The Big E is an annual autumn fair festival that goes on for 17 days in West Springfield, Massachusetts, well known for being the largest fair event located on the East Coast. From fun amusement rides to racing pigs, musical performances, and scrumptious fair food, the Big E offers a wide range of entertainment and accommodations for all visitors. This year, The Big E took place from September 12th to September 28th. Even though it only pops up for a brief amount of time each year, it continues to leave a memorable impact on its guests.
Upon entering The Big E, most people are met with “a very big but crowded atmosphere.” It even feels like “every step you take, you’re smelling something different. It would be the smell of sweet donuts, then sausages, then caramelized onions, and eventually horse poop,” visitor Kasey Nguyen remarked.
At almost every ride, lines were long and crowded. Some of the most popular rides included the iconic Sky-High Super Ferris Wheel, Cliffhanger, and Star Dancer. The Ferris Wheel provided a great view of the overall amusement park, and in the Cliffhanger, participants were lifted high in the air as the ride mimicked the experience of hang gliding while flying in circles. The Star Dancer was a typical pendulum ride that lifted riders high into the sky, flipping the attendants back and forth. Visitor Emily Huang expressed that “going on the Star Dancer gave me goosebumps, I screamed so much, I might’ve lost my voice. It was so fun and scary at the same time.”
“My favorite ride had to be the Ring of Fire. It had me go upside down, and it just went in really fast circles. I think it was the funnest ride there, even though I was terrified going on it,” visitor Adam Embarch exclaimed.
Contrary to the quick-paced rides, some people appreciated the slower rides. Visitor Rubee Cheng added, “I liked going on the Sky-High Super Wheel. I’m not a fan of fast, big rides, so the Ferris Wheel was super chill. The view was especially nice at night, when all the other rides were lit up and colorful.”
Besides the thrilling rides, the carnival had many exhibits featuring farmlife, which included: horse shows, pig races, and a wide variety of livestock for guests to see. As to the content featured in the horse shows, there was a series of obstacles that horses had to go through to get evaluated in their overall performance at the end. The audience had the opportunity to watch the animals perform tricks for the competition at the Coliseum. It demonstrated the horses’ array in agility, flair, and talent while keeping the audience amused.
There were also other shows and petting zoos for other farm animals, such as sheep, cattle, chickens, and goats. Visitors could feed them and watch them do tricks in their own demonstrations. The Swifty Swine race in particular was one of the biggest, busiest animal exhibits. The event was a resilient race among baby pigs in which they scurried around a track for Oreo cookies as a reward. There was space for the audience to watch the race around the track and cheer on the piglets. After the race ended, the audience was given a chance to take photos with the pigs.
“My favorite part of The Big E was watching the pig race; they were so cute,” Nguyen emphasized.
The Big E included a bunch of classic fair foods as well, such as their signature creme puffs, Craz-E burgers, loaded baked potatoes, fried Oreos and dough, candied apples, and apple cider donuts. As for the non-traditional fair foods, they had loaded potato chip nachos, pickle sundaes, deep-fried butter and whoopie pies, and candy bar pizzas. The carnival also featured multiple music performances where fairgoers could go to watch with no additional fees. Artists such as “The KID LAROI,” “Train,” “ZZ Top,” and “B.o.B.” performed at the Big E Arena. The crazy fun foods paired well with the exciting amusement rides and groovy music performances that had big crowds singing and cheering.
“I went with friends, and my favorite part was the atmosphere; it was thrilling,” Huang added.
However, some downsides to visiting The Big E came with “the complicated ticket system, with the rides, the expensive food, the long traffic while driving there, and difficulty finding parking since it was super crowded,” Nguyen explained. Despite these drawbacks, fairgoers ultimately felt like spending their days exploring the fair was worth it, despite all the cons. At the end of the event, most folks had fun because they had good company and a wide variety of attractions to check out.
“My favorite parts were going on the rides. I had a super fun time; being with my friends and family made my experience very memorable,” Malden High junior Aaliyah Ferreira concluded.
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