The Arizona State Fair is an annual

state fair A state fair is an annual competitive and recreational gathering of a U.S. state's population, usually held in late summer or early fall. It is a larger version of a county fair, often including only exhibits or competitors that have won in t ...

, held at

Arizona State Fairgrounds The Arizona State Fairgrounds is a permanent fairgrounds on McDowell Road, Encanto, Phoenix, Encanto Village, within the city of Phoenix, Arizona, United States. It is currently used yearly to host the Arizona State Fair and the Maricopa County Fai ...

. It was first held in 1884, but has had various interruptions due to cotton crop failure, the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

era,

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

years & the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. From 1946 to 2019 and since 2021, the fair has been held annually. It was a territory fair before Arizona was a state. The Arizona Exposition and State Fair (official name) is a self-supporting state agency, and receives no money from the state's General Fund. The fairgrounds serve as a host facility for a number of different tradeshows, events, and entertainment. The fairgrounds is the location for the Maricopa County Fair, the Arizona National Livestock Show, the Maricopa Home and Garden Show, and more. The Fair typically has around 75

amusement ride Amusement rides, sometimes called carnival rides, are mechanical devices or structures that move people to create fun and enjoyment. Rides are often perceived by many as being scary or more dangerous than they actually are. This could be due to ...

s, 110 food booths, and 300 commercial sales booths. The Arizona State Fair is one of the top 5

state fairs A state fair is an annual competitive and recreational gathering of a U.S. state's population, usually held in late summer or early fall. It is a larger version of a county fair, often including only exhibits or competitors that have won in t ...

by yearly attendance in the country, drawing over a million visitors annually. Fair patrollers include security guards, the Phoenix Police and the

Maricopa County Sheriff's Office The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) is the law enforcement agency that serves Maricopa County, Arizona, and is the largest Sheriffs in the United States, sheriff's office in Arizona. The MCSO provides patrol services and criminal invest ...

History

1884—1891

The origins of the Arizona State fair start in 1884, when residents of the

Arizona Territory The Territory of Arizona, commonly known as the Arizona Territory, was a territory of the United States that existed from February 24, 1863, until February 14, 1912, when the remaining extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the ...

organized the Arizona Territorial Fair to provide family entertainment. The fair was held near the banks of the Salt River, just west of Central Avenue. Entertainment included horses, roosters, baby chicks, elephants, zebras, giraffes, ostriches, camels, hippopotamuses, lions, gazelles, tigers, rhinoceroses, sheep, goats, sharks, pigs, cheetahs, topi-antelopes, hens, cats and dogs, apes, monkeys, pony and mule races, while agriculture, cattle (dairy and beef) and home economics were the common exhibits. The Territorial Fair continued annually at this location until 1891 when the Salt River flooded and wiped out the buildings and racetracks.

1892–1960

George Nicholas Goodman George Nicholas Goodman (September 5, 1895 – November 3, 1959), was a pharmacist in Mesa, Arizona. He was the mayor of Mesa for 5 different 2 year terms as part of 3 different decades. Goodman served as the executive secretary of the Ari ...

, multi-term mayor of

Mesa, Arizona Mesa ( ) is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. The population was 504,258 at the 2020 census. It is the List of municipalities in Arizona, third-most populous city in Arizona, after Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona, T ...

, was appointed executive secretary of the Arizona State Fair Commission in 1956 at an annual salary of $8,400 (). Executive secretary was the highest role and today the title would be president. Goodman died unexpectedly in 1959 while in office. Goodman's appointment came after each of the two immediate proceeding executive secretaries resigned, one holding the office for only two weeks. Both of those men were compensated $1,800 a year more than Goodman.

Since 1961

In 2018 the Arizona State Governor's Office did a formal review of the future of the grounds and buildings of the Arizona State Fair. 2020 saw the COVID-19 pandemic as grounds for cancellation. It was the first cancellation in 75 years. The fair did resume the next year.

Historic structures

References

External links

Official Arizona State Fair website
{{Authority control State fairs Events in Phoenix, Arizona Culture of Phoenix, Arizona Tourist attractions in Phoenix, Arizona Festivals established in 1884 1884 establishments in Arizona Territory