The Firefighters' Indian River County Fair — Vero Beach, Florida

The Firefighters' Fair is Indian River County's county fair: ten days of carnival rides, livestock shows, contests and concerts each March at the Indian River County Fairgrounds, 7955 58th Avenue, Vero Beach. Local firefighters have run it since 1980. The fair's official history says it was originally organized in 1980 as the Vero Beach Firefighters County Fair, a 6-day program that ran from April 15 to 20, 1980 at the Vero Beach Airport, and grew into the present 10-day event.

The name has shifted over the years among the Firefighters' Indian River County Fair, the Indian River County Firefighters' Fair and the Firefighters' Fair, but the format has stayed close to the original: a working agricultural fair for Indian River County youth wrapped in a midway. The fair's own site gives an average attendance of 50,000 patrons.

The fair runs for ten days in March, opening on a Friday and closing on the second Sunday after. On its fair information page, the 2026 fair officially opened Friday, March 13, 2026 at 5 p.m. and closed Sunday, March 22, 2026 at 10 p.m., opening at 5 p.m. on weekdays and 1 p.m. on weekends. Earlier editions followed the same pattern: March 12 to 21 in 2021, March 11 to 20 in 2022 as reported by WPTV, and March 14 to 23 in 2025, according to Sebastian Daily.

For 2026 the fair listed general admission at $10, with children under 6 admitted free and separate tickets needed for concerts, the rodeo and the demolition derby. Parking at the Vero Beach fairgrounds is free; the fair provides law enforcement for highway traffic, and volunteer firefighters and community volunteers serve as parking attendants. As of October 8, 2026, no dates for a 2027 fair had been posted on the official site.

The fair and the fairgrounds are run by different bodies. Indian River County set aside the land in 1985 as a permanent site for the County Fairgrounds; the site has 45 acres of fenced area and 30 acres for parking and doubles as an emergency staging point for disaster relief. The fair's mission statement says the fair operates on property leased from Indian River County, and that the County Parks Division runs the fairgrounds for other public and private events during the rest of the year.

The operating structure dates to 1986, when the Indian River County Commission asked the firefighters to apply for state money to improve the grounds. That request led to the charter of the Indian River County Fair Association under state statute 616, and the association subcontracts with the Vero Beach Firefighters Association to operate the annual event. The association has a 25-member board, and the fair pays Indian River County 10 percent of its gross revenue for use of the facilities. Every general manager listed by the fair since 1980 has been a fire service officer, and the general manager who took over in 2026 oversees an annual budget in excess of $250,000.

The agricultural side of the fair belongs to Indian River County youth. The Indian River County Youth Livestock and Horticulture show and auction fills the agricultural pavilion with 4-H Club and Future Farmers of America projects. The nonprofit that runs it, according to the fair's IRCYLH page, was formed in July 2017 to promote and encourage the work of 4-H Clubs, Future Farmers of America and adult leaders in Indian River County. In March 2019, Vero News described students preparing swine, rabbits, cavy, poultry, goats and steers for show and sale at the 39th annual fair, with scholarships at stake.

Later Vero News coverage listed citrus trees, sheep and breed stock among the judged projects, plus a barn king and queen and a whip-cracking contest in the barn. The exhibition hall holds contests in baked goods and candies, creative crafts and canning; in 2022, Vero News reported stiff competition in all three.

The midway and stages change each year, but a few attractions recur at the Indian River County Fairgrounds. The Firefighter Training Show lets children put on firefighting gear and help put out a smoke-filled play house; Vero News described it in 2021 as one of the most popular annual events, using smoke rather than actual fire. Vero Beach Recreation Department Aerial Antics gymnasts performed in 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024. The demolition derby has run since at least 2010, and the 2026 ticket list includes a rodeo. Carnival rides come from Strates Shows, whose ride office sits on the south side of the midway.

Country music concerts have been a standing part of the Vero Beach fair. In 2019 a headline concert sold out quickly, and in 2021 the concert planned for the canceled 2020 fair was moved to June 19 because of distancing rules.

Money from the fair stays in Indian River County. The 2026 letter from the manager says that since 1980 proceeds have supported the Indian River County Burn Fund, fairground improvements, other charities and public safety initiatives. In 2022 Vero News described the Burn Fund as giving financial assistance to burn victims, and coverage of the 2021, 2022 and 2023 fairs listed high school scholarships among the beneficiaries.

Each year the fair has also featured particular nonprofits. In 2021 and 2022 they were the American Red Cross, United Against Poverty, the Salvation Army and One Blood, according to Vero News. In 2010 the fair began trading ride discounts for food donations: fairgoers brought canned and boxed goods, and the Harvest Food Outreach Center in Vero Beach received nearly 2,000 pounds of food, according to a March 2010 Vero News report that also counted 43,000 paid fairgoers.

The fair has had two hard years in its recent run. In March 2020 it was canceled just hours before opening because of the pandemic, the same day the Under the Oaks art show in Riverside Park was shut down. It came back March 12 to 21, 2021, with fewer vendors, and Vero News marked it as 40 years of the Firefighters' Fair. In 2022 Vero News called it the 43rd annual Indian River County Firefighters' Fair and reported attendance up. The 2023 fair again ran 10 days, and the April 2023 Vero News report listed a demolition derby, glass blowing and the firefighter training show. The most recent edition is the 2026 fair, which ran March 13 to 22, 2026 under a new general manager.