A “sharp dressed” rock band is coming to the 2026 New York State Fair.
ZZ Top will perform at the NYS Fair’s Suburban Park stage on Thursday, Sept. 3, at 8 p.m. The concert is free to attend with fair admission.
The Texas-based music group is known for its mix of blues, boogie, and southern rock on hits like “Sharp Dressed Man,” “La Grange,” “Legs,” and “Gimme All Your Lovin.’” The fair teased the concert announcement on social media Tuesday with a cartoon “clue” of anthropomorphic thumbtacks dressed in suits (a.k.a. sharp-dressed men).
The NYS Fair is also having fun by inviting fans to participate in a “ZZ Top Doppelganger Contest.” Fairgoers are encouraged to don their brimmed hats, sport black shades, and show off their long beards for a competition; additional details will be announced at a later date.
ZZ Top singer-guitarist Billy Gibbons, drummer Frank Beard (who does not have a long beard like his bandmates) and singer-bassist Dusty Hill were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004. Hill died in 2021; the current lineup includes Elwood Francis alongside Gibbons and Beard.
ZZ Top and Sean Paul, announced last week, are the first two of 41 national recording acts that will be revealed for this year’s lineup over the coming months.
The 2026 New York State Fair runs from Wednesday, Aug. 26, to Labor Day Monday, Sept. 7, at the NYS fairgrounds in Geddes, just outside of Syracuse.
Concerts take place on two main stages: Suburban Park and Chevy Court. Suburban Park will host the Fair’s largest concerts in the New York Experience area on the west end near Gate 10, in the back of the Midway and past the Expo Center. Chevy Court is located near Gate 1, next to the Center of Progress Building and by the Dairy Products Building. Both have limited seating available.
All Suburban Park shows will be held at 8 p.m. each evening, while Chevy Court will feature shows daily at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. There will also be two special additional shows at 9 p.m. on Friday, August 28 and Friday, September 4, at Chevy Court.
Last year’s lineup included a variety of artists performing rock, rap, country, pop and other genres. Jessie Murph, Shaggy and Lynyrd Skynyrd drew the biggest crowds of 2025 with more than 30,000 fans each.
No tickets are required for concerts. All are free with admission to the fair, which will cost $8 again this year — and free for seniors 65 and older and kids 12 and under.
NYS Fair 2026 concert schedule
Aug. 27, 8 p.m.: Sean Paul at Suburban Park
Sept. 3, 8 p.m.: ZZ Top at Suburban Park
