# 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, 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 Region | Fair Name | Location | Typical Month(s) | Attendance (year) | Attendance as % of State Pop. |
| !a | !a | !a | | -9999 |
| !a | !a | !a | | 10000000000 |
| 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) | .99% |
| Alaska | Southeast Alaska State Fair | Haines | | | |
| Alaska | Tanana Valley State Fair | Fairbanks | | | 12.49% |
| Alaska | Alaska State Fair | Palmer | | 299,698 (2015) | 40.68% |
| Arizona | Arizona State Fair | Phoenix | | 1,102,044 (2015) | 16.37% |
| Arizona | Navajo Nation Fair | Window Rock | | 100,000 (2016) | 57.58% (of Navajo Nation) |
| Arkansas | Arkansas State Fair | Little Rock | | 473,106 (2015) | 15.95% |
| California | California State Fair | Sacramento | | 673,237 (2016) | 1.7% |
| Colorado | Colorado State Fair | Pueblo | | 466,576 (2016) | 8.71% |
| Delaware | Delaware State Fair | Harrington | | 262,587 (2016) | 28.07% |
| District of Columbia | DC State Fair | Washington | | | |
| Florida | Florida State Fair | Tampa | | 395,435 (2016) | 1.99% |
| Georgia | Georgia State Fair | Hampton | | | |
| Georgia | Georgia National Fair | Perry, Georgia | | 535,000 (2016) | 5.30% |
| Georgia | North Georgia State Fair | Marietta | | 320,000 (2016) | 3.17% |
| Hawaii | Hawaii 50th State Fair | Aiea | | | |
| Idaho | Eastern Idaho State Fair | Blackfoot | | 249,892 (2021) | 14.08% |
| Idaho | Western Idaho Fair | Boise | August | 243,474 (2016) | 14.90% |
| Idaho | North Idaho Fair | Coeur d'Alene | | 168,567 (2022) | 5.18% |
| Illinois | DuQuoin State Fair | Du Quoin | | | |
| Illinois | Illinois State Fair | Springfield | | 509,000 (2019) | 4.00% |
| Indiana | Indiana State Fair | Indianapolis | | 730,000 (2016) | 11.07% |
| Iowa | Iowa State Fair | Des Moines | | 1,130,260 (2018) | 35.93% |
| Kansas | Kansas State Fair | Hutchinson | | 359,808 (2016) | 12.39% |
| Kentucky | Kentucky State Fair | Louisville | August | 609,955 (2017) | 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) | 9.78% |
| Maine | Bangor State Fair | Bangor | | | |
| Maine | Skowhegan State Fair | Skowhegan | | | |
| Maine | Fryeburg Fair | Fryeburg | | 166,838 (2016) | 12.54% |
| Maryland | Maryland State Fair | Timonium | | 588,000 (2013) | 9.53% |
| Michigan | Michigan State Fair | Novi | | 92,000 (2014) | .93% |
| Michigan | Upper Peninsula State Fair | Escanaba | | 80,000 (2013) | .81% |
| Minnesota | Minnesota State Fair | Falcon Heights | | 2,126,551 (2019) | 37.90% |
| Mississippi | Mississippi State Fair | Jackson | | 733,151 (2016) | 24.49% |
| Missouri | Missouri State Fair | Sedalia | August | 349,048 (2023) | |
| Montana | Montana State Fair | Great Falls | | 54,938 (2015) | 5.37% |
| Montana | MontanaFair | Billings, Montana | | 226,333 (2016) | 22.10% |
| Nebraska | Nebraska State Fair | Grand Island | | 379,108 (2017) | 19.88% |
| Nevada | Nevada State Fair | Reno | | Closed | |
| Nevada | The Nevada Fair | Carson City, Nevada | | 22,000 (2015) | .77% |
| New England | The Big E | West Springfield, Massachusetts | | 1,629,527 (2019) | 10.97% |
| New Hampshire | Hopkinton State Fair | Contoocook | | | |
| New Jersey | New Jersey State Fair | Augusta | | 420,000 (2013) | 4.70% |
| New Mexico | New Mexico State Fair | Albuquerque | | 497,000 (2016) | 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) | 6.8% |
| North Carolina | North Carolina State Fair | Raleigh | October-November | 1,028,364 (2016) | 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) | 1.89% |
| North Dakota | North Dakota State Fair | Minot | July | 293,123 (2016) | 39.64% |
| Ohio | Ohio State Fair | Columbus | | 921,000 (2016) | 7.95% |
| Oklahoma | Oklahoma State Fair | Oklahoma City | | 900,000 (2012) | 23.21% |
| Oklahoma | Tulsa State Fair | Tulsa | | 1,206,000 (2016 estimate) | 31.10% |
| Oregon | Oregon State Fair | Salem | | 295,000 (2016 estimate) | 7.43% |
| Pennsylvania | Allentown Fair | Allentown | | 500,000 (approx) (2014) | 3.91% |
| Pennsylvania | Butler Fair | Prospect | | 240,000 (approx) (2011) | 1.88% |
| Pennsylvania | Bloomsburg Fair | Bloomsburg | | 364,037 (2015) | 2.85% |
| Pennsylvania | The Reading Fair | Reading | | 40,000 (2016) | 0.3% |
| Pennsylvania | York State Fair | York | | 555,252 (2016) | 4.34% |
| Rhode Island | Washington County Fair | Richmond | | around 100,000 | 9.48% |
| South Carolina | South Carolina State Fair | Columbia | | 464,878 (2016) | 9.62% |
| South Dakota | South Dakota State Fair | Huron | | 211,371 (2016) | 24.77% |
| Tennessee | Tennessee State Fair | Lebanon | August | 115,000 (2015) | 1.76% |
| Tennessee | Delta Fair | Memphis | | about 200,000 (2016) | 3.05% |
| Tennessee | Tennessee Valley Fair | Knoxville | | 180,000 (approx) | 2.75% |
| Texas | South Texas State Fair | Beaumont | | 175,000 (2014) | .65% |
| Texas | State Fair of Texas | Dallas | | 2,547,289 (2022) | 7.24% |
| Texas | East Texas State Fair | Tyler | | about 250,000 (estimate from 2016) | .93% |
| Texas | North Texas State Fair | Denton | | 200,000 (estimate from 2023) | .68% |
| Utah | Utah State Fair | Salt Lake City | | around 300,000 (2014) | 10.19% |
| Vermont | Vermont State Fair | Rutland | | 40,000 – 50,000 (2022) | 9.83% |
| Virginia | State Fair of Virginia | Caroline County | | 238,000 (2014) | 2.86% |
| Washington | Central Washington State Fair | Yakima | | 312,191 (2016) | 4.42% |
| Washington | Evergreen State Fair | Monroe | | 342,631 (2016) | 4.85% |
| Washington | Northwest Washington Fair | Lynden | | 189,154 (2015) | 2.68% |
| Washington | Washington State Fair | Puyallup | | 1,117,323 (2012) | 15.82% |
| West Virginia | State Fair of West Virginia | Fairlea | | 155,000-160,000 (2016) | 8.65% |
| Wisconsin | Wisconsin State Fair | West Allis | August | 1,015,815 (2016) | 17.64% |
| Wisconsin | Central Wisconsin State Fair | Marshfield | | 85,000 (2015) | 1.48% |
| Wisconsin | Northern Wisconsin State Fair | Chippewa Falls | | 90,000 (2016) | 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

