What the Rio Arriba County Fair Is
The Rio Arriba County Fair is the county's annual livestock, 4-H and community fair, held at the Rio Arriba County Fairgrounds in Abiquiu. The 2026 fair week ran July 27 to August 2, with public events July 29 to August 1: lambs, goats, swine, steers, breeding heifers, rabbits and poultry on show, indoor exhibits in baking, photography, welding, sewing, cake decorating and youth projects, a kids' rodeo on Friday, July 31 at 6 p.m. (barrel racing, pole bending, mutton busting and more) and the Junior Livestock and Homemade Delights Auction on Saturday, August 1. Food, craft and information vendors can take a booth for a $20 permit covering the whole fair.
Who Can Enter
- 4-H and FFA classes are open to registered members in Rio Arriba or Los Alamos County who are enrolled in the project.
- Open classes are for residents of Rio Arriba or Los Alamos County: Booster (ages 5 to 8), Youth (age 8 and out of 3rd grade through 17) and Adult (18 and up).
- Age divisions for 4-H are Novice (8-year-olds in 3rd grade through 11-year-olds in 5th), Junior (11-year-olds in 6th grade through 13-year-olds in 7th) and Senior (13-year-olds in 8th grade through age 18).
How to Enter and What It Costs
All entries, livestock, 4-H indoor and open, are made online through Fair Entry. The fair is free to enter, but exhibitors must continue through the payment screen, which shows no charge, so the registration is finalized and tags can be printed. All market steers, breeding heifers, market lambs, goats, swine, rabbits, poultry and horses must be declared on a nomination certificate, and 4-H and FFA animals must be ear tagged at the designated times or they are moved into the youth Open Division. Optional RV spaces cost $100 each. Livestock stalls and RV spaces are assigned by lottery on the Sunday before the fair.
Livestock Rules
- Check-in runs 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and each animal gets one official weight with no re-weigh.
- Minimum market weights are steers 900 pounds, lambs 90 (Southdowns 80), goats 60 and swine 190. Fryer pens and rabbit meat pens must weigh 3.0 to 5.5 pounds per bird or rabbit.
- Animals under minimum weight may show for ribbons only and cannot sell at auction or win champion.
- Animals must be washed before arrival and inspected by the veterinarian and livestock inspector before unloading. Beef shows are blow and show.
- Each junior market exhibitor signs a Wholesome Meat Act certificate and turns in a county health record at check-in.
- Dress code requires a long sleeve button-up shirt in the ring and no hats, except western hats at the horse show.
- The livestock barn and arena close at 10 p.m. nightly and reopen at 6 a.m.
- Judging follows the Modified Danish system.
Awards
Livestock earns blue, red and white ribbons, breed champion rosettes, grand and reserve champion rosettes or buckles, and trophies. Indoor exhibits earn ribbons, Best of Show and Grand Champion, High Point awards in each age group, and three overall indoor buckles for novice, junior and senior. A first place entry in each class may receive a State Fair sticker to advance to the New Mexico State Fair.
The Junior Livestock and Homemade Delights Auction
The auction is Saturday in the show ring with no secondary auction. The grand and reserve champion market steer, swine, lamb and goat are eligible, along with one rabbit meat pen, one fryer pen and one layer pen, and third and fourth place can bump up if higher placings are pulled. An exhibitor may sell at most two animals, and only one beef. A $30 administration fee applies per animal sold. Steers sell by the pound, paid up to 1,300 pounds. Animals sold become the buyer's property and cannot be shown elsewhere. In the Homemade Delights contest, the grand and reserve champions sell live and the other classes are bid on in a silent ringside auction.
Where
Rio Arriba County Fairgrounds, Abiquiu, New Mexico. The grounds are alcohol and drug free.
Questions
Can Los Alamos County youth take part?
Yes. Los Alamos County 4-H members can show livestock and enter the Homemade Delights contest after meeting project requirements.
Can I sell my indoor exhibit?
Yes, through a silent auction sheet you provide on the last Saturday. Items are picked up Sunday and sales are private.
Where can I find vendor permits and auction details?
On the fair association website, racfa.net.
Official Links
- Rio Arriba County Fair page and Fair Entry instructions
- 2026 Rio Arriba County Fair Rules
- Los Alamos Daily Post fair announcement
New Mexico County Fairs: The Essentials
New Mexico county fairs are run through local NMSU Cooperative Extension offices, and every county publishes its own fair book. Check yours before buying an animal, because rules differ.
2026 dates
Chaves County ran July 24 to August 1, Eastern Navajo held its show July 23 and 24, Curry County ran August 10 to 15 and Socorro County ran August 31 to September 6, per their fair books.
What varies
Minimum market steer weights range from 800 pounds in Chaves to 950 in Curry County. Ownership deadlines, tagging, health papers and entry fees also differ, and Curry requires YQCA for production steers.
Sale and state fair
Each fair holds a junior livestock sale; Curry caps slots at 102 and lets each exhibitor sell one animal. Blue ribbon winners and qualifying livestock exhibitors can go on to the New Mexico State Fair at Expo New Mexico in Albuquerque. Entry deadlines run from mid-June to August 1, so mark them early. Ask your Extension office for next year's fair book and deadlines.
Other Upcoming Events Nearby
- Rio Arriba County Fair Junior Livestock and Homemade Delights Auction
Saturday auction in the show ring selling junior livestock and homemade goods. Held each year; the most recent date was August 1, 2026.
Espanola, NM | Organizer: Rio Arriba County Fair Official event details - Bernalillo County Pressure Canner Testing
Home canners bring pressure canner gauges for testing in a Wednesday afternoon session. Held several times each year; the most recent session was November 11, 2026.
1510 Menaul Blvd NW, Albuquerque, NM 87107 | (505) 243-1386 | Organizer: Bernalillo County Extension Office Official event details - Successful Weed Control Class
Registration-required Extension class on controlling weeds on small acreages and home landscapes. Held each year; the most recent class was November 14, 2026.
Albuquerque, NM | Organizer: Bernalillo County Extension Office Official event details - Valencia County Master Gardener Open House
Open house for prospective volunteers at the Valencia County Extension Office, with a presentation at 5:30 PM on November 18, 2026. RSVP by November 16; 2027 intern applications are due December 18, 2026.
404 Courthouse Road, Los Lunas, NM 87031 | 505-565-3002 | Organizer: NMSU Valencia County Cooperative Extension Service Official event details - Bachechi Speaker Series Animal Trailing
Morning talk on animal trailing at the Bachechi Open Space in Albuquerque's North Valley, part of an Extension speaker series. Held on the stated date, November 21, 2026.
Albuquerque, NM | Organizer: Bernalillo County Extension Office Official event details
Listing checked Nov. 11, 2026 against this source. Details can change; confirm with the organizer.