Parking Improvements for the 2019 Great New York State Fair Include Large New Lot along Willis Ave

The Great New York State Fair will begin using a large parking lot near the Main Gate and expand the spaces available in some of its highest-use lots as efforts continue to improve parking for the Fair, now the largest in the East after three years of rapid growth. The 10.5-acre lot, being leased from Honeywell International, will hold an estimated 1,800 vehicles. The Willis Lot, at the corner of State Fair Boulevard and Willis Ave., includes accessible spaces for those with the proper license or tags. Centro will operate continuous free shuttle buses from the Willis Lot to the Main Gate and back. Parking will remain $5 per vehicle for Fair lots, including the new Willis Lot. Parking is free at Centro Park-N-Ride lots.

Three Park-N-Ride lots, the busiest and largest ones served by Centro for the Fair, will add spaces this year. The lot at Farrell Rd. and John Glenn Blvd., just off I-690, will grow to approximately 2,300 spaces, the Destiny USA entertainment destination will provide 3,100 vehicle spaces this year and the lot at ShoppingTown Mall will increase to 1,600 spaces.

The Fair and Centro will discontinue use of lots at New Venture Gear and Hancock Airport where use was very light. In addition, the lot at Long Branch Park will be consolidated into the expanded and more convenient lot at Farrell Rd. and the Regional Market lot will be consolidated into the expanded Destiny USA lot. In all, approximately 24,851 parking spaces will be available this year, compared to 25,963 in 2018.

"These are very positive changes. The Willis Lot will put a great many people right at the Fair's doorstep. Increasing lots people use heavily and eliminating lots that had average utilization of as little as 10% will allow Centro to serve those remaining lots much more efficiently. We've grown more than 40% in the last three years to become the largest fair in the East. We have worked hard with our partners at Centro and the New York State Police to keep up with the astounding rate of growth and ensure a safe and speedy arrival for as many fairgoers as possible," said Fair Director Troy Waffner.

"The consolidation of our Park-N-Rides will allow us to allocate more resources to individual locations," said Centro Chief Executive Officer Rick Lee.  "The expanded Farrell Road and Destiny USA locations have easy highway access which allows us to move people quickly and increase the number of trips we are able to make.  This should help us shorten wait times and better serve the fairgoer."

Centro will continue to operate Park-N-Ride service from locations in Cayuga and Oswego counties as well. Park-N-Ride service is $4 per person round trip from most locations. Half-fares are available for seniors, persons with disabilities, and children 6-9. Riders will enter through the new bus terminal area in the Gray Lot adjacent to Gate 10. Trams to all points of the fairgrounds are available inside and four new trams will provide express service between Gate 10 and the Chevy Court area without intermediate stops. All Fair trams are free courtesy of Chevrolet.

In addition, parking is available for $5 per vehicle in the Fair's Orange, Brown, Pink and Gray lots. E-Z Pass Plus is accepted in the Orange and Brown lots while cash is accepted in all Fair lots. ADA-accessible parking is available in all lots. The former bus terminal outside the Main Gate, now called the Emerald Lot, will be used for accessible parking. Free shuttles run continuously from the Orange Lot to the Main Gate.

Founded in 1841, the Great New York State Fair is America's third largest state fair. The Fair showcases the best of New York agriculture, provides top-quality entertainment and is a key piece of Governor Cuomo's CNY Rising strategy of growing the Central New York economy through tourism. Fair attendance is up more than 40% since the beginning of more than $120 million in investments, with 1.27 million people attending the Fair in 2018. The 2019 Fair runs from August 21 to September 2. Information about the Fair can be found here.

The New York State Fairgrounds is a 375-acre exhibit and entertainment complex that operates all year. A year-round schedule of events is available here. Find the Great New York State Fair on Facebook, follow @NYSFair on Twitter and enjoy photos from the Fair on Flickr. Also, New Yorkers are invited to send their ideas for the Great New York State Fair at [email protected].