HARRISBURG, PA (WENY) — The 2026 Pennsylvania Farm Show kicked off in the state capital of Harrisburg, with an opening ceremony on Friday.
This year’s theme is ‘Growing a Nation’, celebrating Pennsylvania’s role in the birth of America 250 years ago. The Farm Show is a showcase of the state’s agriculture, and this year the event marks the official kickoff of America250PA celebrations across the Commonwealth.
At Friday’s opening ceremony, the farm show also welcomed one of America’s founding fathers – Benjamin Franklin [an actor], who credits the state’s hard-working farmers and agriculture as keys to the nation’s early success, and continued prosperity.
“I am told this Farm Show tradition of some 110 years — fairly recent in my estimation — is this Commonwealth’s State Fair, a celebration of agricultural pursuits that seeks to bring together those who farm and those who reap the fruits of their labor. I applaud my fellow Pennsylvanians for this noble tradition of bringing the citizenry together to foster education and understanding. This is the path to civil discourse, understanding, and ultimately, Growing A Nation. By understanding each other, we create a fertile ground for solving our collective challenges and the pressing problems of this day and the days ahead, as our nation embarks upon the next 250 years,” Franklin said.
The Pennsylvania Farm Show runs daily from January 10 through January 17, at the Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg. It features more than 250 commercial exhibits, 5,000 animals, and competitors from local and county fairs, organizations and schools.
To view the daily schedule, click here.