47°10′55″N 122°17′49″W / 47.182°N 122.297°W
| Washington State Fair | |
|---|---|
 | |
.jpg) Fair Grounds in August 2023 | |
| Genre | State fair |
| Dates | Main fair in Late August through September Spring fair in April |
| Location(s) | 110 9th Ave SW Puyallup, Washington, U.S. |
| Next event | August 29 through September 21, 2025 (closed on Tuesdays and September 3rd) |
| Attendance | 912,000 (2024) |
| Budget | Over $50 million (2024) |
| People | Renee McClain (CEO) |
| Website | www |
| [1] | |
The Washington State Fair, formerly the Puyallup Fair, is the largest single attraction held annually in the U.S. state of Washington. It continually ranks in the top ten largest fairs in the United States and includes agricultural and pastoral displays and shows, amusement rides, and concert series.[2][unreliable source?] The Washington State Fair hosts two annual events: the 21-day Washington State Fair in September, and the four-day two weekend Washington State Spring Fair in April. The land and facilities are also leased to independent events and conventions throughout the year.
Situated in the city of Puyallup, 35 miles (56 km) south of Seattle and 10 miles (16 km) east of Tacoma near Mount Rainier, the fairgrounds cover an area of 160 acres (0.65 km2) with buildings and land valued at more than $54 million. The facilities are available for rent throughout the year, making the grounds a valuable community resource. They also host various seasonal festivals such as the Victorian Country Christmas, as well as races, concerts, car shows, and sporting expositions, including the International Sportsman's Exposition. The site employs 55 year-round staff members. Over 7,500 employees are hired each September during the Fair.[3]
According to event organizers, 912,000 visitors attended the fair in 2024.[4]
History
editThe fair started out under the name "Puyallup Valley Fair", with the first event taking place October 4–6, 1900. In 1913, it was renamed "The Western Washington Fair", but remained primarily known as the "Puyallup Fair" until the early 1980s.[5] In 2006, the name was changed again to "The Puyallup Fair", and the venue became known as "The Puyallup Fair and Events Center."[6] In 2013 the fair received its current name, the "Washington State Fair"; however, the marketing tagline "Do the Puyallup" was retained and many local people continue to refer to the fair by its previous name.[7]
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During World War II, the fair did not take place. The fairgrounds closed after the 1941 fair and were occupied by the army, which set up Camp Harmony, a temporary assembly center within the system of concentration camps for Japanese Americans. A total of 7,390 Japanese Americans from the Seattle-Tacoma area and Alaska were confined in converted horse stables and barracks constructed on adjacent parking lots, the racing track and under the grandstand.[8][9] In September 1942, the Japanese Americans were sent to other locations and the camp was torn down. The fairgrounds were briefly occupied by the U.S. Army 943rd Signal Service Battalion until they were transferred to Fort Lewis, then closed until 1946, when the fair set an attendance record of 100,000 people on opening day.[6]
The cancellation of the Fair's 2020 season was announced on July 8, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was the first edition of the Fair to be cancelled since World War II.[10] The fair returned in 2021 with masking requirements and limited capacity, drawing 816,000 total attendees—a 20 percent decrease.[11]
See also
edit- Pacific National Exhibition in Vancouver, B.C., whose grounds were also a Japanese Internment Center during World War II
- Central Washington State Fair in Yakima, designated as the original location of the Washington State Fair
- Evergreen State Fair in Snohomish County, an annual summer county fair
- Lakefair in Olympia, an annual summer festival
References
edit- ^ Pasia, Nicole (August 22, 2025). "Washington State Fair: What it means to 'Do the Puyallup' for 125 years". Events. The Seattle Times. Retrieved August 23, 2025.
- ^ "Historical Facts: 1900-2000". TheFair.com. June 10, 2019.
- ^ "Puyallup Fair attendance down slightly". Puget Sound Business Journal. September 22, 2003. Retrieved September 23, 2008.
- ^ Valencia, Destiny (June 26, 2025). "How the Washington State Fair Went This Year, According to Organizers". Tacoma, Washington: South Sound Magazine. Retrieved August 23, 2025.
- ^ Gulepi, ark (September 12, 1982). "Do the Western Washington? Straight from the pig's mouth: It's 'The Puyallup Fair'". The News Tribune. p. A6. Retrieved March 28, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "About the Fair". June 10, 2019. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
- ^ Trujillo, Joshua (September 20, 2012). "Puyallup Fair getting a new name". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. SeattlePI.com. Retrieved September 23, 2012.
- ^ Fiset, Louis. "Puyallup (detention facility)" Densho Encyclopedia. Retrieved June 19, 2014.
- ^ Burton, J., et al (National Park Service, 2000). Confinement and Ethnicity: An Overview of World War II Japanese American Relocation Sites, "Puyallup Assembly Center, Washington." Retrieved June 19, 2014.
- ^ Peterson, Josephine (July 8, 2020). "Washington State Fair has been canceled over COVID-19 concerns". The News Tribune. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
- ^ Relente, Angelica (October 1, 2021). "A million people usually attend the State Fair. This year was different". The News Tribune. Retrieved March 28, 2022.
