The Richmond Agricultural Society held its first animal judging contest on September 24th, 1856. Lord Aylmer of Melbourne was the president at the time. From there the event progressed – new buildings were constructed, and more maintenance went into the grounds. The number and quality of the events also increased.

In August 1956 the Agricultural Society celebrated the fair’s 100th anniversary, with a “Salute to the Century” ceremony. It was an important milestone in the fair’s history and the board was amazed by how far the fair had come in its lifetime. At the time, they never predicted how much further the fair would grow. It had begun with no permanent buildings, only a small judging contest and a few visitors. It was now a place for families to be entertained for a full week-end.

In 1965 the fair was relocated to where it stands today, on the 143 between Richmond and Windsor. This 25-acre piece of land seemed to be better situated for all the activities the fair wanted to hold. Certain buildings were moved from their old location and new ones where built. The first building built on these grounds was the “Arena” that still stands today. The building was constructed entirely by volunteers.

Since then, the fair has seen its fair share of rewards and challenges, often seeing record numbers in attendance compared to the previous year. The Richmond Fair committee is looking forward to another great year at the fair and cannot wait to celebrate it with all the visitors who come to partake in it.