State fair


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.
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. The first U.S. state fair was the New York one, held in 1841 in Syracuse, and has been held annually since. The second state fair was in Detroit, Michigan, which ran from 1849 to 2009. The fair was revived in 2013 and has been held at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi, Michigan ever since.
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

United States

State or RegionFair NameLocationTypical MonthAttendance Attendance as % of State Pop.
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AlabamaAlabama State FairBirmingham
AlabamaAlabama State Fair MontgomeryMontgomery
AlabamaAlabama National FairMontgomery
AlaskaKenai Peninsula FairNinilchik7,300 .99%
AlaskaSoutheast Alaska State FairHaines
AlaskaTanana Valley State FairFairbanks12.49%
AlaskaAlaska State FairPalmer299,698 40.68%
ArizonaArizona State FairPhoenix1,102,044 16.37%
ArizonaNavajo Nation FairWindow Rock100,000 57.58%
ArkansasArkansas State FairLittle Rock473,106 15.95%
CaliforniaCalifornia State FairSacramento673,237 1.7%
ColoradoColorado State FairPueblo466,576 8.71%
DelawareDelaware State FairHarrington262,587 28.07%
District of ColumbiaDC State FairWashington
FloridaFlorida State FairTampa395,435 1.99%
GeorgiaGeorgia State FairHampton
GeorgiaGeorgia National FairPerry, Georgia535,000 5.30%
GeorgiaNorth Georgia State FairMarietta320,000 3.17%
HawaiiHawaii 50th State FairAiea
IdahoEastern Idaho State FairBlackfoot249,892 14.08%
IdahoWestern Idaho FairBoiseAugust243,474 14.90%
IdahoNorth Idaho FairCoeur d'Alene168,567 5.18%
IllinoisDuQuoin State FairDu Quoin
IllinoisIllinois State FairSpringfield509,000 4.00%
IndianaIndiana State FairIndianapolis730,000 11.07%
IowaIowa State FairDes Moines1,130,260 35.93%
KansasKansas State FairHutchinson359,808 12.39%
KentuckyKentucky State FairLouisvilleAugust609,955 13.7%
LouisianaCajun Heartland State FairLafayette
LouisianaGreater Baton Rouge State FairBaton Rouge
LouisianaState Fair of LouisianaShreveport379,700 9.78%
MaineBangor State FairBangor
MaineSkowhegan State FairSkowhegan
MaineFryeburg FairFryeburg166,838 12.54%
MarylandMaryland State FairTimonium588,000 9.53%
MichiganMichigan State FairNovi92,000 .93%
MichiganUpper Peninsula State FairEscanaba80,000 .81%
MinnesotaMinnesota State FairFalcon Heights2,126,551 37.90%
MississippiMississippi State FairJackson733,151 24.49%
MissouriMissouri State FairSedaliaAugust349,048
MontanaMontana State FairGreat Falls54,938 5.37%
MontanaMontanaFairBillings, Montana226,333 22.10%
NebraskaNebraska State FairGrand Island379,108 19.88%
NevadaMills Park, Carson City, Nevada22,000 .77%
New EnglandThe Big EWest Springfield, Massachusetts1,629,527 10.97%
New HampshireHopkinton State FairContoocook
New JerseyNew Jersey State FairAugusta420,000 4.70%
New MexicoNew Mexico State FairAlbuquerque497,000 23.83%
New MexicoSouthern New Mexico State FairLas Cruces
New MexicoNorthern Navajo Nation FairShiprock
New YorkGreat New York State FairSyracuse1,329,275 6.8%
North CarolinaNorth Carolina State FairRaleighOctober–November1,028,364 10.34%
North CarolinaDixie Classic FairWinston-Salem357,416 3.7%
North CarolinaNorth Carolina Mountain State FairFletcher187,819 1.89%
North DakotaNorth Dakota State FairMinotJuly293,123 39.64%
OhioOhio State FairColumbus921,000 7.95%
OklahomaOklahoma State FairOklahoma City900,000 23.21%
OklahomaTulsa State FairTulsa1,206,000 31.10%
OregonOregon State FairSalem346,000 8.16%
PennsylvaniaAllentown FairAllentown500,000 3.91%
PennsylvaniaButler FairProspect240,000 1.88%
PennsylvaniaBloomsburg FairBloomsburg364,037 2.85%
PennsylvaniaThe Reading FairReading40,000 0.3%
PennsylvaniaYork State FairYork555,252 4.34%
Rhode IslandWashington County FairRichmondaround 100,0009.48%
South CarolinaSouth Carolina State FairColumbia464,878 9.62%
South DakotaSouth Dakota State FairHuron211,371 24.77%
TennesseeTennessee State FairLebanonAugust115,000 1.76%
TennesseeDelta FairMemphisabout 200,000 3.05%
TennesseeTennessee Valley FairKnoxville180,000 2.75%
TexasSouth Texas State FairBeaumont175,000 .65%
TexasState Fair of TexasDallas2,547,289 7.24%
TexasEast Texas State FairTylerabout 250,000 .93%
TexasNorth Texas State FairDenton200,000 .68%
UtahUtah State FairSalt Lake Cityaround 300,000 10.19%
VermontVermont State FairRutland40,00050,000 9.83%
VirginiaState Fair of VirginiaCaroline County238,000 2.86%
WashingtonCentral Washington State FairYakima312,191 4.42%
WashingtonEvergreen State FairMonroe342,631 4.85%
WashingtonNorthwest Washington FairLynden189,154 2.68%
WashingtonWashington State FairPuyallup1,117,323 15.82%
West VirginiaState Fair of West VirginiaFairlea155,000-160,000 8.65%
WisconsinWisconsin State FairWest AllisAugust1,015,815 17.64%
WisconsinCentral Wisconsin State FairMarshfield85,000 1.48%
WisconsinNorthern Wisconsin State FairChippewa Falls90,000 1.56%
WyomingWyoming State FairDouglas

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