Advance Fair Tickets End Tonight Before Tomorrow's Opening
Perry, GA · October 7, 2026
Soak in the easy morning drive down Larry Walker Parkway today while you still can. Tomorrow afternoon, the fair gates swing wide, and normal traffic takes a two-week vacation.
The Lead
With the 37th Georgia National Fair opening Thursday afternoon, today brings the final opportunity to lock in advance admission savings before turnstiles start spinning. Online discounts close at midnight, cutting off the $15 advance adult rate and unlimited-ride MegaPasses before gate admission jumps to standard pricing.
Inside the fairgrounds, workers finished testing the main spectacle for 2026: the Georgia Wheel, an enormous 155-foot traveling Ferris wheel fitted with more than 500,000 programmable LED lights that will illuminate the midway horizon. Public safety crews have set out detour signage and adjusted signal timing along Sam Nunn Boulevard and Larry Walker Parkway to manage the rush near Interstate 75’s Exit 135. Gates open Thursday at 3:00 PM, launching an eleven-day marathon of livestock arenas, midway music, and nightly fireworks.
Local Pulse
Memorial Golf Tournament Backs Youth Homes Community Over 300 players at Houston Lake Country Club raised funds supporting Georgia Sheriffs’ Youth Homes across five state campuses.
Technical College Names Building for Perdue Schools Central Georgia Technical College dedicates its Warner Robins administration building Thursday afternoon to honor the former governor’s local legacy.
Fair 5K Packet Pickups Begin Downtown Community Runners registered for Saturday's Kiwanis fair road race can collect bibs this evening at Ghost Runner Pizza on Main.
Today's Outlook
- High 83°F · Low 60°F — Overcast
- Expect heavy cloud cover all afternoon, keeping things comfortable enough to leave any extra layers behind.
What's On Around Town
Today
Fair 5K Early Packet Pickup Ghost Runner Pizza (742 Main St), 5:00–7:00 PM · Free Grab your race bib and snag dinner before Saturday's rush.
Art of Science: Creature Feature Museum of Arts and Sciences (4182 Forsyth Rd), Macon, 7:00–8:00 PM · Paid Hands-on animal encounters and evening museum gallery exploration.
Tomorrow
- Dr. Sonny Perdue Building Dedication Central Georgia Technical College (80 Cohen Walker Dr), Warner Robins, 2:00 PM · Free
- Georgia National Fair Opening Day Georgia National Fairgrounds & Agricenter (401 Larry Walker Pkwy), 3:00–9:00 PM · $15
Friday
- Georgia National Draft Horse Show Perdue Arena (401 Larry Walker Pkwy), 9:00 AM · Paid
- Georgia National Fair Food Fight Miller-Murphy-Howard Building (401 Larry Walker Pkwy), 11:00 AM · Paid
- Fair 5K Afternoon Packet Pickup Perry Welcome Center (808 Carroll St), 1:00–5:00 PM · Free
Spotlight & Story
- Ball Street
- Generations of locals assumed the street took its name from neighborhood ballgames, but town records tell a different story. In 1830, early settler William Ball built his home where The Swanson stands today, permanently lending his surname to the downtown corridor.
Perry Daily Digest — compiled from local sources as of 6 AM. For breaking updates, follow your local newsrooms.
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