The Largest Fairgrounds In The United States
Every fall, people from all over America flock to their local fairgrounds. The twelve properties below are the largest fairgrounds by acreage in the United States, ranging from more than 1,100 acres in Georgia down to 277 acres in Texas. Each one has humble roots in bringing people together to share cultures, livestock, rodeos, and even trade shows.
Georgia National Fairgrounds & Agricenter
The Georgia National Fairgrounds and Agricenter first opened in 1990. With over 1,100 acres, this state-owned complex in Perry, Georgia, is the largest fairground in the United States. Its biggest attraction is the annual Georgia National Fair, an 11-day event held each October that draws more than 440,000 visitors.
The complex operates year-round and hosts meetings, trade shows, livestock shows, concerts, rodeos, and RV rallies. The sprawling property includes arenas, exhibit halls, horse barns, ponds, and extensive parking, anchored by the 8,250-seat Reaves Arena.
Its enormous size allows the Agricenter to host multiple events at once, making it a major destination for agriculture and entertainment in central Georgia.
Fairplex
Fairplex in Pomona, California, covers 487 acres and has been the home of the Los Angeles County Fair since 1922, when the fair opened on a former beet field with just 43 donated acres. Known as the Los Angeles County Fairgrounds until 1984, the county-owned site is run by the non-profit Los Angeles County Fair Association.
The grounds hold roughly 325,000 square feet of indoor exhibit space, parking for 30,000 vehicles, a 10,000-seat grandstand at the Fairplex Park horse track, and 12 acres of carnival grounds. Around 300 events fill the calendar each year, and the property contains the Auto Club Raceway, the RailGiants Train Museum, and a hotel and conference center.
Iowa State Fairgrounds
The Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines, Iowa, covers approximately 445 acres, including 160 acres of wooded campground. The grounds have been home to the Iowa State Fair since the 1880s, giving the property more than a century of history as a gathering place for Iowans.
The fairgrounds combine historic buildings with modern facilities and provide space for livestock competitions, concerts, exhibitions, food vendors, and carnival attractions during the annual fair.
Its campground is another notable feature, offering visitors a place to stay directly on the expansive property during the busy fair season. The grounds also operate beyond the state fair, hosting events throughout the year.
With hundreds of acres containing exhibition facilities, entertainment venues, parking areas, and wooded camping areas, the Iowa State Fairgrounds is essentially a small event district within Des Moines.
OKC Fairgrounds
The OKC Fairgrounds occupies approximately 435 acres in Oklahoma City, making it one of the largest fairgrounds and event complexes in the United States. Owned by the City of Oklahoma City, the property is a year-round entertainment destination with facilities designed for everything from trade shows and concerts to livestock and equestrian competitions.
The complex includes an 8,000-seat arena, six traditional trade-show buildings, and the Bennett Event Center, which features a 201,000-square-foot exhibition floor.
Its equestrian facilities are particularly significant. The fairgrounds have seven indoor riding and exhibition arenas, two large outdoor riding arenas, exercise pens, and multiple barns.
The facility is even promoted as the Horse Show Capital of the World, reflecting the enormous number of national and international equine events held there. The annual Oklahoma State Fair is just one of many major events taking place on the sprawling grounds.
Missouri State Fairgrounds
The Missouri State Fairgrounds in Sedalia encompass 396 acres. The legislature created the Missouri State Fair in April 1899 and selected Sedalia as its site, and the first fair opened there in September 1901 on 150 acres donated by the Van Riper family.
The fairgrounds remain open year-round, hosting livestock shows, festivals, camping, rallies, and other events. During the annual fair, the property transforms into a bustling showcase of agriculture, with livestock, crops, horticulture, and floriculture taking center stage alongside carnival rides, exhibits, and live entertainment.
The fairgrounds' large footprint also allows it to accommodate visitors and events outside the traditional fair season.
Its agricultural roots remain particularly important, as the Missouri State Fair continues to be the state's largest agricultural and tourism event. Of roughly 100 buildings on the grounds, 15 are listed on the state historical register, some dating to 1901, and the Missouri State Fairgrounds Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.
Great New York State Fairgrounds
The Great New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse encompasses 375 acres and operates as a year-round exhibition and entertainment complex. Although best known as the home of the Great New York State Fair, the grounds host approximately 300 non-fair events each year. These include concerts, sporting events, equestrian competitions, consumer shows, trade shows, and community gatherings.
The fair has a particularly long history, having been founded in 1841 and recognized as the oldest state fair in the United States. It also plays an important role in New York's equine industry, hosting more than 40 horse events annually.
