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ENTERTAINMENT / ATTRACTIONS

Exhibits & Special Features

  • Ball State Ag/Hort Building
    This is where you can find top 4-H and Open Class agriculture and horticulture exhibits like the largest watermelon and tallest sunflower. You can also find the Giant Pumpkin contest here, as well as the winners of the beer competitions. You can learn how to improve your own garden by viewing the floral exhibits and regular demonstrations. 
    •  World’s Largest Popcorn Ball – The fair is going to make the World’s Largest Popcorn Ball and have it on display in the Ball State Ag/Hort Building throughout its 17-day run.  The Guinness Book of World Records will be on hand Saturday, Aug. 3 for the ball’s unveiling and official weighing.  The current record is a 3,432 lb. ball built in 2007.
  • Dance Stage
    New Location! Come visit us on the north side by gate 12. This is a stop for all dance enthusiasts. Fairgoers are able to watch Indiana cloggers, tap dancers, cultural dancers, ballroom professionals and many more dance their way to good health. Please Click Here for a list of entertainment.
  • DNR Area
    The 312,000 gallon, 8,340 sq. ft. pond is an awesome sight. Youth Catch & Release FishIN' Clinic fishing sessions are held daily. Pre-registration is required on site. Nature presentations at the 150 seat Amphitheater are given daily by DNR experts as well. Please check back for a complete list of activities in this area.
  • DuPont Food Pavilion
    The DuPont Food Pavilion (former Our Land Pavilion) showcases Indiana food, the farmers who grow it, the companies who produce it, the artisans who craft it, the chefs who prepare it and the issues connected to it. Visitors can explore the Purdue Extension’s interactive My Plate and Beyond exhibit to learn more about health and wellness, sample and purchase one-of-a-kind, locally made food products in the Hoosier Market and watch top chefs create masterpieces in the Red Gold Culinary Corner demonstration kitchen. The always popular cheese sculpture also returns for another year. 
  • Get Animated 
    This  8,000 square foot exhibit explores the fascinating world of animation.  This interactive experience takes visitors back to the classics of traditional hand drawn celluloid animation and highlights current day computer animation, including well known stories and characters from Walt Disney, DreamWorks and Sony Animation.  A large-scale custom 3-D Zoetrope – a device that produces the illusion of motion from a rapid succession of static pictures – is the centerpiece of the exhibit, which will be open every day of the fair inside the Grand Hall on Main Street.
  • Home & Family Arts Building
    Cooking and fashion are just two of the many things you can discover here. Fairgoers are able to treat their taste buds with daily culinary demonstrations; visit the past by viewing antiques or get wrapped up in the hundreds upon hundreds of photo entries.
    The Fashion Show is held on the main stage on the 1st floor of the Home & Family Arts Building.
  • Exposition Hall
    Fairgoers are able to enjoy exciting new products and great demonstrations from a variety of vendors in the Expo Hall. You are also able to check out the Higher Education Booth offering information about Indiana's colleges and universities. In addition to all Indiana public and private colleges, the Indiana Career and Postsecondary Advancement Center, Learn More Resource Center, are on hand to help answer all career and education questions.
  • Farm Bureau Building
    Several events take place in the Farm Bureau Building, which is located on the north side of the Fairgrounds. Please check back for a complete list of events.
    • Baton Twirling - Indiana's best go head to head in the State Championship Baton Twirling Contest. You'll find them twirling their way to the top.
    • Youth Talent Contest - County Fair Talent Contest winners from across the state come to the Indiana State Fair hoping to succeed at the state level. Exciting Hoosier talent is always in abundance at the State Fair. You can see a variety of acts such as singing, dancing, tumbling, clogging, cheerleading and baton twirling.
  • 4-H Education Complex
    4-H is the largest youth development program in Indiana! Located in Dow AgroSciences Celebration Park, two of the three buildings are used as prime exhibit space for thousands of 4-H projects displayed during the Fair. Today, fairgoers can take part in the Youth Interactive Learning stations, such as cooking, science, woodworking and television production. The lawn in front of the 4-H Education Complex features a fountain and two nine-and-a-half foot identity markers which signify the State Fair's commitment to Indiana 4-H. Contact your local county extension educator at 1-888-EXT-INFO.
  • Habitat for Humanity
    Please check back. Planning in progress.  
  • Livestock Barns
    To learn about the barns click here.
  • Normandy Barn & Greenhouse
    The famed Normandy Barn is located on the northeast side of the Fairgrounds. Within this historic structure, visitors have a chance to learn about contemporary agriculture within a 2,400 square foot exhibit labeled the "Welcome Center for Indiana Agriculture". The greenhouse which is located next to the Normandy Barn is utilized throughout the school year as part of our Education Program, and is flourishing with native plants of Indiana.

    With generous support from the Indiana Office of Energy & Defense Development and Indiana Power & Light Company in partnership with Green Way Supply, the Indiana State Fair Commission has installed a residential ready wind-turbine and photovoltaic awnings (solar panels) near the Normandy Barn on the north side of the fairgrounds. These working exhibitions can educate visitors about existing alternative energy and conservation resources available to everyone.
  • Orscheln Farm & Home FFA Pavilion
    The Young McDonald's Farm, Children's Barnyard and FFA Agriculture Mini Golf Course will keep your children (and you) entertained for hours. Particularly, the Barnyard Petting Zoo enthralls all who stop by. You are also able to journey through the greenhouse and conservation areas. The FFA Country Market offers lots of goodies from honey to jams to John Deere T-shirts. Hopefully you stopped on in and grabbed something yummy.
  • Pathway to Water Quality
    presented by Indiana American Water
    The mulch pathway that winds through this outdoor exhibit, which shows how good land and water management practices protect our soil and water resources, has been replaced with pervious concrete at the entrance. This, and other best management practices demonstrated how to reduce storm water runoff and clean it up, and make the water in our streams, lakes and rivers cleaner. By applying best management practices to land used for farms, housing developments, business and industrial developments, the rain water that leaves the land is cleaner, soils and plants are healthier, and the habitat for birds, butterflies and other wildlife improves. For more information about Pathway to Water Quality click here.
  • Pioneer Village
    You and your children are able to literally walk through American agriculture with paths that guide you through growing crops, old-time chores, and displays of antique farms and home artifacts. Homesteaders are on hand to both explain and demonstrate these fascinating historic farm practices. You are able to watch craftspeople in action in Possum Holler, sit and listen to some old-time music, or join the homesteaders for one of their three shows daily. Your family is able to witness grain threshing, corn shelling, wood sawing, silo filling and many other long-forgotten farm chores. Antique Tractors are found on display near the flagpoles in Pioneer Village every day of the Fair. After doing lots of walking take a moment to sit and rest a spell and listen to some great entertainment on the Opry Barn Stage.
  • Wonder Trail
    presented by Indiana Farm Bureau
    The Indiana State Fair Wonder Trail is an exciting family adventure for elementary and middle school age children and their parents. To get started, you pick up your Wonder Trail Kit at the information booths or at the Indiana Farm Bureau building. In your Wonder Trail Kit, you get a souvenir lanyard, an illustrated trail map and a pencil to record the fun facts you collect. Once you have your tools, you're ready to start The Wonder Trail and explore the amazing agricultural wonders of the Indiana State Fair! Map and activity sheets coming this summer.