IN.gov - Skip Navigation

Note: This message is displayed if (1) your browser is not standards-compliant or (2) you have you disabled CSS. Read our Policies for more information.

Mobile Site RSS Feeds
Amber Alert
Amber Alert - TEST
Subscribe for e-mail updates

INvest.IN.gov

feature_081108

The Indiana State Fair… It’s “Comin’ Back Around”

So you didn’t get to see and do everything you planned on this summer, and it’s just about time to get the kids back in school.  Don’t let this be the summer you want to forget!  There’s still time to make some memories because the Indiana State Fair is “Comin’ Back Around” August 6 – 17.

With its classic favorites like lemon shake-ups, 4-H exhibits, the midway and the Dairy Bar, the fair is a seasonal oasis that will get you past your “Gas Pump Blues.”  In fact, the fair has added some special values to help you stretch your entertainment dollar as far as it will go:

  • Free parking – there’s a lot on the fairgrounds, and even more at Glendale Mall where a free shuttle runs every 20 minutes from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.
  • Free admission – for current military personnel and veterans who present their military ID on Sunday, August 17.
  • Free admission – August 12, 13 and 14 when you use the ticket printed in the August 12 issue of the Indianapolis Star.
  • Free admission – to the Corbin Bleu Kids’ Day concert on Monday, August 11 in the Hoosier Lottery Grandstand.  Just print a voucher available at http://www.indianastatefair.com/ or http://www.voice.tv/ and you can see the Radio Disney and “High School Musical” star for free!
  • $5 admission – after 5 p.m. for each person in your group on Wednesday, August 13.
  • Unlimited midway rides – during special hours when you purchase a wristband available on nine of the fair’s 12 days.
  • Free shuttle rides around the fair – for seniors 65 and older on “Golden Hoosiers’ Day” Thursday, August 14.

Now that you’ve saved, what will you see?  The fair is featuring Indiana Trees as it celebrates the contributions of the state’s hardwood industry, so make sure you stroll through the new Indiana State Fair covered bridge on the fairgrounds’ west side.  There’s also a “Trail of Trees,” Scheer’s Lumberjack Show, a celebrity cross-cut sawing contest, a chainsaw artist, the Tree Top Gift Shop presented by Wal-Mart and other tree-related fun! 

There are plenty of non-tree events, too, including:

  • Comcast presents Marcan Tigers of India
  • “Indiana’s Got Game” An Indiana High School Sports Experience
  • International Circus Hall of Fame
  • GM presents JUMP! The Ultimate Dog Show
  • Goat Mountain
  • Livestock Nursery
  • The Wacky Wheeler
  • Garfield presents “Happy Birthday to Me!” (Monday, Aug. 11)
  • Demolition Derby and Fireworks (Sunday, Aug. 17)

And that’s just for starters!  There’s a ton of great entertainment on stages all around the grounds.  If you want the best performers from around the country, check out who is playing in the Hoosier Lottery Grandstand:

  • Jessica Simpson (Thursday, Aug. 7)
  • Carrie Underwood with special guest Keith Anderson (Friday, Aug. 8)
  • Daughtry with special guest the Virgin Millionaires (Saturday, Aug. 9)
  • Backstreet Boys (Sunday, Aug. 10)
  • Sugarland with special guest Joe Nichols (Tuesday, Aug. 12)
  • Garrison Keillor with special guest Suzy Bogguss (Wednesday, Aug. 13)

Remember this summer for what you had, not what you didn’t.  One trip to the Indiana State Fair just might make all the difference.

  • Archive of Featured Articles