Another year of social media has come and gone on the N.C. State Fair social media pages! Whether you followed along on our Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or TikTok, our platforms featured a variety of content for everyone to enjoy. The 2025 N.C. State Fair, themed No Time Like Fair Time, brought many feature stories, food and ride highlights, FAQ’s, livestock show winners, parking updates and more. Throughout the year, you interacted with us in a variety of ways on all our platforms. Check out the top ten posts on Facebook and Instagram below to see what our audience resonated with the most!
Top Ten Facebook Posts of 2025:
#1 Home Chef Challenge – Eyes on the Piez – Winners
All eleven days of the N.C. State Fair feature a Home Chef Challenge, where North Carolinians can enter their best themed dish to wow the judges. The winners are announced each month on social media throughout the remainder of the year! In November, the winners for the very first 2025 N.C. State Fair Home Chef Challenge were announced. The theme was “Eyes on the Piez” and home chefs from across the state brought in a variety of delicious, no-bake pies to enter. This challenge took place at 4 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 16th, in the lobby of Dorton Arena. The first-place ribbon went to Faatimah Hasan for her Blueberry Demure pie.
- Total Views: 1,447,689
- Total Reactions (likes, hearts, etc.): 6,637
- Total Shares: 151
#2 N.C. State Fair Decorated Cake Competition Winners
Peachey’s Baking Company sponsored the Decorated Cake Competition this year at the N.C. State Fair. This competition is always a crowd favorite! During the fair, which took place Oct. 16-26th, we announced the ribbon-winning cakes on social media and the crowd went wild. Congratulations to all the winners and thank you to everyone who entered the competition!
- Total Views: 471,957
- Total Reactions: 4,646
- Total Shares: 381
#3 N.C. State Fair Giant Pumpkin & Watermelon Weigh Off Winners
You can’t think about the N.C. State Fair without thinking about the giant pumpkins and watermelons displayed in the Agri Supply Expo Center! Every Tuesday before the N.C. State Fair opens, the giant pumpkins and watermelons are weighed to determine the winner(s). This year, the first-place All State winning pumpkin weighed 2,244 pounds! Other winners to note were the first-place North Carolina pumpkin, which weighed 682.6 pounds, and the first-place watermelon, which weighed 288.6 pounds.
- Total Views: 445,911
- Total Reactions: 3,043
- Shares: 282
#4 N.C. State Fair New Foods Release
The new foods announcement might be the most anticipated post of the year! This year, we had over eighty new food items come to the N.C. State Fair. We hope you got to try many of them during your visit!
- Total Views: 437,522
- Total Reactions: 1,187
- Total Shares: 1,104
#5 Parking Update from Saturday, Oct. 18th, at the N.C. State Fair
Traffic getting to the N.C. State Fair can be challenging, especially on the weekends. This year, both weekends of the fair also featured concerts at the Lenovo Center across the street, which meant many parking and traffic updates on our social media pages. We appreciate all of you tuning in and looking for these updates!
- Total Views: 406,671
- Total Reactions: 403
- Total Shares: 19
#6 Final 2025 N.C. State Fair attendance number and Thank You
We had 946,811 people come through the gates during the eleven-day duration of the 2025 N.C. State Fair! We appreciate every single person, family and friend group who came to spend time with us Oct. 16-26th and experience the magic of the fairgrounds!
- Total Views: 403,056
- Total Reactions: 2,027
- Total Shares: 292
#7 Announcement to mark your calendars for the 2025 N.C. State Fair
The N.C. State Fair dates should be written on everyone’s calendar at the start of the year! We announced the dates of the 2025 N.C. State Fair on our social media in April and many of you took notice. The fair is a must-visit event each year, so this announcement is very important for people all across our state.
- Total Views: 397,755
- Total Reactions: 773
- Total Shares: 327
#8 Press Release on Tips for getting to the N.C. State Fair
Our graphic design team created a handy parking map for fair visitors to refer to prior to the opening of the 2025 N.C. State Fair. Our press team, alongside that graphic, created tips on how to get to the fair easily and efficiently. This press release received a lot of attention both on social media and TV media.
- Total Views: 358,659
- Total Reactions: 529
- Total Shares: 197
#9 FAQ graphic with 2025 N.C. State Fair Hours
In the 45 days leading up to the fair, we featured a FAQ each day on our social media pages. These questions were developed through comments and messages we received from you in years past. One particular FAQ that received a lot of attention was the hours of the N.C. State Fair.
