Des Moines, Iowa — The Iowa State Fair’s CEO and a key official in the Iowa COUNTY fair circuit say concerts are a growing emphasis to spur fair attendance. Tom Barnes, executive secretary of the Mighty Howard County Fair, is also executive director of the Association of Iowa Fairs.
Rodeos and race track events were the bread and butter of county fairs not too many years ago, according to Barnes, but a handful of county fairs started emphasizing concert entertainment about eight years ago and the trend spread.
Gary Slater, the General Manager and CEO of the Iowa State Fair, says about 10 percent of people who attend the Iowa State Fair go to a show at the Grandstand — but the performances matter to those who do NOT attend a concert.
The Fair spent a million dollars renovating the Grandstand stage in 2018, to meet artists’ expectations for video screens, lighting and sound systems.
Every concert-goer has to buy a ticket to enter the fairgrounds and Slater says when expenses and profits are calculated from the Grandstand, they aim to break even. The 2022 Iowa State Fair runs from August 11th through the 21st this year.
In our broadcast area this year, the Sioux County Fair runs July 11th through the 14th, Osceola County Fair is July 18th through the 24th. The Lyon County Fair runs July 18th through the 21st, and the O’Brien County Fair runs July 23rd through the 28th, with most activity being the 25th through the 27th.
