The Firefighters' Indian River County Fair in Vero Beach, Florida

The Firefighters' Fair is Indian River County's county fair, held for ten days each March at the Indian River County Fairgrounds, 7955 58th Avenue, Vero Beach.

Local firefighters have run it since 1980. The fair's official history says it was originally organized in 1980 as the Vero Beach Firefighters County Fair, a 6-day program that ran from April 15 to 20, 1980 at the Vero Beach Airport, and grew into the present 10 days of family fun. The same page describes a fair that showcases Indian River County youth in livestock and agriculture alongside rides, food and entertainment, and it gives an average attendance of 50,000 patrons, a figure the fair reports for itself.

The fair lists memberships in the International Association of Fairs, the Florida Federation of Fairs, the Florida Festivals and Events Association, the Outdoor Amusement Business Association and the local Chamber of Commerce. Its mission statement says it aims to provide the best fair possible for residents of Indian River County and the surrounding counties, and to preserve and promote agriculture.

The Vero Beach fair runs for ten days in March; as of October 15, 2026, the official site had not yet posted dates for a 2027 fair.

The fair information page lists daily hours at the Vero Beach fairgrounds of 5:00 p.m. opening Monday through Friday and 1:00 p.m. opening on Saturdays and Sundays, with closing as warranted each night; the main exhibit building closes at 10:00 p.m. daily and at 6:00 p.m. on the closing Sunday. A fair phone line is staffed only during March.

Admission is listed at $10, with children under 6 admitted free, and admission includes the daily free entertainment. Separate tickets are needed for concerts, the rodeo and the demolition derby. Parking at the Vero Beach fairgrounds is always free; the fair provides local law enforcement for highway traffic, and volunteer firefighters and community volunteers serve as parking attendants. Coolers, outside food or beverages, lawn chairs and loud noise makers are among the prohibited items, and up to eight ATM machines may be placed outside the front gate and along the midway.

The Indian River County Fair Association runs the fair on land leased from Indian River County, which operates the fairgrounds for other events the rest of the year.

The fair's history page says Indian River County set aside the land in 1985 as a permanent site for the County Fairgrounds, with 45 acres of fenced area and 30 acres for parking, and that the site doubles as an emergency staging point for disaster relief. In 1986 the Indian River County Commission asked the firefighters to apply for state money to improve the grounds, which led to the charter of the Indian River County Fair Association under state statute 616, which is Chapter 616 of the Florida Statutes on public fairs and expositions. The association subcontracts with the Vero Beach Firefighters Association to operate the annual event, has a 25-member board that works with the general manager and 11 committee directors, and pays Indian River County 10 percent of its gross revenue for use of the facilities.

The fair's mission statement adds that operations of the fairgrounds for public and private events are handled by Indian River County Administration through the County Parks Division. The county's Fairgrounds and Expo Center page describes a site of 139 acres in total with three primary facilities, including an Agriculture Pavilion of 165 by 175 feet with a clay floor and lights and an open-air Expo Pavilion of 20,000 square feet.

The agricultural side of the fair belongs to Indian River County youth, through the Indian River County Youth Livestock and Horticulture show and auction.

The nonprofit that runs it, according to the fair's IRCYLH page, is a Florida not-for-profit corporation formed in July 2017 to promote and encourage the work of 4-H Clubs, Future Farmers of America and adult leaders in Indian River County. Its stated goals include teaching youth the fundamentals of animal husbandry and business and hosting local livestock and horticulture shows, with the emphasis on the project as a learning tool rather than on profit. Membership is open to people 21 and over who live or work in Indian River County, and members elect the board that runs the fair-time show and auction.

The exhibit hall adds adult and youth contests. The fair's competitive exhibits page lists a Creative Crafts department, with hand crafts, needle crafts and traditional quilting classes, and a Baked Goods and Candies department, with ribbons and cash awards of $15, $10 and $5 for first through third place and $20 for best overall. Baked goods entrants make two of each item, one for display and one for auction, and the auction money is donated to youth 4-H programs in Indian River County.

Entries are judged by age. The Creative Crafts rules set divisions for Junior Youth aged 8 to 12, Senior Youth from 13 through high school graduation, Adults aged 18 to 65 and Senior Adults 66 and over, allow each exhibitor five entries, and require that items be made by the exhibitor within the past two years and never shown at the Vero Beach fair before. The baked goods rules ask for the recipe on a 3 by 5 card with each entry. The IRCYLH page notes that 4-H Clubs, run with University of Florida faculty, are open to youth ages 5 to 18, with large animal projects reserved for members 8 and older.

The midway rides come from Strates Shows, whose carnival ride office sits on the south side of the midway at the Vero Beach fairgrounds.

The fair's rides page sorts rides by height requirement. The Zipper, Ring of Fire, Giant Wheel and Skyflyer require riders 48 inches tall, the Tilt A Whirl and Cliffhanger 46 inches, and rides such as the Double Carousel, Music Express and Haunted Mansion 42 inches, while the Kiddie Merry Go Round, Tea Cups and Circus Train take children from 36 inches. The page advises parents to dress children in closed-toe shoes, to pick a meeting place on arrival, and notes that the Indian River County Sheriff's Department patrols the midway.

Beyond the midway at the Vero Beach fairgrounds, the fair information page lists concerts, a rodeo and a demolition derby as ticketed events, and the manager's letter names the demolition derby among the competitions open to entrants alongside baked goods and creative crafts. The fair office is inside the Main Exhibit Building.

Money from the fair stays in Indian River County, supporting the Indian River County Burn Fund, fairground improvements and local charities.

The letter from the manager says that since 1980 proceeds have supported the Indian River County Burn Fund, fairground improvements, other charitable organizations and public safety initiatives. The history page adds that net proceeds benefit various local charities, and that money from other lessors of the Vero Beach fairgrounds goes back into the facilities, which have seen updates to the electrical stations, the agricultural building, the IRCYLH parking areas and the campground.

Some planned improvements stalled. The history page says the Indian River County Commission approved funding in 2008 for a fairgrounds master plan covering site infrastructure, the campground, patron safety, parking, entry points, restrooms, midway operations and roads, but that the plan was pulled from funding when economic conditions worsened in the county, and the fair board continues to pursue its reinstatement.

The Vero Beach fair entered a new era in 2026, when Fire Rescue Lieutenant Ryan Krueger became general manager, overseeing an annual budget in excess of $250,000.

Every general manager the Vero Beach fair lists since 1980 has been a fire service officer. The history page names Fire Lieutenant Bill Tripp as the first, serving until 1988; Fire Lieutenant Joe Earman Jr. from 1988 until 1995; Fire Lieutenant Toby Turner from 1996 for 19 years; and Battalion Chief Wayne Howard from 2015 through 2025. In his letter to fairgoers, Krueger writes that 2026 marks his 20th year as a member of the fair board and credits Turner and Howard as mentors.

The letter says attendance has gone up and down with the weather and the economy, while the fair continues to draw upwards of 50,000 guests each year by its own count, many of them adults who first came as children. The Vero Beach fair's next dates will appear on its information page once they are posted.

Last verified: October 15, 2026, when the fair's history, mission, manager's letter, fair information, rides, contests and youth livestock pages and Indian River County's fairgrounds page were read again for this fair guide.