The midway is the strip of carnival rides, midway games, and fried food vendors that runs alongside a fair's livestock barns and exhibit halls. It is the loudest, most photographed part of a fair and the part most associated with the word fair in popular culture, but it is not universal here. Only 18 of the 98 events in this Massachusetts directory record rides as a feature, which means a midway with a Ferris wheel and a Tilt-A-Whirl is closer to the exception than the rule. Food, at 82 of 98 events, and live music, at 66, are far more consistent across the state's fairs than a full ride lineup.
Also known as: carnival midway, ride midway, amusement strip.
