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Raleigh, Wake County

Raleigh: Six food items buy a free State Fair ticket Thursday

Thursday is Hunger Relief Day. The agriculture department says six nonperishable items at any gate equal one admission. Gates are 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.; be inside by 9:45 p.m.

ConfirmedThe main facts are confirmed by official or first-hand sources.

By Triangle Local Newsroom · Published

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File photo: James Willamor (CC BY-SA 3.0), via Wikimedia Commons.

What we know

Confirmed

  • The N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services lists Thursday, Oct. 22, as Smithfield Foods Hunger Relief Day at the 2026 N.C. State Fair in Raleigh.Confirmed by N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, special admission days page; Oct. 8, 2026, press release
  • Each fairgoer who brings six nonperishable food items to any gate receives one free admission ticket. The special-days page gives the example that 18 cans equal three tickets. Donations are accepted at all gates.Confirmed by N.C. State Fair special admission days page
  • An Oct. 8 department release said the six items can be canned goods, peanut butter or boxes of protein bars.Confirmed by N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Oct. 8, 2026
  • The fair's hours page lists Thursday, Oct. 22, gates from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Fairgoers must buy an admission ticket and be inside before 9:45 p.m. There is no re-entry after 9:45 p.m. Gate and midway closing times are weather permitting.Confirmed by N.C. State Fair hours of operation
  • Hunger Relief Day began at the N.C. State Fair in 1993. The Oct. 8 release said fairgoers have donated more than 6.8 million pounds of food to the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina and its partners since then. The special-days page uses "more than six million pounds" and calls it one of the largest one-day canned-food drives in the state.Confirmed by N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Oct. 8, 2026; special admission days page
  • The official most-needed list includes larger plastic jars of peanut butter and jams; pasta; tuna, chicken or salmon in pouches or pop-top cans; ready-to-eat meals; ravioli and other ready-to-heat meals in pop-top cans; dried or canned fruit in sealed containers or pop-top cans; and granola or protein bars in boxes with individually wrapped contents.Confirmed by N.C. State Fair special admission days page
  • The Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina also lists Oct. 22, 9 a.m. start, and the six-item exchange for free admission. It repeats the 9:45 p.m. last-entry rule.Confirmed by Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina Hunger Relief Day page

Still unknown

  • How many pounds will be collected this year
  • Whether any gate will run out of the free-ticket supply

What this means for you

Instructions from N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

This site is not the State Fair. For hours, parking, the food list and other special days, use ncstatefair.org. Buy a ticket and be inside before 9:45 p.m. The fair says it runs rain or shine and does not refund tickets. If someone is in danger, call 911.

What happened

In Raleigh, Thursday is Smithfield Foods Hunger Relief Day at the N.C. State Fair. Bring six nonperishable items to any gate and the fair gives one free admission ticket.

The agriculture department's special-days page says 18 cans count as three tickets. Donations are taken at every entrance.

Gates on Thursday, Oct. 22, run 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Have a ticket and be inside before 9:45 p.m. There is no re-entry after that.

The day started at the fair in 1993. An Oct. 8 department release said visitors have given more than 6.8 million pounds of food to the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina and its partners since then.

The official most-needed list includes larger plastic jars of peanut butter and jam; pasta; tuna, chicken or salmon in pouches or pop-top cans; ready-to-eat and ready-to-heat meals; dried or canned fruit in sealed containers; and boxes of granola or protein bars.

This site is not the State Fair. For hours, parking and the food list, use ncstatefair.org. If someone is in danger, call 911.

Photos

Text-only. No fair or sponsor photos are used here.

Why it matters

Thursday is the last weekday of the fair's first week and the only day six pantry items replace the gate price. People already planning a visit can pack a bag and skip the ticket window.

Updates

  1. Oct 21, 2026, 6:02 AM

    The agriculture department lists Thursday, Oct. 22, as Hunger Relief Day. Six nonperishable items at any gate equal one free admission. Thursday gates are 9 a.m. to 11 p.m., with a 9:45 p.m. entry cutoff.

Sources

  1. N.C. State Fair - Special Admission Days (Smithfield Foods Hunger Relief Day, Thursday, Oct. 22: six non-perishable items at any gate for one free admission ticket; 18 cans equal three tickets; donations at all gates; began 1993; more than six million pounds to the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina and partners; most-needed list)

    Official sourcePublished by N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services · Checked Oct 21, 2026, 6:00 AM

  2. Special event days bring added fun and value to the N.C. State Fair (Oct. 8, 2026: Thursday, Oct. 22, Smithfield Foods Hunger Relief Day; six nonperishable food items such as canned goods, peanut butter or boxes of protein bars for free admission at any gate; began 1993; more than 6.8 million pounds to the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina and partners; one of the largest one-day food drives in the state)

    Official sourcePublished by N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services · Checked Oct 21, 2026, 6:00 AM

  3. N.C. State Fair - Hours of Operation (Sunday through Thursday Oct. 18-22 and Sunday, Oct. 25, gates 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.; admission ticket and inside the gates prior to 9:45 p.m.; no re-entry after 9:45 p.m.; closing times weather permitting)

    Official sourcePublished by N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services · Checked Oct 21, 2026, 6:00 AM

  4. Hunger Relief Day at the State Fair (Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina: Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026, 9 a.m.; six non-perishable food items for free admission; no admittance after 9:45 p.m.)

    Published by Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina · Checked Oct 21, 2026, 6:00 AM

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