By O. Kay Henderson (Radio Iowa)
The Iowa State Fair is the state’s largest tourism event and State Fair CEO Jeremy Parsons says that was affirmed this year. Nearly 1.2 million people attended the 2025 Fair — just about 22,000 or so short of the attendance record set last year.
“I have always known that Iowans love their Fair,” Parson told Radio Iowa, “but at this Fair when you had periods of just absolute downpours and then periods of miserable heat, they were still here.”
Parsons says the Iowa State Fair’s Blue Ribbon Foundation has raised the money to install creature comforts on the fairgrounds that have mitigated the weather’s impact on attendance. “If it’s a rainy day (there are) a lot of buildings you can get into…You’re not walking in the mud. There are a lot of sidewalks, those types of things,” Parsons said. “When it’s hot, of course through the efforts of the Foundation, we have way more air conditioned buildings than we did 30 years ago.”
State Fair Grandstand ticket sales did set a record over the Fair’s 11 day run. Nearly 132,000 people attended the nightly concerts. Parsons credits a diverse line-up for appealing to a wide variety of people. “I think if you would survey people and ask them: ‘What were two of the best selling shows at this year’s Fair?’ they would have said: ‘Rascal Flatts and Def Leopard.’ You know, country and classic rock,” Parson said. “Ironically, those were number five and six.”
The top draw was 27-year-old country star Megan Moroney, with the second and third largest Grandstand audiences for the concerts by rappers T-Pain and Pitbull. “As time changes, definitions for classic performers are evolving,” Parsons said. “Several years ago, the ‘Rock ‘n Roll Reunion’ of course was people from the ’50s and ’60s. Well, T-Pain and Pitbull are people who became popular 20 years ago.
Fair-goers were allowed to bring in non-alcoholic drinks and food in soft-sided coolers this year. It does not seem to have dampened sales by licensed vendors on the fairgrounds, according to Parsons. “Based on our preliminary food and beverage numbers that I have seen, they are on par with last year and, of course, last year was a larger Fair,” Parsons said. “…Anecdotally, I heard from several fair-goers who actually talked about the fact that because they were allowed to bring in outside food and drink, they were able to come to the fair and treat their family to maybe one item, like a treat at a food stand, rather than not coming at all.”
Preparations for the 2026 State Fair are well underway. Renovations are starting on the inside of the historic Horse Barn and on Monday the Iowa State Fair Board approved spending $1.8 million for repairs on the Swine and Cattle Barns. Fundraising is underway for a $15 million Ag Education Center on the fairgrounds and Parsons said they hope to have a groundbreaking for the project during next year’s State Fair.
