A state fair is an annual competitive and recreational gathering of a U.S. state's population, usually held in late summer or early fall. It is a larger version of a county fair, often including only exhibits or competitors that have won in their categories at the more-local county fairs.
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State fairs began in the nineteenth century for the purpose of promoting state agriculture, through competitive exhibitions of livestock and display of farm products. As the U.S. evolved from a predominantly agrarian to an industrial society in the twentieth century, and the more service economy of the 21st century, modern state fairs have expanded to include carnival amusement rides and games, display of industrial products, automobile racing, and entertainment such as musical concerts. Large fairs can admit more than a million visitors over the course of a week or two. The oldest state fair is that of The Fredericksburg Agricultural Fair, established in 1738, and is the oldest fair in Virginia and the United States.[1] The first U.S. state fair was the New York, held in 1841 in Syracuse, and has been held annually since.[2] The second state fair was in Detroit, Michigan, which ran from 1849[3] to 2009.[4][5]
Events similar to state fairs are also held annually in each state capital in Australia, known as royal shows. Australian royal shows are organized by state agricultural and horticultural societies, and are described further in the agricultural show article.
List of state fairs
editUnited States
editState or Region | Fair Name | Location | Typical Month(s) | Attendance (year) | Attendance as % of State Pop. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Alabama | Alabama State Fair | Birmingham | |||
Alabama | Alabama State Fair Montgomery | Montgomery | |||
Alabama | Alabama National Fair | Montgomery | |||
Alaska | Kenai Peninsula State Fair | Ninilchik | 7,300 (2013) [6] | .99% | |
Alaska | Southeast Alaska State Fair | Haines | |||
Alaska | Tanana Valley State Fair | Fairbanks | 12.49% | ||
Alaska | Alaska State Fair | Palmer | 299,698 (2015) [8] | 40.68% | |
Arizona | Arizona State Fair | Phoenix | 1,102,044 (2015) [9] | 16.37% | |
Arizona | Navajo Nation Fair | Window Rock | 100,000 (2016) [10] | 57.58% (of Navajo Nation) | |
Arkansas | Arkansas State Fair | Little Rock | 473,106 (2015) [11] | 15.95% | |
California | California State Fair | Sacramento | 673,237 (2016) [12] | 1.7% | |
Colorado | Colorado State Fair | Pueblo | 466,576 (2016) [13] | 8.71% | |
Delaware | Delaware State Fair | Harrington | 262,587 (2016) [14] | 28.07% | |
District of Columbia | DC State Fair | Washington | |||
Florida | Florida State Fair | Tampa | 395,435 (2016) [15] | 1.99% | |
Georgia | Georgia State Fair | Hampton | |||
Georgia | Georgia National Fair | Perry, Georgia | 535,000 (2016) [16] | 5.30% | |
Georgia | North Georgia State Fair | Marietta | 320,000 (2016) [17] | 3.17% | |
Hawaii | Hawaii 50th State Fair | Aiea | |||
Idaho | Eastern Idaho State Fair | Blackfoot | 249,892 (2021) [18] | 14.08% | |
Idaho | Western Idaho Fair | Boise | August | 243,474 (2016) [19] | 14.90% |
Idaho | North Idaho Fair [20] | Coeur d'Alene | 168,567 (2022) [21] | 5.18% | |
Illinois | DuQuoin State Fair | Du Quoin | |||
Illinois | Illinois State Fair | Springfield | 509,000 (2019) [22] | 4.00% | |
Indiana | Indiana State Fair | Indianapolis | 730,000 (2016) [23] | 11.07% | |
Iowa | Iowa State Fair | Des Moines | 1,130,260 (2018) [24] | 35.93% | |
Kansas | Kansas State Fair | Hutchinson | 359,808 (2016) [25] | 12.39% | |
Kentucky | Kentucky State Fair | Louisville | August | 609,955 (2017) [26] | 13.7% |
Louisiana | Cajun Heartland State Fair | Lafayette | |||
Louisiana | Greater Baton Rouge State Fair | Baton Rouge | |||
Louisiana | State Fair of Louisiana | Shreveport | 379,700 (2017) [27] | 9.78% | |
Maine | Bangor State Fair | Bangor | |||
Maine | Skowhegan State Fair | Skowhegan | |||
Maine | Fryeburg Fair | Fryeburg | 166,838 (2016) [28] | 12.54% | |
Maryland | Maryland State Fair | Timonium | 588,000 (2013) [29] | 9.53% | |
Michigan | Michigan State Fair | Novi | 92,000 (2014) [30] | .93% | |
Michigan | Upper Peninsula State Fair | Escanaba | 80,000 (2013) [31] | .81% | |
