Ind. State Fair Cancels Amid Virus Threat
Published: Friday, June 12, 2020
The Indiana State Fair Commission and the Indiana State Fair Board announced last Thursday that this year's traditional Indiana State Fair has been cancelled due to health-safety concerns.
A modified State Fair 4-H Livestock Show with additional activities will be held on the state fairgrounds in August.
Ultimately, the difficult decision was driven by the impact of COVID-19.
"Unfortunately, key elements including vendors and partners of the fair began falling off and so we pivoted, and found a way to still serve our communities," Brad Chambers, Indiana State Fair commission chairman, said in a news release.
The state's largest multi-day event was scheduled to be held Aug. 8-23. In 2019, nearly 879,000 people attended the Indiana State Fair.
"Safety is our number one priority," said Cindy Hoye, executive director of the Indiana State Fair Commission. "We've spent months working through options that would allow us to host the Fair.
"Agriculture and youth are the foundation of our mission and the heartbeat of the Indiana State Fair, so we are determined and proud to honor our 4-H members with a version of that state fair experience that allows Indiana's youth to be recognized for their dedication and hard work."
Entry fees and payment for parking passes will automatically be refunded in the manner in which they were paid.
The modified 4-H Livestock Show will revolve around the connections made between humans and animals, youth education and development. Those wishing to participate in this year's livestock show must re-enter beginning June 26 at www.indianastatefair.com and completed entries are due by Aug. 3.
The 4-H DNA and 4-H online animal identification must be complete and submitted by July 1.
The State Fair 4-H Livestock Show will take place weekends only from Aug. 7 —Sept. 5.
A list of show categories and new rules and requirements can be found at https://www.indianastatefair.com/p/state-fair/2020-fair-update. A livestock schedule and full schedule of events will be posted at a later date.
Pre-payment for fair tickets will be automatically rolled over for the 2021 Indiana State Fair, which will take place Aug. 6-22. To find out how to obtain a ticket refund and other information, visit https://www.indianastatefair.com/p/state-fair/2020-fair-update.
"We are grateful for the support of our state fair family; each one of you who makes the iconic event possible every summer," Hoye said. "To our beloved fans, staff, sponsors, exhibitors, 4-H and FFA members, vendors, volunteers and entertainers—we look forward to being back at full strength in August 2021."
This is not the first time the Indiana State Fair was modified or did not take place. During the Civil War and WWII the fairgrounds was needed to support the war effort.
Return to Top of Page