The Eastern States Exposition, better known as The Big E, has tickets for sale for 17 days of fun in the Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts. This year’s dates for the fair are Friday, September 17, through Sunday, October 3.

The fair, one of the largest events in New England, features top-name entertainment, carnival rides, a circus, agriculture, shopping for unique items, parades, and exhibits. The Avenue of States has pavilions that highlight the best of the six New England states: Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.

Here’s the main schedule for the 2021 fair:

• The gates open at 8 a.m. daily
• The Big E Bakery’s hours are 9 a.m.-10:30 p.m. Sunday-Friday and 9 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday.
• The buildings and Craft Common are open 10 a.m.-10 p.m. daily.
• The Avenue of States and Storrowtown Village Museum and Shops are open 10 a.m.-9 p.m. daily.
• The Midway’s hours are 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 10 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday.

Visit The Big E’s Entertainment page for more information about the concert venues. Also enter your email there to be notified about the artists who will perform there.

Single-day passes for the fair are $20 each for ages 13 and older and $8 for children 6-12. A pass for all 17 days costs $40 for ages 13 and older and $20 for children 6-12. If you buy the 17-day pass, you’ll receive a voucher that must be exchanged for a Photo ID badge in the Coliseum on your first visit.

Joshua L. Brooks and a group of 12 community leaders started The Big E in 1917. They bought a 175-parcel of swampland in West Springfield and transformed it into an events center. The first fair attracted 138,000 visitors. Today, more than one million people come to this annual autumn tradition.

Learn more about the Big E’s history.

The Big E fairgrounds is located on Memorial Avenue in West Springfield, Massachusetts. There are several entrance gates. Get directions.

For more information and to buy tickets, go to thebige.com.