North Dakota State Fair

The North Dakota State Fair is an annual state fair held each July in Minot, North Dakota, USA. The Fair has carnival rides, agricultural expositions, government and commercial exhibitions, and a variety of musical and performance entertainment.

The fairgrounds are located along Burdick Expressway in east Minot. The facilities on the site are used for a variety of other events; the grandstand is regularly used for Nodak Speedway stock car races, and the State Fair Center is frequently used for conventions, sporting events and festivals, including Norsk Høstfest.

The Fair in Minot was first held in Minot in 1922 but was not officially sanctioned by the state government until 1965. In 1963, 14 cities were invited to bid for the official State Fair site. The highlights of the Magic City are what won Minot the bid. Minot had the most central location in North Dakota, the best attendance of any of the competing Fairs, and the best planned and maintained Fairgrounds. 1966 marked the first year of the one and only official North Dakota State Fair held in Minot.

In 2010 the new Grandstand was built and has since hosted many legendary acts since such as, Kiss, Alabama, Kenny Chesney, Brooks & Dunn, Garth Brooks, Tim McGraw, Nickleback and many more.

On July 10, 2011, it was announced that the 2011 fair would be cancelled because of the Souris River flood which left much of the grounds, and Minot, underwater. During the flood, staff members and many other people from the community came together, working day and night to help save what they could of the Fairgrounds. By the end of the summer, the flood waters had receded and the Fairgrounds were ready for action the next year.

The North Dakota State Fair remains prideful in attendance numbers and satisfied customers. As the largest event in the state, it draws an average of 300,000 people. It is an ever-growing event that takes pride in all that it holds from competitive exhibits all the way to entertainers.