Major exhibitions and entertainment events bring hundreds of thousands of people to the property outside the fair season. With its combination of agricultural facilities, entertainment venues, and flexible event spaces, the Syracuse fairgrounds functions as a major year-round gathering place for central New York.
Illinois State Fairgrounds
The Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield spans 366 acres. The grounds have hosted the Illinois State Fair since 1853, although the fair moved between locations over its early history before settling permanently in Springfield.
Today, the expansive complex features livestock facilities, exhibition buildings, an arena, a grandstand, camping areas, and numerous outdoor spaces. The annual Illinois State Fair is the centerpiece of the property, bringing together agricultural competitions, livestock shows, carnival rides, food vendors, concerts, and family entertainment.
The fairgrounds operate throughout the year, hosting trade shows, horse shows, conventions, festivals, and other community events. Located in Illinois' capital city, the grounds are closely connected to the state's agricultural heritage and remain an important gathering place for residents and visitors from across the state.
Ohio Expo Center & State Fairgrounds
The Ohio Expo Center & State Fairgrounds occupies 360 acres in Columbus and has been the home of the Ohio State Fair since 1886. The large property has evolved into a year-round event complex, hosting more than 175 events annually in addition to the state fair.
Its facilities accommodate a wide variety of activities, including agricultural exhibitions, livestock shows, trade shows, sporting events, concerts, and community gatherings. The Ohio State Fair remains the centerpiece of the calendar, bringing together food, entertainment, carnival attractions, competitions, and agricultural exhibits.
The grounds' long history also makes them an important part of Ohio's fair tradition. More than a century after the state fair moved to its current location, the extensive complex continues to serve as one of the state's largest gathering places.
Kentucky Exposition Center
Spanning 356 acres, the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville serves as both an indoor and an outdoor venue. The complex hosts hundreds of events each year, including trade shows, conventions, sporting competitions, concerts, livestock exhibitions, and the annual Kentucky State Fair.
Its facilities include extensive exhibit halls, meeting rooms, arenas, and outdoor event areas, enabling it to host gatherings ranging from small meetings to large national events.
The center's long history dates to 1956, when it opened as the Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center. Today, it remains an important destination for events in Kentucky and the surrounding region with the state fair alone draws over 600,000 visitors during its 11-day run every August.
Cal Expo
Cal Expo in Sacramento occupies 350 landscaped acres and is home to the California State Fair. Unlike a fairground that springs to life only during its annual event, Cal Expo operates throughout the year, hosting hundreds of events in addition to the state fair.
The property features 18 distinct venues and more than 15,000 lighted parking spaces, giving event organizers considerable flexibility for large gatherings. Cal Expo opened in 1968 as a place to showcase California's achievements, agriculture, diverse population, and traditions.
Today, the grounds continue that mission at the California State Fair, hosting concerts, sporting events, festivals, and other activities. Its location in Sacramento places it near the center of the state government and provides convenient access for visitors from throughout Northern and Central California.
North Carolina State Fairgrounds
The North Carolina State Fairgrounds in Raleigh covers 344 acres and serves as a year-round event destination in the state's capital. The original fairgrounds were founded in 1853 but has since moved locations.
The property is home to the annual North Carolina State Fair, but the fair is only one of the many activities taking place across the sprawling grounds. The complex contains multiple facilities and more than 400,000 square feet of building space, allowing it to accommodate events of many different sizes.
Visitors can attend agricultural exhibitions, trade shows, sporting events, concerts, and other gatherings throughout the year. The grounds also host reoccurring events such as the Raleigh Flea Market.
North Carolina's agricultural heritage remains central to the property, particularly during the annual state fair, when livestock competitions, agricultural exhibits, food vendors, rides, and entertainment fill the grounds. Its 344 acres makes it one of the largest traditional fairgrounds in the Southeast.
Fair Park
Fair Park in Dallas is one of the country's best-known fairgrounds and the longtime home of the State Fair of Texas. Covering 277 acres, the sprawling complex combines fairground facilities with museums, gardens, historic buildings, and the Cotton Bowl.
The State Fair of Texas has been held at Fair Park for more than a century, making the property an important part of Texas history and culture.
Beyond the annual fair, Fair Park is notable for its architecture. The property is a National Historic Landmark and contains one of the world's largest collections of Art Deco exposition architecture, much of it dating to the 1936 Texas Centennial Exposition.
During the State Fair, its 277 acres fill with carnival rides, livestock exhibits, concerts, food vendors, and attractions, including the famous Big Tex. The grounds also host various events throughout the rest of the year.
To The Fair
Each of these fairgrounds has a rich beginning and a large footprint, from the biggest at more than 1,100 acres down to the smallest on the list at 277 acres. No matter which fairground, there is always something happening that brings people together every year.
