Arizona State Fair
Coordinates: 33°28′10.18″N 112°05′49.86″W / 33.4694944°N 112.0971833°W
| Arizona State Fair | |
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La Grande Wheel, in the Arizona State Fair, is the largest transportable Ferris Wheel in the world. The height of La Grande Wheel is 130 feet.[1] | |
| Genre | State fair |
| Dates | Oct. 16 - Nov. 8, 2015 (Closed Mondays & Tuesdays)[2][3] |
| Location(s) | 1826 W. McDowell Rd., Phoenix, Arizona 85007 |
| Years active | 1884 - Present |
| Website | |
| http://www.azstatefair.com/ | |
The Arizona State Fair is an annual state fair, held at Arizona State Fairgrounds.
It was first held in 1884, but has had various interruptions due to cotton crop failure, the Great Depression era, and World War II years. Since 1946, the fair has been held regularly each year. 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 all the monies 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 rides, 110 food booths, and 300 commercial sales booths. The Arizona State Fair is one of the top 5 state fairs in the country drawing well over a million visitors annually.
History
1884—1891
The origins of the Arizona State fair start in 1884, when residents of the Arizona Territory 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 horse, 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.