Carnival & Fair News

Echoing the state fair's former name as the Puyallup, this year's theme was “Do the Puyallup!” based on a classic jingle, as the fair celebrated its 125th year. Held at the largest event center in the state in Puyallup, the fair completed a $28 million revamp just in time for this year. The fair ran from August 29th to September 21st.

According to fair CEO Renee McClain, the amount spent was “unprecedented for us,” but the results were well worth the cost. Recouping a bit of that revamp expense, fair admission ranged from $15-$20 for adults, and $13-$17 for kids and seniors depending on the day and whether tickets were purchased online or at the gate; kids aged 5 and under were always admitted free. The KOMO Opening Day Food Drive offered free admission from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. with a donation of non-perishable food items; KOMO News BECU Free Kids weekend welcomed young fairgoers for free throughout the entire opening weekend. On Mondays, gate admission was offered free to all active, reserve, and retired military and National Guard.

Fair spokeswoman Stacy Van Horne said the fair team was excited to welcome everyone to their biggest celebration yet.

The celebration included a wide range of new exhibitions and attractions. In the free “Our Food, Our Farms, Our Washington” exhibition, the story of how food is grown, harvested and brought to those consuming it was explored; also free was a new app that allowed fairgoers to choose from among six self-guided walking tour adventures at the fair, with choices that included a journey through fair origins and history; every new attraction on offer; the fair's food scene; family friendly and free attractions; an exploration of sweets and treats from cotton candy to the newest wild dessert feast; and murals and photo-op-themed fun. The app was launched by fairgoers over 4,534 times, giving fairgoers a whole new way of looking at the fair's offerings.

Also new this year was The 1900 Food Hal & Rooftop Bar, which replaced the fair's former International Village location. Van Horne described the location as having “probably one of the coolest views you'll get…with all the rides surrounding it… It's a central hub of the fairgrounds.”

The new venue was curated by chef Mitch Mayers and featured nostalgic burgers and fries from Benji's Diner; premium sandwiches from Big Mouth Sandos; Detroit-style pan pizzas from Upper Crust; healthy Asian Fusion cuisine from Fat Panda; and Pacific Northwest-centered fish and chowders at The Pier. Also on hand were unique desserts from DOH! Sweets & Treats, and the multiple-level rooftop bar.

To celebrate the Washington State Fair's 125th anniversary, Silver City Brewery crafted a limited edition Do the Puyallup Pale Ale; and there was a new Corn Shuck Showdown contest replete with blindfolded contestants competing to win $500 plus fair merchandise.




The fair also debuted their new Fair Park & Stage this year at the location formerly used for the event's M Barn. This area offered green space, seating, and a free entertainment stage. There were themed tribute band favorites from Brue Springsteen to Prince; a 70s Pop Rock Night and 70s Funk Night, and a tribute to the Seattle Grunge Scene, among others.

Also new: the iconic Golden Gate fair entrance, which was completely redesigned with an interactive water feature, programmable lighting, and personalized pavers.

The fair's first drone and firework show added yet more fresh fun to the fair, with hundreds of drones presented on the fair's opening night. Every Friday during the fair's run, a fireworks show was also held.

For thrill-seekers, the carnival offered excitement, with rides provided by Oregon- based Funtastic. The fair included two different ride areas, ThrillVille for those seeing large rides, and an expanded SillyVille area for families with younger kids.

Dizzy Passes which included unlimited ThrillVille and SillyVille rides, plus two free games, were available at either weekday or weekend and holiday option pricing, with early bird pricing online starting at $45 and regular pricing at $55. Ride and game ticket package options included

54 Ride & Game Tickets for $60 or 24 Ride & Game Tickets for $30.

Popular rides returning this year included the Extreme Scream, the Giant Slide, and the Classic Coaster, which some 93,000 fairgoers chose to ride. The coaster was celebrating a milestone of its own this year, as it reached a venerable 90-plus years of age. The wooden coaster is among the longest running coasters in the world and was built in 1935, with 2560-feet of track and a height of 55 feet. Also popular: the Grand Wheel, the spinning Inferno, and Kamikaze. Little kids took to the Dragon Coaster and helicopters among other rides.

Animals were, as always, a major part of the fair, with a cattle birthing exhibition; the Horse Breed Showcase; and a demonstration of small-scale farming and gardening including livestock breeds in small places. At the Animals of the World exhibit, unusual mini-zebu, African pygmy mice, and emu were on hand; and from September 4-7, the Puyallup Rodeo took place. A cattle education exhibit offered information on different types and breeds of cows. The popular piglets of Piglet Palace saw the birth of 26 adorable baby piglets during the fair's run. Livestock exhibits included goats, pigs, rabbits, horses, llamas, sheep, cattle, and even dogs and cats.



Shifting from animals to events, Fiestas Patrias, was a popular day-long event held September 14th that celebrated Mexican culture and included two free grandstand concerts. On Native American Days September 17th and 18th, Native American heritage was on view through traditional performances and educational displays.

As for performances, the Columbia Concert Series included major national artists such as T Pain, Darius Rucker and Austin Williams, Blue Oyster Cult with Bachman Turner Overdrive, Ludicris with Slick Rick, Khalid, Jon Pardi, and comedy from Joel McHale, Kelsey Cook, and Susan Jones, among other major shows.



All the entertainment options doubtlessly left fairgoers craving fun fair food, with scones particularly popular – one million were sold in all during the run of the fair. Those aren't just any scones:they're from Fisher Scone, which Van Horne describes as having been around for “over 100 years… it's the simplest recipe… raspberry stone, butter, a little kick, a little honey."

Van Horne also recommended another oldie but goodie, Marco and Son's Carmel Apples. Among the apples dipped up are a classic that's “double dipped in caramel.”

Sugar-coated fruit skewers from new vendor Tangulu were also popular, as were Extreme Carnival Eats with their buffalo mac and cheese cone. Classics from corn dogs to corn on the cob, pizza, and tacos were big hits, too. The Fair Value Menu program provided deals for weekday dining, with select vendors offering $12 meals, and $8 snacks.



Although attendance figures were not final at press time, visitation was robust for this milestone year at the fair.