New Hampshire Sheep and Wool Festival: A Guide for Fiber Enthusiasts
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If you're into fiber arts — knitting, spinning, weaving, felting, or anything involving yarn, fleece, or textiles — the New Hampshire Sheep and Wool Festival is one of the best events in New England. It draws fiber enthusiasts from across the region to a single weekend of fleece sales, spinning demonstrations, sheepdog trials, and more yarn vendors than you'd think possible.
Here's what you need to know before you go.
What It Is
The NH Sheep and Wool Festival is a specialty agricultural event focused on sheep, wool, fiber arts, and the broader world of textile crafts. It's typically held in spring at the Deerfield Fairgrounds in Deerfield, New Hampshire — the same grounds that host the Deerfield Fair in the fall.
Unlike a traditional agricultural fair, this event is laser-focused on fiber. The vendors are selling raw fleece, hand-dyed yarn, roving, spinning wheels, looms, needles, patterns, and finished textile goods. The demonstrations cover everything from shearing a sheep to spinning yarn to dyeing with natural plant materials.
What You'll Find
Fleece sales are a major draw. Sheep farmers from across New England bring their best fleeces — raw wool shorn from specific breeds, graded by quality and ready for hand spinners. If you spin, this is where you stock up.
Yarn vendors fill the festival with hand-dyed, small-batch, and artisan yarns in every weight, fiber, and color imaginable. Expect to find local New England dyers alongside nationally known indie dyers.
Fiber arts demonstrations run throughout the weekend. Spinning on a wheel or drop spindle, weaving, felting, dyeing, and knitting — experienced crafters demonstrate techniques and often offer mini workshops.
Sheepdog trials are one of the most entertaining parts of the festival, even if you're not a fiber person. Trained border collies work a small flock of sheep through a course, guided by their handlers. It's impressive, it's fun to watch, and the dogs are incredible athletes.
Livestock shows feature sheep breeds you may never have encountered — Shetlands, Corriedales, Romney, Merinos, and heritage breeds. The sheep are shown in competition, and breeders are usually happy to talk about their animals and their wool.
Workshops and classes are sometimes offered as part of the festival, covering topics like beginning spinning, natural dyeing, and fiber preparation. These may require separate registration.
Who It's For
The core audience is fiber artists — hand spinners, knitters, weavers, and felters who are looking for high-quality materials and community. But the festival is also genuinely enjoyable for anyone who's curious about textile crafts, interested in small-scale agriculture, or just wants to watch a sheepdog work.
If you've ever wondered how yarn is made, or where wool comes from before it becomes a sweater, this is one of the best places to find out.
Tips for Attending
Bring cash. Many smaller vendors — especially individual farmers selling fleece — are cash only.
Bring bags. You'll be carrying fleece, yarn, and supplies. A large tote bag or two will save you from juggling purchases all day.
Wear comfortable shoes. The Deerfield Fairgrounds are outdoors and the terrain includes grass and gravel.
Go early for the best fleece. Serious spinners line up before gates open to get first pick of the highest-quality fleeces. If fleece selection matters to you, don't arrive late.
Budget more than you think. Hand-dyed yarn and quality fleece aren't cheap, and the selection is so good that it's easy to overspend. Set a number before you go.
Talk to the vendors. Farmers and dyers at this festival are passionate about their work and love talking about it. Ask questions — you'll learn something and you might discover a new fiber you've never tried.
More New Hampshire Fair Guides on Meet Me at the Fair
- Your Guide to New Hampshire Fairs & Festivals in 2026 — Complete overview of the NH fair circuit
- Deerfield Fair 2026: A Visitor's Guide to New Hampshire's Most Beloved Fair — New England's oldest family fair
- The Sandwich Fair: Why This No-Frills NH Fair Is a Local Favorite — A pure agricultural tradition in the Lakes Region
Last updated: April 2026
