Cumberland Fairgrounds • 175 Blanchard Road • Cumberland, ME 04021

2024 Racing synopsis: The season began at the iconic Cumberland Raceway on Friday (April 12) for our fourth Spring/Summer extended pari-mutuel meeting. Post time is 3:15 pm through August 2024. The Cumberland Fair Meet runs during late September for a week of additional harness racing action. The ‘Winter Festival’ begins November 5, with a 10:55 a.m. (EST) first post time.

Admission to the grandstand is free daily.

Race programs will be sold at the track the day of each race card for $2 each.  For more Cumberland racing information please visit recent POSTS on https://firsttrackscumberland.com

Sepia tone photograph of Peter McKinney, Kingsley up at the Cumberland County Fair Trotting Park during the Western Maine Agricultural Exposition, Gorham, Maine, August 1932.

The state of Maine has a long and storied history of agricultural fairs and harness racing, dating back to the early 19th century.  The very first Cumberland Fair was held in October in 1868 with a 1/3 mile track laid out and constructed just a few years later.  Previous to the track being built, farmers raced each other down Main Street.  In 1938 a new grandstand was constructed and plans for a clay racetrack were approved in 1941.  In 1948 night time harness racing came to life, as lights were installed around the historic oval. This year marks the 154th season of harness racing in Cumberland, Maine.