Delaware State Fair | |
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Genre | Fair |
Begins | July 21, 2016 |
Ends | July 30, 2016 |
Frequency | Annually |
Location(s) | Harrington, Delaware |
Years active | 1919-present |
Inaugurated | July 27, 1920 |
Most recent | July 21, 2016 - July 30, 2016 |
Area | Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland |
Website | |
delawarestatefair |
The Delaware State Fair is the annual state fair for the state of Delaware. It is held in Harrington. The fair is a ten-day event at the end of July.
The first Delaware State Fair was held in Wilmington. In 1917, the state fair moved to Elsmere where the Delaware State Fair Association had purchased property and built a fairgrounds within the town limits, in the area of the current Filbert, Birch, and Dover Avenues. The fairgrounds included racetracks, agricultural exhibits, and stages for various entertainment acts.
The first fair on the current grounds was held in 1920 and was known as the Kent and Sussex County Fair. It lasted four days and was held on 30 acres (120,000 m2). Today the fairgrounds encompass over 300 acres (1.2 km2) and feature concerts, wrestling, rodeo, races, agricultural exhibits, slot machines, a midway, and other typical stair fair demonstrations and events. The property also hosted a Donald Trump presidential rally in April 2016.
The Delaware State Fair has long been a center for regional entertainment, drawing in crowds from the rest of the state, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Maryland. It is one of few local concert venues, so has been able to attract many popular acts to Delmarva, among them:
Harrington Raceway & Casino operates on the fairgrounds year round.
During the winter season the Centre Ice Rink located on the fair grounds hosts public skating and Ice hockey sessions.
Coordinates: 38°54′36″N 75°34′26″W / 38.910°N 75.574°W