Fan Favorite Dropkick Murphys to Ship Up to Syracuse Again this Summer at The Great New York State Fair

Ahead of St. Patrick’s Day, The Great New York State Fair is announcing the Dropkick Murphys return to the Chevrolet Music Festival at Chevy Court for the fourth time. The Celtic-influenced rockers Dropkick Murphys have been beloved by fairgoers since 2018, when they were booked as a last-minute replacement for Dickey Betts. Since then, they’ve returned in 2019 and 2022, and are ready to hit the Suburban Park Stage again this summer at 8 p.m. Sunday, August 25.

After nearly three decades, the Dropkick Murphys remain bigger than ever, having generated half a billion streams and continuing to sell out venues around the world. They've headlined Boston's Fenway Park and have been personally invited to share the stage with everyone from Foo Fighters to Bruce Springsteen to Mumford & Sons. Their celebrated discography includes two critically acclaimed acoustic albums – 2022's This Machine Still Kills Fascists and 2023’s Okemah Rising – interpreting the work of Woody Guthrie for a new generation, four consecutive Billboard top 10 album debuts (Turn Up That Dial, 11 Short Stories of Pain & Glory, Signed and Sealed in Blood, Going Out In Style), along with 2005’s Certified-Gold The Warrior’s Code featuring the double platinum classic “I’m Shipping Up To Boston.” With lyrics penned by Woody Guthrie, the song gained mainstream notoriety after being prominently featured in Martin Scorsese's Academy Award-winning film "The Departed." It can be commonly heard at sporting events and on television as a theme song for many sports teams around the world.

“In 2018, Dropkick Murphys came at the last minute to replace a performer who had fallen ill and told the audience then that it was their first show at a fair,” said Interim Fair Director Julie LaFave. “With 2024 marking the fourth year they’ve ‘shipped up to Syracuse,’ it’s seems that our fairgoers continue giving them a reason to come back! Nothing gets us more pumped than the anticipation of these Boston boys tear up the Suburban Park Stage, so we’re thrilled to see them return to the Great New York State Fair once again.”

The Fair starts Wednesday, August 21, and runs through Labor Day, Monday, September 2. All concerts are included in the price of admission, which will go on sale later this summer. The Great New York State Fair is the most affordable state fair in the country.

In total, The Fair’s Chevrolet Music Series will feature 39 national recording acts. There will be a daily 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. concert at Chevy Court (located near Gate 1), and a daily 8 p.m. concert at Suburban Park (located on the western end of the Fairgrounds, beyond the Midway).

All concerts announced thus far are provided in the charts below. Fair staff will continue to update schedules on the Fair’s website at pages dedicated to Chevy Court and Suburban Park.

Chevy Court:

Suburban Park:

The Fair starts Wednesday, August 21, and runs through Labor Day, Monday, September 2. Admission – still free for kids under 12 years old, and adults over 65 years old – will  go on sale later this year.

Founded in 1841, the Great New York State Fair showcases the best of New York agriculture, provides top-quality entertainment, and is a key piece of the state’s CNY Rising strategy of growing the Central New York economy through tourism. It is the oldest fair in the United States and is consistently recognized as being among the top five state fairs in the nation.

The New York State Fairgrounds is a 375-acre exhibit and entertainment complex that operates all year. Audiences are encouraged to learn more about the Great New York State Fair online, browse photos on Flickr, and follow the fun on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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