Minnesota | Minnesota State Fair | Falcon Heights | 2,126,551 (2019) [32] | 37.90% | |
Mississippi | Mississippi State Fair | Jackson | 733,151 (2016) [33] | 24.49% | |
Missouri | Missouri State Fair | Sedalia | August | 349,048 (2023)[34] | |
Montana | Montana State Fair | Great Falls | 54,938 (2015) [35] | 5.37% | |
Montana | MontanaFair | Billings, Montana | 226,333 (2016) [36] | 22.10% | |
Nebraska | Nebraska State Fair | Grand Island | 379,108 (2017)[37][38] | 19.88% | |
Nevada | Nevada State Fair | Reno | Closed | ||
Nevada | The Nevada Fair | Carson City, Nevada | 22,000 (2015) [39] | .77% | |
New England[a] | The Big E | West Springfield, Massachusetts | 1,629,527 (2019) [40] | 10.97%[b] | |
New Hampshire | Hopkinton State Fair | Contoocook | |||
New Jersey | New Jersey State Fair | Augusta | 420,000 (2013) [41] | 4.70% | |
New Mexico | New Mexico State Fair | Albuquerque | 497,000 (2016) [42] | 23.83% | |
New Mexico | Southern New Mexico State Fair | Las Cruces | |||
New Mexico | Northern Navajo Nation Fair | Shiprock | |||
New York | Great New York State Fair | Syracuse | 1,329,275 (2019) [43] | 6.8% | |
North Carolina | North Carolina State Fair | Raleigh | October-November | 1,028,364 (2016) [44] | 10.34% |
North Carolina | Dixie Classic Fair | Winston-Salem | 357,416 (2011) | 3.7% | |
North Carolina | North Carolina Mountain State Fair | Fletcher | 187,819 (2007) [45] | 1.89% | |
North Dakota | North Dakota State Fair | Minot | July | 293,123 (2016) [46] | 39.64% |
Ohio | Ohio State Fair | Columbus | 921,000 (2016) [47] | 7.95% | |
Oklahoma | Oklahoma State Fair | Oklahoma City | 900,000 (2012) [48] | 23.21% | |
Oklahoma | Tulsa State Fair | Tulsa | 1,206,000 (2016 estimate) [49] | 31.10% | |
Oregon | Oregon State Fair | Salem | 295,000 (2016 estimate) [50] | 7.43% | |
Pennsylvania | Allentown Fair | Allentown | 500,000 (approx) (2014) [51] | 3.91% | |
Pennsylvania | Butler Fair | Prospect | 240,000 (approx) (2011) [52] | 1.88% | |
Pennsylvania | Bloomsburg Fair | Bloomsburg | 364,037 (2015) [53] | 2.85% | |
Pennsylvania | The Reading Fair | Reading | 40,000 (2016) [54] | 0.3% | |
Pennsylvania | York State Fair | York | 555,252 (2016) [55] | 4.34% | |
Rhode Island | Washington County Fair | Richmond | around 100,000 [56] | 9.48% | |
South Carolina | South Carolina State Fair | Columbia | 464,878 (2016) [57] | 9.62% | |
South Dakota | South Dakota State Fair | Huron | 211,371 (2016) [58] | 24.77% | |
Tennessee | Tennessee State Fair | Lebanon | August | 115,000 (2015) [59] | 1.76% |
Tennessee | Delta Fair | Memphis | about 200,000 (2016) [60] | 3.05% | |
Tennessee | Tennessee Valley Fair | Knoxville | 180,000 (approx) [61] | 2.75% | |
Texas | South Texas State Fair | Beaumont | 175,000 (2014) [62] | .65% | |
Texas | State Fair of Texas | Dallas | 2,547,289 (2022) [63] | 7.24% | |
Texas | East Texas State Fair[64] | Tyler | about 250,000 (estimate from 2016) [65] | .93% | |
Texas | North Texas State Fair | Denton | 200,000 (estimate from 2023) [66] | .68% | |
Utah | Utah State Fair | Salt Lake City | around 300,000 (2014) [67] | 10.19% | |
Vermont | Vermont State Fair | Rutland | 40,000 – 50,000 (2022) [68] | 9.83% | |
Virginia | State Fair of Virginia | Caroline County | 238,000 (2014) [69] | 2.86% | |
Washington | Central Washington State Fair | Yakima | 312,191 (2016) [70] | 4.42% | |
Washington | Evergreen State Fair | Monroe | 342,631 (2016) [71] | 4.85% | |
Washington | Northwest Washington Fair | Lynden | 189,154 (2015) [72] | 2.68% | |
Washington | Washington State Fair | Puyallup | 1,117,323 (2012) [73] | 15.82% | |
West Virginia | State Fair of West Virginia | Fairlea | 155,000-160,000 (2016) [74] | 8.65% | |
Wisconsin | Wisconsin State Fair | West Allis | August | 1,015,815 (2016) [75] | 17.64% |
Wisconsin | Central Wisconsin State Fair | Marshfield | 85,000 (2015) [76] | 1.48% | |
Wisconsin | Northern Wisconsin State Fair | Chippewa Falls | 90,000 (2016) [77] | 1.56% | |
Wyoming | Wyoming State Fair | Douglas |
- Notes
- ^ The Eastern States Exposition, popularly known as The Big E, is a combined state fair for all six (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont) New England states. Each state has its own dedicated area during the fair.
