Franklin County Fairgrounds
Franklin County Fairgrounds is the historic 28-acre fairground at 89 Wisdom Way in Greenfield, Massachusetts, run by the Franklin County Agricultural Society and home to both Green River Festival and SoulFest. It is a wide, mostly flat site of grass, paved and dirt paths, and at Green River vehicles with ADA placards or plates can park on site without a parking pass. Cell service can be patchy at Green River, and free water-filling stations run throughout its grounds.
Before you go
Worth knowing before you go
- Cell service is occasionally unreliable at Green River, so agree a meeting point.
- Green River has weather evacuation procedures; read them before the day.
- Food, drink and alcohol come with each festival's own permit, so what is on sale depends on the festival.
- Sound carries to the neighbouring streets, and stage orientation and volume have been reworked after past concerts.
Festivals here
Venue basics: ADA parking on site at Green River, no pass needed · Wide, mostly flat: grass, paved and dirt paths · Fully outdoors on a 28-acre fairground.
Is it for you
Choose it if
- You want a flat, walkable festival site with accessible sections at every stage.
- You are camping with a youth group at SoulFest, or want free water and spigots in camp at Green River.
- You like a small-city fairground setting rather than a remote field.
Think twice if
- You need a quiet room or sensory programme: the site has no permanent one.
- You depend on reliable phone signal: Green River flags patchy cell service.
- You want food and drink outside a festival: sales here run on each event's own permit.
Getting there and parking
We don't yet have confirmed information about parking at Franklin County Fairgrounds. The venue's own pages are the place to check: fcas.com.
Accessibility
The operator calls the fairgrounds an accessible community asset.
Festival-specific · Green River FestivalGreen River has accessible on-site parking without a parking pass for vehicles with ADA placards or plates, a wide and mostly flat expanse with grass, paved and dirt paths, accessible sections at each stage, accessible paths and accessible restrooms.
Festival-specific · SoulFestSoulFest has first-come ADA parking.
Confirm your specific needs with the venue before you travel (fcas.com).
Camping
Festival-specific · Green River FestivalGreen River's camping has water spigots in camp.
Festival-specific · SoulFestSoulFest offers youth-group camping.
Food, water and what you can bring
Food, drink and alcohol at the fairgrounds come with each festival's own permit, so what is on sale depends on the festival.
Festival-specific · Green River FestivalGreen River lists extensive food and beverage vendors with dietary options, local craft beer and event bars, plus free potable water-filling stations throughout the grounds.
Festival-specific · SoulFestSoulFest publishes complimentary water service for a premium area.
Sound and sensory
This is a large outdoor fairground surrounded by neighbourhood streets, and Green River and SoulFest both run amplified multi-stage days. Sound carries to the neighbours, and after past concerts stage orientation and volume have been reworked.
Festival-specific · Green River FestivalGreen River notes occasionally unreliable cell service and has weather evacuation procedures.
Quick answers
Is there accessible parking at Franklin County Fairgrounds?
Yes. At Green River, vehicles with ADA placards or plates park on site without a parking pass; at SoulFest, ADA parking is first come, first served.
Is Franklin County Fairgrounds wheelchair accessible?
Yes, in the way the festivals lay it out: a wide, mostly flat site with grass, paved and dirt paths, accessible sections at each Green River stage, accessible paths and accessible restrooms.
Can I camp at Franklin County Fairgrounds?
Yes, at the festivals. Green River's camping has water spigots in camp, and SoulFest offers youth-group camping.
Is there free water at Green River Festival?
Yes. Free potable water-filling stations run throughout the festival grounds, with water spigots in camp.
Is there alcohol at the fairgrounds?
Only through the festivals. Green River runs event bars with local craft beer; there is no blanket fairgrounds licence.
Is the fairgrounds loud for the neighbours?
It can be. The site sits among neighbourhood streets, and after past concerts, including SoulFest, stage orientation and volume were reworked.
Will my phone work at Green River?
Mostly, but Green River notes occasionally unreliable cell service, so agree a meeting point.
A little history
The fairgrounds are a historic agricultural and community venue, listed on the National Register in 2011, with about 15 buildings on 28 acres.
Green River Festival moved here from Greenfield Community College in 2022 and has stayed, with stage-orientation and traffic work since. SoulFest arrived in 2024 from its long-time home at Gunstock Mountain Resort after a planned Northfield move did not go ahead, and its 2026 edition is at 89 Wisdom Way.