State Fair Hound readers have read many posts advocating for careful planning of your trip to the New York State Fair before going . No doubt, it greatly enhances your chances of maximizing your enjoyment once you enter the grounds.

Well, Fair fans, it’s time to start planning as the Fair has posted daily schedules for the 2023 edition on the official website. Many favorite features from years past will return. Here are some highlights:

Sea Lion Splash will be back in the Family Fun Zone, having made a triumphant return last year after an absence of several years.

The awe-inspiring Hawk Creek Wildlife Center birds of prey are winging in for what has become an perennial favorite with Fair patrons of all ages.

The small-but-mighty Circus Hollywood will be back with big-time, big-top entertainment. A petting zoo and the racing pigs will come along.

Steve Trash, the eco-magician is getting an encore on the small Empire Theater stage in the Art and Home center after a successful run last year.

The cast of wandering entertainers is headlined by the inimitable Hilby, the Skinny German Juggle Boy. He will perform daily from Tuesday, Aug. 29 through Labor Day. Also strolling the grounds will be one-man band Bandoloni, Rock-It the Robot and the Strolling Piano.

You already know that realistic, mechanical dinosaurs will inhabit the Exposition Center throughout the Fair. Also new this year are Lady Houdini–predictably enough an escape artist and magician like her namesake and the Groovy Guy, a juggler with a sense of humor.

The best news is that all of the entertainers named above are free for everyone who passes through the gates of the 2023 New York State Fair.

There will be notable infrastructure changes this year–more on that in a later post on State Fair Hound.