America 250 to be celebrated during 2026 Iowa State Fair

Date:2025-08-20 23:49:36 Category:US Views:1 Comment:0

DES MOINES, Iowa — The nation’s 250th birthday will be a huge focus of the 2026 Iowa State Fair as the theme and the programming of next year’s fair will celebrate agriculture, industry, and the American dream.

“You’ll see probably lots more red, white and blue throughout the fairgrounds. A lot of different programming, whether that’s entertainment contests, competitions somehow tying back to America 250 and it’s still going to be the great Iowa State Fair that everybody loves,” said Iowa State Fair CEO Jeremy Parsons.

Shortly after President Donald Trump’s inauguration, he announced his desire to host a celebration of the country’s semiquincentennial at the Iowa State Fairgrounds. He dubbed it “The Great American State Fair.”

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As of now, officials at the Iowa State Fair say there are currently no plans for this celebration at the fairgrounds. Instead, current plans show The Great American State Fair will bring America 250 programming to fairgrounds across the country and a patriotic festival will be held at the National Mall in Washington, D.C., according to the Iowa State Fair’s website.

However, the 2026 Iowa State Fair will celebrate America 250. Parsons said he expects to potentially see members of the federal government in attendance at next year’s fair.

Parsons also said the fair will be similar to the 1976 Iowa State Fair, where the country celebrated its bicentennial, or 200-year anniversary.

“A lot of senior Iowans really remember that fair pretty fondly, just with some really unique features. And we hope to do the same next year,” he said.

One of the unique features of the 1976 state fair is that it ran 12 days. At that time, the Iowa State Fair typically lasted 10 days, so it was extended by two days. However, officials with the Iowa State Fair have not indicated that the 2026 fair will be extended.

Earlier this week, the fair announced the 2026 State Fair will run from August 13th to August 23rd.