The fair must go on, albeit ‘reimagined’
The Colorado State Fair announced today that a limited version of the State Fair will go on, with modifications to meet public health guidelines, scheduled for August 28-September 7.
The event will be called the “2020 Colorado State Fair Reimagined.”
Attendance at the fair will be dramatically limited compared to a normal year, said Scott Stoller, General Manager for the Colorado State Fair.
Whereas the fair normally sees 20,000-60,000 attendees per day, current guidelines for outdoor events limit crowd sizes to 175 people in large gathering areas.
That crowd limit means there will not be any large concerts or stage events. Because of that, Stoller said, admissions will be free to the public.
Specific details on free tickets and total capacity estimates have not yet been provided. Tickets previously purchased for the 2020 fair can be applied to the 2021 event, or in some cases refunded, according to the fair website.
The reimagined fair will feature a “really heavy focus on 4H and FAA programs, making sure those youth have the opportunity to show their livestock projects,” Stoller said, including a horse show, dog show, rocketry, and other 4H exhibits.
“We’re going to try to capture some of the spirit of what a normal fair would be like by having limited food vendors, and maybe some shopping vendors, and at the extreme want, it would be nice to have some of the carnival rides here, but that’s uncertain,” Stoller said.
They are also hoping to have a few no-touch agriculture education and Colorado tourism exhibits for visitors to walk through, but no petting zoo.
“It’s really sad for us down here, the staff, the board, not to be able to have a full fair, but we understand reality,” Stoller said.
Stoller noted that public health guidelines could change, altering current plans.
Updated information can be found at coloradostatefair.com and on a Frequently Asked Questions page for this summer's 'reimagined' event.
Related:
Ride the dramatic ups and downs of the Colorado State Fair’s exciting past on the recent Colorado Experience episode.