Several state fairs maintain their own police departments, including:
* California Exposition and State Fair Police
* Iowa State Fair Police
* Minnesota State Fair Police Department
* Wisconsin State Fair Park Police Department

## Provincial exhibitions in Canada

A few annual exhibitions in the summer in Canada are similar to state fairs in the United States:
| Province | Fair Name | Location | Attendance (year) |
| !a | !a | !a | -9999 |
| !a | !a | !a | 10000000000 |
| Alberta | Calgary Stampede | Calgary | 1,275,465 (2019) |
| Alberta | K-Days | Edmonton | 702,327 (2019) |
| British Columbia | Pacific National Exhibition | Vancouver | 731,708 (2019) |
| Ontario | Canadian National Exhibition | Toronto | 1,500,000 (2019) |
| Ontario | Ottawa SuperEX (defunct) | Ottawa | 422,095 (2009) |
| Ontario | Royal Agricultural Winter Fair | Toronto | 300,000 (average per annum) |
| Ontario | Western Fair | London | 170,000 (2015) |
| Manitoba | Red River Exhibition | Winnipeg | 203,624 (2019) |
| Manitoba | Royal Manitoba Winter Fair | Brandon | 110,000 (2018) |
| Saskatchewan | Canadian Western Agribition | Regina | 121,326 (2019) |

## Awards

State and county fairs are famous for a variety of competitions that award ribbons. Awards are generally given according to the following scale:
* 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

As of 2019, the largest attendance at a state fair in the US is in Texas with the fair having attracted 2,514,637 visitors. 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.