- ^ Percentage based on combined population for all New England states.
State fair police departments
editSeveral state fairs maintain their own police departments, including:
Provincial exhibitions in Canada
editA few annual exhibitions in the summer in Canada are similar to state fairs in the United States:
Province | Fair Name | Location | Attendance (year) |
---|---|---|---|
Alberta | Calgary Stampede | Calgary | 1,275,465 (2019)[78] |
Alberta | K-Days | Edmonton | 702,327 (2019)[79] |
British Columbia | Pacific National Exhibition | Vancouver | 731,708 (2019)[80] |
Ontario | Canadian National Exhibition | Toronto | 1,500,000 (2019)[81] |
Ontario | Ottawa SuperEX | Ottawa | 422,095 (2009)[82] |
Ontario | Royal Agricultural Winter Fair | Toronto | 300,000 (average per annum)[83] |
Ontario | Western Fair | London | 170,000 (2015)[84] |
Manitoba | Red River Exhibition | Winnipeg | 203,624 (2019)[85] |
Manitoba | Royal Manitoba Winter Fair | Brandon | 110,000 (2018)[86] |
Saskatchewan | Canadian Western Agribition | Regina | 121,326 (2019)[87] |
Awards
editState and county fairs are famous for a variety of competitions that award ribbons. Awards are generally given according to the following scale:[citation needed][5]
- First place – blue ribbon
- Second place – red ribbon
- Third place – white ribbon
- Fourth place – yellow ribbon
- Fifth place – green ribbon
- Sixth place – orange ribbon
- Seventh place – purple ribbon
- Eighth place – brown ribbon
Attendance
editAs of 2019, the largest attendance at a state fair in the US is in Texas with the fair having attracted 2,514,637 visitors.[88][89][90] Even though it is longer than an average state fair, any advantage is negated by the size of the physical state since those days would be required for the states citizens to have equal opportunity to attend.
The largest average per day attendance is at the Minnesota State Fair averaging just under 200,000 people per day.[91]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Fredericksburg Agricultural Fair". WFLS. December 30, 2023.
Founded in 1738, Fredericksburg Agricultural Fair is the oldest fair in the United States.
- ^ "New York State Fair :: The Encyclopedia of New York State :: Syracuse University Press". www.syracuseuniversitypress.syr.edu. Retrieved 20 April 2018.
- ^ "History of the Michigan State Fair". www.michigan.gov. Archived from the original on November 25, 2009.
- ^ "Granholm cuts State Fair from budget". Archived from the original on November 3, 2013.
- ^ a b "It's official: State Fair a goner". Archived from the original on November 3, 2013.
- ^ "KP fair has big changes". 9 June 2014.
- ^ "Tanana Valley State Fair begins Friday". 3 August 2016.
- ^ "2015 Fair Continues Upward Trend". 24 October 2015.
- ^ "State Fair attendance stayed on par despite heavy rain".
- ^ "Navajo Nation AG Expo/4th of July PRCA Rodeo > CANCELLED". nnfair.navajo-nsn.gov.
- ^ "Arkansas State Fair sets new attendance record". 19 October 2015.
