The state fair is a ten-day annual event in North Carolina. This year, the fair dates are Thursday, October seventeenth, to Sunday, October twenty-fourth.
The first North Carolina State Fair was in October of 1853. The fair was hosted by the State Agricultural Society. The fair consisted of agricultural exhibits and a racetrack. Farmers from all over North Carolina came to present their agricultural products. There was even a grand total prize of $524 awarded for the best crops, livestock, homemade household goods, and farming machines. It lasted only four days and had at most 4000 attendees.
Admission to the fair was only twenty-five cents and everyone was dressed in suits, dresses, and fancy hats. The Civil War brought the state fair to an end as the fairgrounds were used to instruct the volunteer troops. Its exhibit halls were turned into a Confederate hospital. The Union ended up setting the buildings on fire, leaving them damaged and destroyed. Four years after the Civil War, the Agricultural Society decided they wanted to revive it and started repairing it for the 1869 State Fair. In 1873, they moved the fairgrounds to a larger site next to the North Carolina Railroad across Hillsborough Street.
The NC State Fair has been wildly popular within the state. Many U.S. Presidents have attended including Theodore Roosevelt in 1905, Harry S. Truman in 1948, Gerald Ford in 1976, George H.W. Bush in 1992, and Bill Clinton in 1996.
Jimi Hendrix, KISS, Ray Charles, Garth Brooks, Tammy Wynette, and Willie Nelson have all held concerts during the state fair at Dorton Arena. Concerts at the fair have been controversial in the past. Dorton Arena only has five thousand one hundred seats, so the organizers can only spend limited money on well-known acts due to the small number of available seats. The Dorton Arena is also known for its horse-saddle-shaped roof. The shape of the roof causes sounds to bounce around the arena like a pinball. Jimi Hendrix and his performers had to play their music at maximum volume, to avoid the echo in the arena.
Many different special-event days are coming up at the fair. October 17th is Wolfpack Day, which is where NC State students get eight-dollar admission by showing their student ID. Accessibility Day occurs on October 20th from 9 am – 1 pm. On this day, rides and games operate with no lights or music to accommodate sensitivities. On October 22nd, all senior citizens sixty-five and up get in for free. There will also be a military parade on October 23rd at 10 am.
There is also the Weekday Lunch Pass Program. This program allows you to buy a lunch pass on weekdays at 11:30 a.m. for $20, so you can enjoy all your favorite fair lunch items. Then, at 1:30 p.m., you return the pass and get your $20 back, making your fair visit free. However, if you decide to stay later than 1:30 pm, the fair gets to keep your $20. This program is only available for adult admission.
The fair traffic sparked some controversy on October 19th. The combination of the fair and Sabrina Carpenter performing at Lenovo Center brought very heavy traffic to the area. Many fairgoers stated that they waited for hours in standstill traffic, some even parked two miles away just to try to avoid the traffic. The people attending the Sabrina Carpenter concert were also very frustrated with this traffic. Alexandria Swenson told CBS 17, “We drove in from Virginia. We left at 11 a.m., and we were in standstill traffic for about two hours before we got here.”
Lenovo Center released a statement apologizing for the inconvenience saying, “Raleigh is fortunate to host world-class touring shows and the best State Fair in the nation. Each year, we strive to balance managing traffic and congestion while allowing as many people as possible to enjoy events at both Lenovo Center and the fairgrounds. We’re always looking to improve our processes during the Fair and will continue to do so.”
Traffic has been an issue in years past as well. In 2002, the State Fair, a Carolina Hurricanes game, and an N.C. State football game were all scheduled on the same day. The Carolina Hurricanes made a public apology after this incident and asked the NHL not to schedule any home games during the fair. N.C. State has not had a home football game during the fair since 2008. An N.C. State associate athletic director, states the school has to submit a request to the ACC every year to not have home games during the N.C. State Fair so this doesn’t happen again.
This year’s state fair theme is Homegrown Happiness and it includes many special events over the ten day span. The United Pullers of the Carolina Tractor Pull will occur on Friday, October 18, Saturday, October 19, and Sunday, October 20. The Motorsports Mayhem is happening on Friday, October 25, Saturday, October 26, and Sunday, October 27. Finally, on Monday, October 21, is the Draft Horse Pull, and on Saturday, October 26, is the Mini Draft Horse Pull. For all of these special events children under 5 get in for free and adult admission is $10.
Two new rides are coming to this year’s fair in addition to seventy-two new food items. The first new ride is the State Fair slide, a giant 210-foot slide. The Candyland adventure is also coming to the fair, which is a 130-foot-long funhouse. This year’s fair features some exciting new food options. Fairgoers can try pickle-flavored Dr. Pepper, crab and shrimp bombs, breaded bologna fries, deep-fried spaghetti, BBQ Deep-Fried ribs, and more! The 2024 State Fair still has all the beloved rides like the Ferris wheel, Super Himalaya, Tesla AC, Starship 4000, High Flying Swings, and Mighty Mouse.
Come visit the N.C. State Fair. Tickets are purchased in person or online!
