Sam Hunt concert and NYS Fair overlap leads to parking accommodations

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — The New York State Fair has been seeing record numbers for attendance so far this year, but the ongoing popularity may become a problem for drivers.

Two large attractions share parking at the NYS Fairgrounds orange lot: the NYS Fair and the St. Joseph’s Health Amphitheater at Lakeview. Although the fair only runs for 13 days, there is an overlap with Sam Hunt’s concert on Aug. 25.

So if fairgoers are parking in the orange lot, where do concert attendees park, especially if there is going to be a high volume of them?

It was originally thought that the Amphitheater was in charge of the impending chaos, but in this scenario, it’s the Fair.

Alice Maggiore, the Associate Director of Public Information for the NYS Fair, was able to break down the process.

At around 11:30 a.m. on Friday, they closed down the orange lot. This will divert traffic to other parking lots, including the Willis Ave. parking lot, and free up spots in the orange lot for later in the day.

Around 3 p.m., the orange lot will reopen, making room for cars to park in the afternoon.

“So there’s a little bit of a science. If we divert people now, we can ensure the spots are open later,” said Maggiore.

The brown lot — which stays open– and orange lot are available for parking for concertgoers but are still fair game for fair attendees as well.

Another reason for closing the lot is to avoid traffic difficulties throughout the day.

The NYSDOT uses drones to monitor the traffic and parking situation. Alongside them, the NYS Fair partners with police, Syracuse parking and Centro.

If you plan on driving to the concert, Maggiore suggests, “folks to leave as early as they can to accommodate perhaps a delay, if there is a delay. Just plan early, leave early.”

She added that Syracuse has Uber, Lyft and Centro Park-N-Ride locations available to those who may want to consider other options.

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