Early closures strained NYS Fair newcomers, left seasoned vendors unfazed
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A rainy afternoon made New York State Fair officials aware of severe weather, including potential tornado conditions, leading to an early closure on Wednesday. Though the fair notified its vendors and exhibitors of the early closure to make necessary adjustments, some still felt an impact.
“While we never want to be in a position to close Fair operations, when safety is compromised we must act to protect fairgoers and partners,” a NYS fair spokesperson wrote in a statement to The Daily Orange.
By 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, two inches of rain had fallen, prompting a swift closure due to flooding in the fairground’s west end along Restaurant Row. The fair reopened at 12:35 p.m. before closing early. By 6 p.m., the New York State Fair was shut down, resulting in mixed reactions from vendors.
“I was so, so devastated,” Henna Squad vendor Fatima said. “I was in a big shock.”
Fatima said coming to the fair each year is a “huge overhead.” Her vendor booth, Henna Squad, travels from New York City to the fair every year, paying Airbnb and other travel costs.
“Being here, doing all the expenses and not even making a penny on that day has made a big impact on the profit range and my company,” Fatima, who requested to use only her first name, said.
As the fair braced to close early, preparations were made to squeeze in exhibitions and concerts. Wednesday’s evening performance by Priscilla Block was moved up from 6 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., while performer Tori Kelly took the stage at 5 p.m. instead of 8 p.m.
Leon Leather Company manager Michele Alcantara said weekday evenings are usually prime times for crowds, filled with people coming to the fair for a post-work concert. She said vendors missed out on the Wednesday crowd.
“When people don’t come, you don’t make money,” Alcantara said.
For Fatima, the fair’s early closure only compounded issues she was already dealing with. She said with the current economy, she’s noticed people are spending significantly less time window-shopping and are instead focusing on the food.
“They don’t want to even cruise around and look for things, which they used to do before,” Fatima said. “For the whole week, I have not been making enough. Not even two to three hundred dollars.”
For more established vendors, the decision to close the fair for an evening was less concerning.
Alcantara explained Leon Leather Co. has been at the fair for 37 years and has dealt with similar events to Wednesday’s during its 60 years of existence.
“In this business, you kind of go with the highs and lows,” Alcantara said. “Some years are good, some years are bad. You really can’t plan how things are gonna go. Obviously it does affect us financially, but you just go with it.”
Alcantara said Leon Leather Co. routinely visits state fairs around the country, including last year’s Wisconsin State Fair, which closed on the final day after receiving 12 inches of rain and flash flooding. She said that while she hadn’t experienced a weather event at the Fair similar to Wednesday’s, like many other vendors at the fair, Leon Leather Co. is no stranger to unexpectedly losing a day of profit.
“I was happy that the fair was looking out for us, really,” Sweeties Bloomers owner Linda Baker said.
Like Alcantara and the Leon Leather Co., Baker has also weathered storms during her years behind the counter of Sweeties.
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“I’ve been here 45 years. And I went through the last tornado they had here at the New York State Fair, and it wasn’t a pretty picture,” Baker said. “I really think that the fair made the right decision to do what they had to do, not only for the fairgoers, but for the vendors that are vending here.”
The fair conducts “numerous” exercises and scenario reviews to prepare for the wide range of potential incidents that could impact the fair, a fair spokesperson wrote in the statement to The D.O.
In 2025, the fair launched a Fairgrounds Alert System that acts as a texting platform to help streamline communication to both vendors and fairgoers. Following Wednesday’s alerts, the spokesperson confirmed the system was used to send real-time alerts to notify the public and partners of safety concerns.
An annual post-Fair survey will help gauge how vendors felt about their fair experiences in the coming weeks. In the meantime, vendors like Alcantara and Baker remain unshaken after Wednesday’s events.
“We’ve been here for 37 years and I don’t think we’ll ever give up the New York State Fair,” Alcantara said. “It’s a family. We just celebrated our 60th year in business. So we’re going to be here for a very long time.”
