show, birds of prey displays, square dancing, live music, and a parade through town.
Families get the full fair treatment: midway rides, a petting zoo, pony rides, hay wagon rides, Farm Olympics and the Giant Vegetable Weigh-off, plus spinning and weaving demonstrations, wood carving and stilt walkers. Fuel comes from pancake breakfasts, a harvest supper, vendor concessions, and a Friday and Saturday night beer garden; family camping is even available on site. Three days, one fairground, and a century and a half of Muskoka harvest spirit.