The Fryeburg Fair says it will return to an eight-day program this fall after a controversial decision to begin a day early in 2025 caused tensions with the Cumberland Fair.

Last year, the Fryeburg Fair extended its schedule to nine days by adding Sept. 27 — also the last day of the Cumberland Fair.

Tensions over the shared Saturday rose in the months leading up to the two historic agricultural fairs, with Cumberland officials arguing that Fryeburg organizers were encroaching on their last — and busiest — day.

Despite the outcry, state officials determined that they were unable to stop the Fryeburg Fair from operating on that day, even though it didn’t have a license to do so.

While permitted to operate on the unlicensed day, the Fryeburg Fair did see some drawbacks. State subsidies, which many agricultural fairs rely on, are not issued to fairs on unlicensed days. The two fairs also share some of the same vendors, and organizers of the Fryeburg event encouraged mutual vendors to attend the Cumberland Fair on the overlapping day.

Dave Hastings, president of the Fryeburg Fair, announced in a social media post Tuesday that the commissioner of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry had denied the fair’s request to add a ninth day again in 2026.

Hastings also said a bill moving through the Maine Legislature to prohibit fairs from operating on an unlicensed day “appears poised to become law.”

The commissioner’s decision to not grant the Fryeburg Fair a license for an early start is “denying an agricultural fair experience to the 23,000 plus fairgoers who attended on that Saturday last year,” Hastings said.

“While we are disappointed by these developments, we will move forward as the same great fair we have been since 1851 — Maine’s Blue Ribbon Classic!” he said.

In a phone call Tuesday evening, Hastings said he believes agricultural fairs are missing out by not operating on a nine-day schedule.

“Our concern has been that too many fairs leave weekend days dark, don’t use them,” he said.

Hastings explained that many years ago, fairs would share the same midway (the area set up for carnival games and rides) which made the staggering of fairs necessary. But most fairs have their own midways nowadays, he said.

“Fairs are about having the public come, have a good time, and learn about agriculture,” Hastings said. “Saturday is the prime day of the week for families to attend.”

Hastings said there will likely be a financial impact from dropping the Saturday start, but he hopes it is minimal. He said the fair saw a similar number of total visitors across the nine-day period in 2025 as it did in eight days in 2024.

Hastings noted that the traffic to get to the Fryeburg Fair on the weekends is often hectic and can be a deterrent for some would-be fairgoers. Starting on Saturday, he said, can spread the traffic out, offer attendees another option, and make better use of the fair’s resources.

“It’s just disappointing that several of these fairs will be sitting, as they have in the past, all set up Saturday morning,” without being able to open, Hastings said.

This year’s Fryeburg Fair is scheduled to run from Oct. 4-11, while the Cumberland Fair will be held from Sept. 27 to Oct. 3.

Liz Tarantino, secretary of the Cumberland Fair, declined to comment on the announcement Tuesday afternoon, noting organizers were to meet that evening.

Fryeburg isn’t the only fair that has attempted to make better use of weekend days and boost revenue from carnival rides and games. In 2024, the Windsor Fair opened on a Saturday, even though its dates overlapped with two other Maine fairs.