- Total Views: 295,650
- Total Reactions: 599
- Total Shares: 641
#10 People’s Choice Best New Food Winner announced at the N.C. State Fair
Each year at the fair, the Media choose a Best New Food Winner and fairgoers choose a Best New Food Winner. The Media’s choice is announced the Monday prior to the opening of the N.C. State Fair. The People’s Choice winner, however, is announced towards the end of the fair. How does it work? We post on social media asking fairgoers to submit their favorite new food for that year in the comments. Whoever has the most mentions is crowned the People’s Choice Best New Food winner! This year, the award went to Fat Boys BBQ for their Cowgirl Bites.
- Total Views: 248,209
- Total Reactions: 1,422
- Total Shares: 53
Top Ten Instagram Posts of 2025
It’s always interesting to see how our audience reacts differently to posts on Facebook and Instagram. As a more visual platform, Instagram posts tend to get more attention when they are professional photos, high-quality graphics or interesting videos. Check out the top ten posts on our Instagram page below!
#1 New Rides Announced for the 2025 N.C. State Fair
Many people love to ride the rides at the N.C. State Fair each year, making the new ones very exciting! This year, we had three new rides on the grounds – the Kamikaze, Flip Side and Colossus.
- Total Views: 670,000
- Total Reactions (likes, hearts, etc.): 9,993
- Total Shares: 5,330
#2 Advanced Tickets Online – Purchase Today to Save
Purchasing N.C. State Fair tickets in advance is always encouraged, both online and in-person. Not only can you save money on individual tickets, but also ticket bundles. Online tickets go on sale in September usually, and walk-up advanced ticket sales start in early October each year.
- Total Views: 338,756
- Total Reaction: 4,258
- Total Shares: 2,482
#3 FAQ graphic with 2025 N.C. State Fair Hours
As stated above, this was one of our 45 FAQ graphics that we ran prior to the opening of the N.C. State Fair. It listed the opening and closing times for all eleven days of the 2025 N.C. State Fair.
- Total Views: 277,100
- Total Reactions: 4,243
- Total Shares: 2,921
#4 Final Attendance Number for 2025 N.C. State Fair and Thank You
Also stated above, we were honored to host 946,811 people during the 2025 N.C. State Fair! We truly appreciate everyone who makes the fair a yearly tradition.
- Total Views: 264,544
- Total Reactions: 6,071
- Total Shares: 976
#5 Countdown Graphic: Four Weeks until the 2025 N.C. State Fair
Each year on our social media pages, we keep a countdown to the opening of the fair starting at six weeks out. Some of these graphics get a lot of attention based on the pictures used. The closer we get to the opening of the fair, the more excitement and interaction we tend to get with these posts.
- Total Views: 196,081
- Total Reactions: 2,379
- Total Shares: 221
#6 2025 N.C. State Fair New Foods Release
Another repeat between Instagram and Facebook was the New Food announcement! Fair food is one of the main reasons people come to the fair each year, so learning what new items will grace the grounds each year is a big deal. The New Foods release also includes a map of where each item is located during the fair.
- Total Views: 111,888
- Total Reactions: 1,558
- Total Shares: 1,358
#7 Announcement: Early Closing of the N.C. State Fair due to inclement weather
On Sunday, Oct. 19th, the N.C. State Fair closed early at 9:45 p.m. due to inclement weather. This announcement was pushed out on our social media channels and received the most interaction on Instagram.
- Total Views: 100,294
- Total Reactions: 1,183
- Total Shares: 48
#8 Parking Update from Saturday, Oct. 18th, at the N.C. State Fair
Another parallel from Facebook was the parking update from Saturday, Oct. 18th, during the N.C. State Fair. These updates helped fairgoers know which lots were open and full at the fair on this day.
- Total Views: 81,837
- Total Reactions: 761
- Total Shares: 82
#9 Countdown Graphic: Eight Days Away from the 2025 N.C. State Fair
Another countdown graphic that garnered a lot of attention was our eight days away graphic! We always love to see what fairgoers are looking forward to in the comments of these posts.
- Total Views: 64,064
- Total Reactions: 809
- Total Shares: 289
#10 Countdown Graphic: Six Weeks Away from 2025 N.C. State Fair
The six-week mark begins the countdown to the fair on our social media pages. This post often generates a lot of excitement as people begin to realize how close the fair is and look forward to all the upcoming announcements, like new rides and new foods.
- Total Views: 61,435
- Total Reactions: 697
- Total Shares: 245
Overall, we had a fun and successful year on the N.C. State Fair social media pages. Thank you to everyone who tuned in and interacted with us. We can’t wait to serve you more next year and experience the 2026 N.C. State Fair with you. Mark your calendars to attend Oct. 15-25th!