Carnival & Fair News

Few states are as emblematic of America's heartland as the Sunflower State and its annual state fair, which dates back to 1873, has been on a growth trajectory post-lockdown.  The fair has upped its marketing game, added new programming, improved grandstand booking and boasts a NAME (North American Midway Entertainment) that featured 40 rides.

The Kansas State continued its revitalization trend in 2025 in spite of ill-time downpours that cut short aspirations to top last year's record breaking attendance. The result was an attendance dip of about 8.5 percent-  300,784 (2025), versus 328,714 (2024) - and considering that a combined total of 25 inches of rain fell sporadically during the 10-day run of the fair, this minor downtick was a testament to the strong and steadfast following the fair has consistently built since the pandemic.

"Overall , we were on track for a record setting fair," said Bryan K. Schulz, General Manager, Kansas State Fair. "It was frustrating because we had a drought all year. But the ground got so saturated parking was complete havoc because the extra rain had nowhere else to go. Luckily, we have a great community and a call to the local college (Hutchinson Community College) assisted us with parking lots and three buses to shuttle folks to and from the fair, and the shuttling people seemed to enjoy."

He added, "all the presales numbers were up,  wristbands were up, ticket sales were up. We had the highest advanced sales we have ever seen.  Overall, we had tremendous vibe at the fair this year."

"Even with a few rainy stretches, fairgoers in Kansas showed the resilience we have come to admire - when the weather cleared, the crowds came right back," said Lynda Franc, Corporate Marketing Director, NAME.  "The Kansas State Fair team runs a tight, guest-focused operation, and that partnership is what makes the event so successful year after year. They're forward-thinking, organized, and genuinely care about improving the fair experience for everyone. We always look forward to coming back to Hutchinson - it is a fair that understands the balance between tradition and innovation, and that is something we really respect."

"They do amazing job," said Schulz of NAME. "Our pre-fair wristband sales were enormous,  higher than any other year. But overall midway revenue was hit because of the downturn in attendance and the rain."

The Midway featured about 40 rides, including 17 kiddie rides, 27 games, and 8 food stands. "NAME was proud to once again bring the thrills to the Kansas State Fair in Hutchinson,"  said Franc. "This year's midway offered a great mix of excitement and nostalgia - with new attractions like the Downdraft by Battech and Cliff Hanger by Dartron joining fan favorites such as the Pinfari Bullet Train coaster, Chance Giant Wheel, and Pharaoh's Fury. In all, we featured around 40 rides, creating something for everyone."

Getting Fairified

Like several other state fairs post-pandemic, Kansas has adopted a perennial marketing tagline that extends the brand on a year-to-year basis. The fair's marketing theme was Get Fairified and the complete motto was Get Fairified at The Kansas State Fair. This catchy earworm that clearly echoes the agricultural mission of the fair (think: fortified cereal) was first introduced in 2023 but just before the fair, its promotional resonance not fully exploited. That changed in 2024 when the tagline become integral to the branding of the event and has continued into this year. "We have all the pieces together now," said Schulz. "The tagline works great, it appeals to mothers and families. I love using it with legislators, who seem to like it and it makes it easier to lobby for the fair and has become our brand. It suits our needs. It hooks people into the fair. We get a lot of compliments on it."

Schulz also repeated a promotion introduced  last year, the Fairified Golden Ticket, a contest where the winner - and three of their friends -  received season passes, concert tickets, free midway rides, VIP parking and an estimated $1,500 worth of Fair Swag.  The clever promotional incentive builds on the on the Kansas and the Wizard of Oz association. Not only was the movie's main character - Dorothy - a Kansas girl, but the Golden Ticket plays off the  yellow brick road that leads to the titular wizard and town.  "We had more than 3,000 people sign up for the contest," he added.

The fair maintained its advertising budget of approximately$400,000 from 2024, although the fair did boost that figure by $100,000 last year. The fair has made sure to optimize its marketing reach through collaborations with local media and selective placements. "We work a lot of with trade advertising in  radio and TV as well some buys in  more media outlets.  There are a whole of ways we used to get the word out. We a little bit of print, and we do a visitor guide in select areas. Our push for our app continues, which was downloaded to a large number of people."

Schulz also expanded the fair's roster of Social Ambassadors-the name given to the fair's social media influencers -- to 58. The program, which began with only 18 such internet celebrities, has become a more embellished collaboration.  "We feed them ideas, they repost our content and they send their posts to our marketing department. We have a system where they earn points, so much for each post. That culminates into tickets and other incentives, which entices  them and expands our brand."

Romeo Entertainment Group

The fair's grandstand line up included such spectacles as the Demolition Derby and Fairified Pro Wrestling and a  well-attended Christian Night with Josiah Queen with Ben Fuller. Jeff Dunham and Ludacris were sold out shows.  "We had paid shows for all out 10 days,"  said Schulz. "We worked with Romeo Entertainment Group, and we had a good lineup.  But, It is a seller's market still it wasn't too bad this year. We did a few things differently. We had to book Ludacris very early."

Schulz said the fair featured  94 food concessions. The fair's signature corndog - the Pronto Pup - is always a fan  favorite but this year concessionaires came up with reimagined versions including a Lobster Corn Dog, Korean Corn Dog and a Pulled Pork Corn Dog. The fair's social media featured a Corndog Fair Tour highlighting the new versions of this state fair staple. Other new mouthwatering cuisine options included Brownie Bites, Blackened Shrimp and Little B's Fried Pies.



Besides the Pronto Pup, the Kansas State Fair has gained a reputation for Jaffle Sandwiches, which are grilled meat sandwiches made in a special Jaffle Oven. Dunham, the comedian ventriloquist, recommended them during his performance, inviting on stage Schulz who brought him a Jaffle sandwich to the sold out audience.

The 2025 Kansas State Fair is a story of iconic farming state consistently cultivating its state fair with programming, marketing and entertainment booking. This year's rainfalls challenged specific days and caused a downtick compared to last year's record breaker, but did little to impact the fair's positive trajectory.

"Because of the rain, this year fell short of expectations," admitted Schulz. "But we succeeded in bringing agriculture education and traditions. We keep that front and foremost. Our innovation is to show how our food goes from farm to table, which is important because the younger generation thinks all their food is just sold at Walmart. But what I love the most is talking to the fairgoers and hearing their stories of meeting their spouse when showing cattle or their first date was on the double Ferris Wheel and now they are bringing their kids to the fair. The fair is instilling in them the same traditional family values."