Concession Services at the Exposition Center at the New York State Fairgrounds

This Invitation for Bids (IFB) is issued by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets (“Licensor” or the “Department”) to invite qualified bidders (“Respondents”) to submit proposals to provide concession services at the Exposition Center at the New York State Fairgrounds (“Fairgrounds”) on a year-round basis. The recipient of the contract award from this IFB (“Licensee”) shall be the sole operator of the concession rooms for this facility as more specifically outlined in Section 2.1 and Section 2.2 of this IFB.

The Fairgrounds are located at 581 State Fair Boulevard, Syracuse (Town of Geddes, Onondaga County) New York. The property is a 375-acre site owned and operated by the Department which is home to the Great New York State Fair, a multi-day event ending on Labor Day each year (“State Fair”).

The mission of the annual State Fair is to hold an exposition (currently 13 days) ending on Labor Day each year, identifying, promoting and showcasing the agricultural practices, history and traditions of the State. In addition to agricultural competitions, the State Fair also hosts a 15- acre Midway and free music venues that host multiple national and regional acts each day with the largest accommodating over 30,000 people. There are approximately 600 vendors including 200 food vendors. Entrance to the State Fair is currently available through eight (8) gates. Paid parking is also available in six (6) lots for approximately 20,000 vehicles as well as parking for approximately 1,000 overnight camping vehicles. The State Fair attracted over 932,000 visitors in 2023, and more than 868,000 visitors in 2024.

The Fairgrounds are also open year-round (“non-Fair”) and offer several popular venues for hosting events. A wide variety of non-Fair events benefit from the Fairgrounds’ expansive buildings, open space, central location, and convenient highway access. Current non-Fair events include music festivals, equestrian competitions, consumer shows, community events and corporate and organization meetings. In 2024, non-Fair events drew more than 2 million visitors.

The Fairgrounds has undergone an extensive renovation, which includes the construction of the new 136,000 square foot Exposition Center. Completed in August 2018, this facility is the largest Exposition Center north of New York City between Boston and Cleveland and is uniquely situated to attract events not previously accommodated by existing regional facilities, such as large car shows, major equestrian competitions, motocross races and other large-scale traveling events not currently visiting the region.