IAFE Awards
and the 2023 award goes to… The International Association of Fairs and Expos is the fair industries trade organization to sharing ideas, networking and creating all around better experiences for our guests at the Nebraska State Fair. Each year, we scurry to submit the “best ofs” in a multitude of categories. The judging was revealed […]
State Fair Talent Budget Doubles for 2024
Crowd watches Lee Brice Anderson Auto Field 9/2/2023 Lee Brice at NESF in 2023 (Grand Island, NE) A need to continue to be competitive and improve the quality of talent for the Nebraska Lottery Concert Series led the Nebraska State Fair Board to approve a large increase in the talent budget for the 2024 fair. […]
State Fair Announces Battle of Businesses Winners
October 4, 2023 (Grand Island, NE) Three outstanding businesses were named winners in their categories in the State Fair’s annual Battle of the Businesses volunteer competition. The competition tallies the number of hours employees serve each year at the Nebraska State Fair. Businesses are divided into small, medium, and large organizations during the competition. Haley […]
14,000 Hours at Nebraska State Fair
The Nebraska State Fair volunteer program blew past the 14,000 hour mark in 2023, logging 14,325 hours of time from volunteer efforts. The 741 individual volunteers take part in numerous positions on the grounds including landscaping, information kiosk, package handling and delivery, tram driving and hosting, and event assistance. State Fair Volunteer Coordinator Haley Roush, […]
Aksarben Stock Show Donates Chicken Harvest
(Grand Island, NE) The Aksarben Stock Show donated 570 pounds of chicken to local Grand Island service organizations Friday afternoon. The products were harvested from the stock show competition last weekend and processed Monday. During the presentation, Aksarben Stock Show Manager Jacque Johnson said, “Aksarben Stock Show is a part of our community in Grand […]
Nebraska State Fair continues to grow in 2023
The Nebraska State Fair announced continued attendance growth in 2023. The attendance at Nebraska’s largest annual event broke 300,000 for the first time since COVID, posting 8.5 percent growth over 2022 with 311,909 guests during its 11-day run ending on Labor Day. High temperatures leading up to opening day and again during closing weekend did […]
LOST ITEMS FOUND AT STATE FAIR
All lost items that were found on the fairgrounds during the 2023 Nebraska State Fair will be held at the Nebraska State Fair office located on the 2nd floor of the Nebraska Building 501 E Fonner Park Rd Grand Island, NE. To locate a lost item, call the office Monday – Friday 8:30 AM – […]
Bull Riding, Bull Fighting, now Bull Bucking at State Fair
The 2023 Nebraska State Fair had Whatever Your Flavor completely covered with bull. Bull riding on opening night at the fair. Bull fighting coming up Sunday September 3rd. This weekend was bull bucking with a mechanical bull set to challenge all comers to an 8 second or more ride. You can find the mechanical bull […]
Heartland Ag and Case IH Team to Keep Fair Cooler
Staying cool over the next three days is going to be a lot more fun at the Nebraska State Fair thanks to Heartland Ag and Case IH. The companies teamed up to fabricate a giant mister for the fairgrounds to keep guests cooler as they walk the grounds. State Fair Executive Director Jaime Parr was […]
State Fair attendance up nearly 30 percent through five days
 Great weather and a number of fun attractions helped push the 2023 Nebraska State Fair to a 29.9 percent increase in attendance through the first five days as compared to the same five days in 2022, according to preliminary data released by the Fair Wednesday. The total through Tuesday was 149,374 this year, compared […]
