What Is the Iowa State Fair?
The Iowa State Fair is Iowa’s largest event and one of the country’s oldest and biggest agricultural and industrial expositions, held annually at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines. It combines livestock shows, food vendors, carnival rides, competitions and major concerts into an 11-day showcase of Iowa’s agriculture, industry and culture.
The Fair draws visitors from across the Midwest, the rest of the United States and many foreign countries, with total attendance surpassing one million in recent years and setting an all-time record in 2024. That growing national profile is a key reason the Fair is central to upcoming America 250 celebrations.
Dates, Attendance and Why 2026 Matters
The 2026 Iowa State Fair is scheduled for August 13–23 in Des Moines, matching the latest possible date range the Fair uses under its current calendar rules. The Fair Board shifted the schedule in the 1990s so the event now ends two weeks before Labor Day, which helps avoid conflict with earlier school start dates while keeping the Fair in its traditional August window.
Attendance data released by the Fair show that multiple single-day records were broken in 2024, including for the first Saturday, first Sunday and Tuesday of the Fair, and that the 2024 event set a new overall attendance record. Those figures are fueling expectations that the 2026 Fair, with its added America 250 focus, could see even higher turnout and economic impact for the Des Moines region.
“Fair Spirit” 2026 Theme and Today’s Ticket News
In 2026, the Iowa State Fair will carry the theme “Fair Spirit,” a once-in-a-generation concept tied to the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Drawing on the 1976 “Spirit of Iowa ’76” bicentennial Fair, the 2026 event will spotlight Iowa’s heritage, honor earlier generations and highlight the innovations that will shape the state’s future, all within the broader America 250 and Great American State Fair initiatives.
Organizers have begun rolling out 2026 plans by putting discounted admission and attraction tickets on sale online, including advance adult and child admission and individual tickets for popular attractions like the Giant Slide, Ye Old Mill and Barksdale’s State Fair Cookies. Fair-branded merchandise is available through the Blue Ribbon Foundation, with proceeds supporting preservation and improvements to the Fairgrounds, and officials are teasing the first 2026 Grandstand concert announcements as fans follow Iowa State Fair news heading into the America 250 year.