Fair Dates

Aug 13 - 23, 2026 | Days | Hours | Min

Fair Spirit

August 13-23, 2026

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Upcoming Fair Dates

Historically, the Fair ended on the Sunday one week before Labor Day and the earliest Fair dates were August 13-23. In 1994, the Iowa State Fair Board, in an effort to avoid earlier school start dates, moved the dates of the Fair up one week. The Fair now ends on the Sunday two weeks prior to Labor Day. Based on calendar shifts, the earliest Fair dates are August 7-17 and the latest are August 13-23.

YEAR	FAIR DATES
2026	Aug 13-23
2027	Aug 12-22
2028	Aug 10-20

Daily Attendance

The State Fair is Iowa’s largest event, annually attracting visitors from all over the Midwest, as well as the rest of the U.S. and many foreign countries. Following the Fair, daily attendance estimates are set aside and an actual count of tickets including daily sales, advance sales, exhibitors, concessionaires, campers, children, credentials, half price, etc. is made to determine the final total attendance.

FAIR DAY	2024	2025	RECORD DAILY ATTENDANCE (YEAR)
Day 1	90,822	95,671	101,262 (2008)
Day 2	109,854	104,191	115,703 (2001)
Day 3	128,732*	118,454	128,732 (2024)
Day 4	115,048**	113,001	115,048 (2024)
Day 5	92,920	97,273	105,522 (2017)
Day 6	105,384***	102,080	105,384 (2024)
Day 7	99,281	105,787	109,323 (2019)
Day 8	102,510	106,925	107,449 (2015)
Day 9	111,591	108,966	112,891 (2019)
Day 10	126,142	118,093	128,298 (2022)
Day 11	100,398	89,680	119,754 (2012)
Total	1,182,682****	1,160,121	1,182,682 (2024)

* Saturday, August 10, 2024: broke the all-time single-day attendance record (previously set second Saturday of the 2022 Fair with 128,298 attendees) and the first Saturday attendance record, previously set in 1991 with 127,227 attendees