- ^ Kirk, Marjorie. "California state fair attendance drops 14 percent". The Sacramento Bee.
- ^ "Colorado State Fair attendance drops in 2016, but event considered a success". 7 September 2016.
- ^ "Home - Delaware State News | Bay to Bay News".
- ^ "Venuestoday.com". www.venuestoday.com.
- ^ "Georgia National Fair sets new attendance record". 11Alive.com. 18 October 2016. Retrieved 2023-03-19.
- ^ "320,000 visitors attend over North Georgia State Fair's 11-day run". 5 October 2016.
- ^ "Eastern Idaho State Fair sets historic attendance records". East Idaho News. 2021-09-16. Retrieved 2023-03-19.
- ^ Staff, KBOI News (2016-09-09). "Western Idaho Fair attendance up 12,000 people in 2016". KBOI. Retrieved 2023-03-19.
- ^ "North Idaho State Fair". www.nisfair.fun.
- ^ "'We didn't expect to see that much in growth': North Idaho State Fair sets attendance record". krem.com. August 31, 2022. Retrieved 2023-03-19.
- ^ "Illinois State Fair sets revenue record with Snoop Dogg, Reba McEntire major draws". Chicago Tribune. 19 September 2019.
- ^ "Rainy weather hurts attendance at 2016 Indiana State Fair". wthr.com. August 22, 2016. Retrieved 2023-03-19.
- ^ "Fair Dates & Attendance".
- ^ "Kansas State Fair attendance in 2016 third highest ever". AP NEWS. 2016-10-24. Retrieved 2023-03-19.
- ^ Tribble Greer, Carolyn (August 31, 2017). "It was a good year for the Kentucky State Fair". Louisville Business First. Retrieved November 16, 2017.
- ^ "Weather Affects Attendance at State Fair of Louisiana".
- ^ "Fair attendance up over last year". 10 October 2016.
- ^ Patrick (2022-09-19). "2022 Maryland State Fair sets records with move to three weekends". Morning Ag Clips. Retrieved 2023-03-19.
- ^ "Michigan State Fair attendance up 15%".
- ^ "Upper Peninsula State Fair, Escanaba Michigan".
- ^ "Minnesota State Fair - Attendance". www.mnstatefair.org. 9 June 2016. Archived from the original on 9 December 2014. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
- ^ "Mississippi State Fair sets attendance record".
- ^ Shiner, Ryan (September 18, 2023). "Missouri State Fair attendance hits six-year high". KMIZ. Archived from the original on September 27, 2023.
- ^ "Montana State Fair numbers solid this year". The Washington Times. Retrieved 2023-03-19.
- ^ "Early numbers for MontanaFair attendance and sales". KULR-8 Local News. 22 August 2016. Retrieved 2023-03-19.
- ^ Rollin, Kelli (5 September 2017). "State Fair 2017 attendance nears all-time record". The Grand Island Independent. BH Media Group, Inc. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
- ^ "Nebraska State Fair Sets a New Attendance Record (Press Release)" (PDF).
- ^ "Nevada Fair sees second successful year in Carson City".
- ^ "Big e Attendance Records".
- ^ Moss, Linda (7 July 2013). "N.J.'s State Fair Meadowlands wraps up, beats last year's attendance". NorthJersey. Archived from the original on 9 March 2017.
- ^ "New Mexico State Fair attendance increased 8-percent". 29 September 2016.
- ^ "Daily Attendance".
- ^ "Newsroom". ncstatefair.org. Archived from the original on 26 July 2016.
- ^ "2007 NC Mountain State Fair". ncagr.com. Archived from the original on 27 April 2007.
- ^ "Attendance numbers released for ND State Fair". 31 July 2016.
- ^ "Ohio State Fair Attendance Just Short of a Record". 8 August 2016.
- ^ "Carnivalwarehouse.com's 2012 Top 50 Fairs" (PDF). carnivalwarehouse.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 June 2013.
- ^ "About Us". tulsastatefair.com. Archived from the original on 13 April 2016.
- ^ "Oregon State Fair reports increase in attendance, revenue".
- ^ "About Us". Allentown Fairgrounds. Archived from the original on 20 July 2014.
- ^ "The Big Butler Fair | Always Over the Fourth". The Big Butler Fair.
- ^ "Fair Attendance". thebloomsburgfair.com. Archived from the original on 1 April 2017.
