What to expect at the 2025 Iowa State Fair

To help you make the most of your trip to the 2025 Iowa State Fair, we’ve compiled an extensive guide with everything you need to know.

For more than 150 years, the Iowa State Fair has been a highly anticipated annual event for native Iowans and visitors alike. The eleven-day event attracts over one million fairgoers each year and features time-honored traditions and can’t-miss events, including visiting the Butter Cow, enjoying a variety of foods on a stick, and experiencing some of the hundreds of live acts and entertainment.

To help you get started planning your trip to the 2025 Iowa State Fair, we’ve compiled an extensive guide covering everything from attractions and activities to parking and other important logistics. Read on to find out how you can make the most of your day at the fair this year.

Key details

Theme: “Fair Sweet Fair”

Dates: August 7-17, 2025

Where: 3000 E Grand Ave, Des Moines, IA 50317

Admission price:

• In advance: $11 for adults, $7 for children (ages 6-11)
• At the gate: $16 for adults, $10 for children (ages 6-11)

Events and entertainment

Concerts and live music

One of the biggest draws to the fair is its lineup of concerts and musical acts. This year, fairgoers can snag tickets to see artists like Pitbull, Rascal Flatts, and Def Leppard, to name a few. Tickets for these premium Grandstand performances range in price from $24 to $134 per person.

The fair also hosts a plethora of concerts and live music at several stages across the grounds. The best part—it’s all free with general admission.

Elwell Family Park

The Elwell Family Park is an outdoor arena that hosts a variety of free and paid events. Here, visitors can witness outdoor events like tractor pulls and demolition derbies.

New in 2025, there will even be something called the Electric Utilities Lineman Rodeo. According to Mindy Williamson, the CMO of the Iowa State Fair, “A utility lineman rodeo is a competition set up like a traditional rodeo, but line workers compete in events based on real-life tasks, using de-energized equipment.”

Other entertainment

While music and vehicle-based events are some of the most popular, they aren’t the only forms of entertainment happening at the Iowa State Fair this year. There are also a variety of demonstrations and shows highlighting unique talents like chainsaw carving, glassblowing, and acrobatics.

Attractions and activities

Rides

Like any major fair, the Iowa State Fair has an array of rides for guests of all ages to enjoy. The fair includes three main ride areas: Thrill Ville, Thrill Town, and Thrill Zone. Each contains a different ride experience targeting various ages and levels of thrill-seeking. While Thrill Ville and Thrill Zone are geared more for adults and older children and teens, Thrill Town is a great option for families with younger kids. Separate from these zones are two classic fair rides. One is a giant slide, and the other is the oldest ride at the park, Ye Old Mill.

While all of these rides come at an additional cost beyond fair admission, you can purchase packages and wristbands ahead of time to save money. There are also dollar discount days every Monday through Thursday, where every ride and game in Thrill Town from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Thrill Ville from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. is $1 off.

Markets

Nothing celebrates Iowa quite like supporting local farmers and artisans. The Iowa State Fair Farmers Markets will be open from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on August 7-16. There you will find fresh locally grown produce, flowers, jerky, handmade soaps, and other Iowa-made products. New this year, on the last day of the fair from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., there will be a Kids Makers Market. Here, kids get the opportunity to showcase and sell their handmade products and earn awards for their entrepreneurial business plans.

The Butter Cow

A staple of the Iowa State Fair since 1911, the Butter Cow is something you can’t miss. Every year, a sculptor creates a life-sized cow from a wood, metal, wire, and steel mesh frame and lots and lots of butter. In fact, the butter cow uses enough butter to cover 19,200 slices of toast. In the end, the sculpture weighs about 600 lbs.

Each year for the last few decades, the Butter Cow has been accompanied by companion sculptures which follow a different theme each year. This year’s theme celebrates 30 years of Toy Story.

Barnyard Yoga

Along with its other events and activities, the fair offers VIP Experiences. These smaller, exclusive experiences range from cooking classes to trivia to ghost hunting. One of our favorites this year, though, is Barnyard Yoga. For an additional $25 per person per class, guests get the chance to “work out” next to some of the fair’s cutest critters. This year’s classes include goats, llamas, and bunnies. Tickets must be bought in advance.

Sensory-friendly options

For the fourth consecutive year, the Iowa State Fair will host a sensory-friendly morning on Wednesday, August 13, from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. According to the website, “Thoughtful adjustments will be made across the Fairgrounds to reduce sensory overload, including lower sound levels, limited flashing lights, clearly marked directional signage, designated educational areas, and trained volunteers throughout the morning.”

Additionally, this year, the fair is expanding its sensory-friendly morning to include “a permanent fully accessible play area for children of all ages and abilities,” says Williamson. For more information, check out these guides for the sensory-friendly morning and other sensory-friendly attractions and activities.

Contests and competitions

It wouldn’t be the Iowa State Fair without some friendly competition. The fair offers a variety of options, from showing off livestock to baking your best pie. Other competitions include a chili cook-off, a fiddlers’ contest, a pedal tractor pull, a cornhole tournament, and many more. Click here for more information about contests and competitions at this year’s fair.

Food

Most people who visit the Iowa State Fair come for the food. “Fair favorites by highest sales include the traditional corndog, the unique Pork Chop on a stick, and lemonade,” says Williamson. “Other foods like a hot beef sundae, and peppermint ice cream bar also sneak up to the top,” she adds.

Each year, there is also a food contest where fairgoers get the chance to vote for their favorite dish. A list of the 2025 Iowa State Fair contest dishes will be made available on July 15. Previous winners have included a Shrimp Corn Dog, a Bacon Cheeseburger Eggroll, and a Funnel Cake on a Stick.

Parking

With thousands of visitors each day, parking can get a little tricky. Fortunately, there are several options to choose from. The standard option is to use one of the three fair parking lots. Vehicle parking costs $10 and includes access to the Blue Line Parking Shuttle, which can save you some walking and help you reach the admission gates faster.

Another popular choice is to utilize the DART Park & Ride program. With this option, fairgoers can park their car for free at one of three locations around Des Moines and then catch a DART shuttle. The service is available from 8 a.m. to midnight most days; however, service from the fairgrounds will end at 9 p.m. on Sunday, August 17, the last day of the fair. Shuttles drop off and pick up riders at Gate 10 at the fairgrounds. Bus fares cost $1 to $3, depending on the rider’s age.

Want more information?

While this guide is an excellent jumping-off point for planning your day at the 2025 Iowa State Fair, there are a few more resources you should consider if you want even more information.

The first is the official Iowa State Fair App. This app can help you plan your visit by allowing you to add your favorite activities to a list and even map a route to all your favorite foods. It’s available for download on both Apple and Android.

Other options for receiving updates and extra information include checking out the new Iowa State Fair podcast, signing up for e-blasts, or texting FAIR to 844-844-8505 to receive announcements and special offers.

This article first appeared on Good Info News Wire and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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