The Biggest Fairs in the Great Plains

Minot's North Dakota State Fair set an all-time attendance record in 2025, drawing 356,552 people over nine days — narrowly topping the previous record from 2023, and up more than 4% from 2024, according to fair organizers. A sold-out Jelly Roll concert helped drive the numbers despite storms that forced schedule changes. It's the largest event in North Dakota by a wide margin. Running since 1922.

The Nebraska State Fair drew 334,383 visitors to Grand Island in 2025, up about 6% from the year before, according to fair organizers. Founded in 1859, the fair ran in Lincoln for over a century before relocating to Grand Island in 2010.

Kansas's official state fair, held each September in Hutchinson since 1913, drew 300,784 fairgoers over ten days in 2025, according to General Manager Bryan Schulz — down from about 321,000 the year before after heavy rain left the fairgrounds muddy. It remains the largest single event in Kansas.

Held each August at the W.H. Lyon Fairgrounds in Sioux Falls, the Sioux Empire Fair drew 298,598 visitors over its 10-day run in 2017, according to the Argus Leader — the most recent reported total available. Running since 1936, it's South Dakota's largest fair by attendance.

Aberdeen's Brown County Fair drew an estimated 279,451 visitors in 2017, up from 265,819 the year before, according to Aberdeen News. Since the fair is free to attend, the county calculates attendance using a traffic-count formula rather than ticket sales. Running since 1921, it's one of the state's largest county fairs.

South Dakota's official state fair, held each Labor Day week in Huron since 1885, drew 180,916 visitors in 2025, per gowatertown.net reporting — down slightly from 186,255 the year before. The fair generates roughly $3.2 million in fairgoer spending and hosts nearly 9,800 4-H and FFA youth participants each year.

West Fargo's Red River Valley Fair drew 143,740 guests in 2025 — the second-highest total in its history, rebounding after a down 2024, according to fair leadership. Held each July, it's the largest fair in eastern North Dakota. Running since 1906.