- ^ "5 Door and Window Replacement in Berks County, PA". thereadingfair.
- ^ "How many people attended the 2016 York Fair?".
- ^ "For the 50th, a full slate of favorites".
- ^ "2016 Fair Closes with Banner Attendance". South Carolina State Fair. 24 October 2016. Archived from the original on 9 March 2017.
- ^ "South Dakota State Fair Attendance Up Slightly Over 2015". KDLT News. Archived from the original on 9 March 2017.
- ^ "State fair continues to build attendance from past years". Columbia Daily Herald. Archived from the original on 9 March 2017.
- ^ "Delta Fair Attendance Down This Year". Local Memphis. Archived from the original on 9 March 2017.
- ^ "Tennessee Valley Fair". www.tnvalleyfair.org.
- ^ "South Texas State Fair attendance up 10,000 from last year". 7 April 2014.
- ^ "Daily Attendance".
- ^ Waterson, James and Seymour, Rachel Anne. Pulling Up Stakes: East Texas State Fair Says Goodbye Until Next Year. Tyler Morning Telegraph, October 4th, 2010, p. 1A, 6A
- ^ "East Texas State Fair".
- ^ "Sponsors". North Texas Fair & Rodeo. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
- ^ "Utah State Fair draws crowds, generates profits for 2014 season". Deseret News. 2014-10-15. Retrieved 2023-03-20.
- ^ "State fair sets new attendance record". The Mountain Times. 2022-08-24. Retrieved 2023-03-20.
- ^ "Storms muddy State Fair of Virginia's traffic, revenue". 6 October 2015.
- ^ "Final weekend pushes state fair attendance over 312,000". KHQ. 3 October 2016. Archived from the original on 9 March 2017.
- ^ "Attendance at Evergreen State Fair second-highest in 6 years". 17 September 2016.
- ^ Townsend, Debbie. "Attendance up at Northwest Washington Fair in Lynden". Bellingham Herald.
- ^ "Puyallup Fair attendance tops 1.1 million, beats last year". The News Tribune. Archived from the original on 13 November 2013.
- ^ Davis, Austin (25 August 2016). "A look back at the 2016 State Fair". WWVA. Archived from the original on 9 March 2017.
- ^ Shafer, Dan (16 August 2016). "Wisconsin State Fair attendance tops 1 million". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2023-03-20.
- ^ "Central Wisconsin State Fair sets record".
- ^ "Nearly 90K people attended the Northern Wisconsin State Fair". wqow.com. 18 July 2016. Archived from the original on 5 August 2018.
- ^ "Second highest attendance record set at Calgary Stampede". CTV News Calgary. BellMedia. July 15, 2019. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
- ^ Ramsay, Caley (July 29, 2019). "Weather to blame for lowest K-Days attendance since 2006, Northlands says". Global News. Corus Entertainment. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
- ^ "2019 Pacific National Exhibition Annual Report: April 1, 2019 - March 31, 2020" (PDF). www.pne.ca. Pacific National Exhibition. 2021. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
- ^ Draaisma, Muriel. "Ex attendance rises to an estimated 1.5 million this year, CNE officials say". www.cbc.ca. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
- ^ "SuperEx attendance higher than last year". ctvottawa.ca. Bell Media. 31 August 2009. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
- ^ Rider, David (November 1, 2018). "Locked out workers to picket Royal Winter Fair". Toronto Star. Torstar Corporation. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
- ^ Daniszewski, Hank. "Western Fair blessed with fair weather but attendance figures under wraps". www.lfpress.com.
- ^ Thompson, Sam (June 24, 2019). "Red River Ex sees uptick in 2019 attendance". Global News. Corus Entertainment. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
- ^ "Winter Fair Attracts More Than 100,000 Visitors But Registers Attendance Drop". Discover Westman. Golden West Broadcasting. April 1, 2018. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
- ^ Vorrieter, Karlee (2019). "Jump in international buyers, inaugural maple leaf finals rodeo and record-setting registration at Agribition 2019". Industry West. IW Media Group.
- ^ "Daily Attendance". State Fair of Texas. Retrieved 2021-09-25.
- ^ "State Fair of Texas Welcomed More Than 2.5 Million Fairgoers in 2019". NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth. 21 October 2019. Retrieved 2021-09-25.
- ^ "How Much It Costs To Visit the 10 Biggest State Fairs in the US". finance.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2021-09-25.
- ^ "Attendance". 9 June 2016.