**Sunday, August 11, 2024: broke the first Sunday attendance record, previously set in 2023 with 114,937 attendees

***Tuesday, August 13, 2024: broke the Tuesday attendance record, previously set in 2019 with 102,953 attendees

****The total 2024 attendance broke the overall attendance record, previously set in 2019 in 1,170,375 attendees.

Fair Dates 1966 - Present 1965 - 1905 1904 - 1854

Fair Dates

Year	Fair Dates	Fair Theme
2026	Aug 13-23	Fair Spirit
2025	Aug 7-17	Fair Sweet Fair
2024	Aug 8-18	Fair Fever
2023	Aug 10-20	Best Days Ever
2022	Aug 11-21	Find Your Fun
2021	Aug 12-22	How Do You Fair?
2020	No Fair (due to COVID-19 pandemic)	How Do You Fair?
2019	Aug 8-18	Nothing Compares to State Fair Favorites
2018	Aug 9-19	Nothing Compares to State Fair Moments
2017	Aug 10-20	Nothing Compares to State Fair Thrills
2016	Aug 11-21	Nothing Compares to My State Fair
2015	Aug 13-23	Nothing Compares, Fair Tour
2014	Aug 7-17	Nothing Compares, Amazingly Amusing
2013	Aug 8-18	Nothing Compares, Happiness Is
2012	Aug 9-19	Nothing Compares, It's Fairlicious
2011	Aug 11-21	Nothing Compares, 100 Years of the Butter Cow
2010	Aug 12-22	Non Stop Fun
2009	Aug 13-23	State Fair Time
2008	Aug 7-17	U Gotta Love It
2007	Aug 9-19	Sounds Like Fun
2006	Aug 10-20	Only at the Fair
2005	Aug 11-21	America's Favorite Fair...and it's right in your own backyard
2004	Aug 12-22	Still the One
2003	Aug 7-17	One in a Million
2002	Aug 8-18	The Big One
2001	Aug 9-19	It's a Winner!
2000	Aug 10-20	Zero In, August 10-20, 2000
1999	Aug 12-22	Knock Yourself Out
1998	Aug 13-23	Way Too Much Fun
1997	Aug 7-17	Go for It
1996	Aug 8-18	Let Yourself Go
1995	Aug 10-20	The Fun and Only
1994	Aug 11-21	The Only Fun of Its Kind
1993	Aug 19-29	The Only Fun of Its Kind
1992	Aug 20-30	The Only Fun of Its Kind
1991	Aug 14-25	Iowa's Blue Ribbon Fun Fest
1990	Aug 15-26	Iowa's Blue Ribbon Fun Fest
1989	Aug 16-27	An Old-Fashioned Good Time
1988	Aug 18-28	An Old-Fashioned Good Time
1987	Aug 20-30	Celebrate an American Classic
1986	Aug 14-24	Come Home to the Iowa State Fair
1985	Aug 15-25	Augustfest!
1984	Aug 15-25	Just See Us Now
1983	Aug 10-20	So Much More To Go For
1982	Aug 12-22	So Much More To Go For
1981	Aug 13-23	So Much More To Go For
1980	Aug 14-24	Celebrate, Iowa
1979	Aug 16-26	Get In Touch With Iowa
1978	Aug 17-27	Take a Closer Look
1977	Aug 18-28	New Horizons
1976	Aug 18-29	Spirit of Iowa'76
1975	Aug 15-24	The Colonizers
1974	Aug 16-25	The Discoverers
1973	Aug 17-26	Discover Hawaii
1972	Aug 18-27	Discover Canada
1971	Aug 20-29	Discover Mexico
1970	Aug 21-30	Discover Iowa
1969	Aug 15-24	Our Roaring 20s Heritage
1968	Aug 16-26	Our Gay 90s Heritage
1967	Aug 18-27	Our Pioneer Heritage
1966	Aug 19-28	Our Explorer Heritage
1965	Aug 20-29	Our Indian Heritage
1964	Aug 21-30
1963	Aug 16-25
1962	Aug 17-26
1961	Aug 25-3
1960	Aug 26-4
1959	Aug 28-6
1958	Aug 22-31
1957	Aug 23-1
1956	Aug 24-2
1955	Aug 27-5
1954	Aug 28-6
1953	Aug 29-7
1952	Aug 23-1
1951	Aug 25-3
1950	Aug 25-1
1949	Aug 24-2
1948	Aug 25-3
1947	Aug 22-29
1946	Aug 21-30
1945	No Fair (World War II)
1944	No Fair (World War II)
1943	No Fair (World War II)
1942	No Fair (World War II)
1941	Aug 20-29
1940	Aug 21-30
1939	Aug 23-1
1938	Aug 24-2
1937	Aug 25-3
1936	Aug 26-4
1935	Aug 21-30
1934	Aug 22-31
1933	Aug 23-1
1932	Aug 24-2
1931	Aug 26-4
1930	Aug 20-29
1929	Aug 21-30
1928	Aug 22-31
1927	Aug 24-2
1926	Aug 25-3
1925	Aug 26-4
1924	Aug 20-29
1923	Aug 22-31
1922	Aug 23-1
1921	Aug 24-2
1920	Aug 25-3
1919	Aug 20-29
1918	Aug 21-30
1917	Aug 22-31
1916	Aug 23-1
1915	Aug 25-3
1914	Aug 26-4
1913	Aug 20-28
1912	Aug 22-30
1911	Aug 24-1
1910	Aug 25-2
1909	Aug 27-3
1908	Aug 20-28
1907	Aug 23-30
1906	Aug 24-31
1905	Aug 25-1
1904	Aug 19-28
1903	Aug 21-29
1902	Aug 22-30
1901	Aug 23-31
1900	Aug 24-1
1899	Aug 25-2
1898	No Fair (World's Fair held in Omaha, NE, Trans-Mississippi Exposition and Spanish American War)
1897	Sep 11-18
1896	Sep 4-11
1895	Sep 6-13
1894	Aug 31-7
1893	Sep 1-8
1892	Aug 26-2
1891	Aug 28-4
1890	Aug 29-5
1889	Aug 30-6
1888	Aug 31-7
1887	Sep 2-7
1886	Sep 3-11	(Extended one day because of rain)
1885	Sep 4-11
1884	Aug 29-5
1883	Aug 31-7
1882	Sep 1-8
1881	Sep 5-9
1880	Sep 6-10
1879	Sep 1-5
1878	Sep 16-20
1877	Sep 17-21
1876	Sep 11-16	(Extended one day because of rain)
1875	Sep 27-1	(Opening ceremony was on September 28)
1874	Sep 22-25
1873	Sep 8-11
1872	Sep 9-13
1871	Sep 11-15
1870	Sep 13-16
1869	Sep 14-17
1868	Sep 29-3	(Fair extended one day because of rain)
1867	Oct 1-4
1866	Sep 18-22	(Tuesday was rainy - opening ceremonies postponed until Wednesday; Fair extended one day)
1865	Sep 26-29
1864	Sep 27-30
1863	Sep 15-18
1862	Sep 30-4	(Extended one day because of rain)
1861	Sep 24-27
1860	Oct 2-5
1859	Sep 27-30
1858	Sep 28-1
1857	Oct 6-9
1856	Oct 8-10
1855	Oct 10-12
1854	Oct 25-27