In the mid-19th century leading up to the Westward Expansion, people traveled by covered wagon to attend the first Iowa State Fair in 1854 on a six-acre tract in Fairfield.
Today, more than a million visitors stroll the historic state fairgrounds in Des Moines to soak in the sights, sounds and smells spanning 445 acres of the oldest and largest agricultural and industrial exposition in the country. The 11-day Iowa State Fair showcases the best of Iowa agriculture and industry, food and entertainment, contests and exhibits.
Fairgoers of all ages from all walks of life can indulge in treats from more than 200 food vendors; participate in talent shows, concerts and sporting events along the Grand Concourse; and enjoy the thrills of an amusement park, including the iconic Giant Slide, Ye Old Mill or Sky Glider.
Although the Iowa State Fair in 2025 boasts modern amenities too often taken for granted in the 21st century, the heart of this annual celebration remains deeply rooted in our agrarian heritage and honors a rural way of life.
The state fair relocated to its permanent home two miles east of the state capitol in 1886. Pioneer Hall is the oldest and only original building still in use today. Before moving to Des Moines, the annual state fair moved around to a handful of communities across eastern Iowa for its first quarter-century, including Fairfield, Muscatine, Oskaloosa, Iowa City, Dubuque, Burlington, Clinton, Cedar Rapids and Keokuk.
The state fair has been cancelled only six times: the World’s Fair in Omaha in 1898, during World War II and the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
Since 1974, I’ve looked forward to my annual visit to the fair and this year is no different. As a lifelong family farmer, I enjoy walking through the livestock barns and seeing young people take pride in their animals and appreciate the achievements of their hard work. Thousands of young people representing 4-H and FFA clubs enter projects in their local county fairs and the best of the best are entered at the Iowa State Fair.
Iowa farming and industrial innovation is celebrated from one year to the next, with crowd pleasers that include the Super Bull, Big Boar and Big Ram competitions. Animals of all sizes compete for top honors, from draft horses to poultry, rabbits and llamas. A new event at the Livestock Pavilion is the Highland Cattle Show on Aug. 15.
There’s something for every blue-ribbon seeker at the Iowa State Fair. From the century-old hog-calling contest to the State Fair Queen pageant and quilting, pie-making, woodworking, sewing, cake decorating and more.
During my time at the state fair, I enjoy talking with Iowans, broadcasting live from WHO Radio’s Crystal Studio and serving people at the Iowa Pork Tent. With more than 60 different foods on a stick served at the Iowa State Fair, nothing beats an Iowa Pork Chop on a Stick.
Arguably, the biggest attraction at the state fair is the beloved, 600-pound Butter Cow located in a 40-degree cooler in the Agriculture Building, one of the premiere examples of Double Jeffersonian architecture in the world. Since 1911, this popular main attraction has drawn throngs of fairgoers, while companion sculptures have captivated butter cow enthusiasts since 1996, from the American Gothic to iconic Iowa athletes Jack Trice, Kurt Warner and Caitlin Clark. In celebration of America’s 250th birthday, a replica of the Iowa State Fair butter cow will be on display at the Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian American Art Museum, from Aug. 22, 2025, to Sept. 7, 2026, in Washington, D.C. The exhibit also will feature ribbon-winning crafts from the 19th century to present day, representing artists and 4-H clubs across the country.
The Iowa State Fair is known as “America’s classic state fair.” This is where hardworking families in the Heartland of America come to celebrate their achievements and test their best for bragging rights among neighbors, such as Tallest Corn or Biggest Pumpkin, for example. I often say Iowa reflects the “Real America,” unlike the island surrounded by reality in Washington, D.C.
For more than a dozen years, I hosted a biennial Ambassadors Tour and invited members of the diplomatic corps in the nation’s capital to join me in Iowa for one week in August. It was an opportunity to showcase Iowa’s people, products and places. We ended the packed itinerary with a visit to the Iowa State Fair, a highlight that became the cherry on top for the ambassadors who raved about the Hawkeye state’s hospitality and overnight stays with Iowa families.
This year’s theme for the Iowa State Fair is Fair Sweet Fair. I encourage families to make the trip to Des Moines to soak up this extraordinary celebration of the best people and best state in the nation. Visitors from around the world can see the state fair connects generations of Iowans from each of Iowa’s 99 counties, anchored by an agricultural economy that feeds and fuels the world.
The Iowa State Fair runs Aug. 7-17, 2025. The Iowa State Fairgrounds are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.