DES MOINES, Iowa — Get ready to catch "Fair Fever": the 2024 Iowa State Fair runs from Thursday, Aug. 8 through Sunday, Aug. 18.
Between musical performances, amusement park rides, new foods and plenty of livestock shows, here's everything you need to know about this year's state fair.
Local 5 and CW Iowa 23 are bringing exciting 2024 Iowa State Fair experiences to you, from live newscasts to an interactive Local 5 Weather Lab experience. Come see us in front of the Administration Building (Grand Concourse) each day between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m.
When is the 2024 Iowa State Fair?
Dates: Thursday, Aug. 8 – Sunday, Aug. 18
Hours: 8 a.m.-12 a.m., every day
Find more information about building and Thrill Park hours here.
Click here to get your fair forecast here every day.
How much are tickets? Where can I buy them?
General Admission to the fair is $16 for adults and $10 for kids ages 6-11. Advance admission tickets can be purchased here at a cheaper price: $11 for adults and $7 for kids ages 6-11.
Advance tickets can also be purchased at Hy-Vee or Fareway grocery stores.
Kids ages 5 and younger receive free admission to the fair.
Discounted tickets can be purchased through Wednesday, Aug. 7.
A GA ticket does not get you into everything, however. Other ticketed activities and events within the fair include Thrill Park rides, the Ye Old Mill and the Giant Slide. Additional tickets are also needed for the Grandstand shows.
Grandstand concert tickets can be purchased here.
And speaking of the Grandstand...
Who are the Grandstand acts?
The Grandstand runs one performance each day of the fair, for a total of 10 performances. Here's the lineup:
- Thursday, Aug. 8: Lauren Daigle
- Friday, Aug. 9: Foreigner
- Saturday, Aug. 10: Jelly Roll
- Sunday, Aug. 11: Greta Van Fleet
- Monday, Aug. 12: Brett Young
- Tuesday, Aug. 13: Thomas Rhett
- Wednesday, Aug. 14: Motley Crue
- Thursday, Aug. 15: Gabriel Iglesias
- Friday, Aug. 16: The Avett Brothers
- Saturday, Aug. 17: NE-YO
- Sunday, Aug. 18: Kidz Bop
In addition to the Grandstand acts, you can also find a variety of free concerts and other entertainment.
What is the bag policy?
The fair "reserves the right" to search any bags going through its gates, according to its website. Bags and backpacks may also be searched while entering the Grandstand.
When is the Iowa State Fair parade? What is the route?
Each year, Iowa's largest parade goes through downtown Des Moines the night before the Iowa State Fair begins.
Featuring high school marching bands, floats and plenty of cool cars, the parade marches from the State Capitol Complex to 15th Street via Grand Avenue.
- When: 6:15 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 7
- Where: Grand Avenue outside of the Iowa State Capitol Complex
Parking
There are three parking lots available for parking at $10 per vehicle. Find a map of each lot on the map below. Fairgoers can take the Blue Line Shuttle inside the A, B and C parking lots for free, right to the admission gates.
Want to leave your car at home? Free bike parking is available inside Gate 11. Alternatively, ridesharing options will be available for pick up and drop off at Gate 8.
If public transit is more your thing, park for free at one of the DART Park & Ride locations. Service will be provided from 8 a.m. to midnight during the fair, with shuttles dropping off and picking up at Gate 10.
If purchased in advance through the MyDART app, an adult, round-trip bus ticket from Park & Ride locations is $1. Children 6-10, adults 65+ and Medicare/Disability riders are $0.50 round trip- and children 5 and under are free.
Purchasing tickets at bus pickup is $2 for regular fare (adult, round-trip) and $1 for children 6-10, those with disabilities and persons 65+/Medicare.
Here are the DART Park & Ride locations:
- Center Street Park & Ride - 7th and Center Street; enter on 7th Street
- Southeast Polk High School - N.E. 80th Street and Highway 163
- Iowa State Capitol - on East 12th Street, east side of the Capitol building near the State Capitol bell
What new foods are at the Iowa State Fair?
There are a total of 84 new foods available at the Iowa State Fair in 2024.
Of those, three are in the running to be crowned "Best New Fair Food": The Bacon Cheeseburger Eggroll, the Lobster Corn Dog and the Iowa Sm'oak'ed Roll.
In 2023, the fair introduced 64 new foods, with the Deep Fried Brisket Mac-n-Cheese Grilled Cheese taking home the coveted top prize.
For a full list of the new fair foods, click here.
How many people attend the Iowa State Fair?
If the fair continues its trajectory from 2023, though, visitors can expect more than 1,130,000 fairgoers to attend the event over the course of the 10 days.
Here are the Iowa State Fair attendance totals for the past five years:
- 2023: 1,133,958
- 2022: 1,118,763
- 2021: 1,094,480
- 2020: 0 (canceled due to COVID-19)
- 2019: 1,170,375
What are the themes for each day?
- Thursday, Aug. 8: MidAmerican Energy Day
- Friday, Aug. 9: Iowa 4-H Day
- Saturday, Aug. 10: Chevron Day
- Sunday, Aug. 11: Iowa Farmers Union Day
- Monday, Aug. 12: Iowa Lottery and Iowa Veterans Day
- Tuesday, Aug. 13: Power Up Iowa Day
- Wednesday, Aug. 14: Solar Day
- Thursday, Aug. 15: Iowa Credit Union Day
- Friday, Aug. 16: Iowa Corn Day
- Saturday, Aug. 17: Christensen Farms Day
- Sunday, Aug. 18: STEM Day
Do you have a fair question you want us to answer? Text us at 515-457-1026 or email news@weareiowa.com!