The Washington State Fair Will Go On As Planned

PUYALLUP, WA — The Washington State Fair will go ahead as planned this September.

Following the recent statewide spike in COVID-19 cases — one that has been particularly difficult for Puyallup and Pierce County — state officials have reissued the mask mandate, and begin ordering vaccination for state employees, teachers, health care workers and more.

That, in turn, has pushed some local events to pull the plug, like Gig Harbor's Maritime Gig Festival, which had been set for this weekend, but was cancelled last minute. In their cancellation announcement, organizers with the Gig Harbor Chamber of Commerce cited COVID-19 concerns as the cause for the postponement.

"We are very concerned about the health and safety of our community members, performers, vendors, volunteers and staff, and that is why we decided that canceling was the right thing to do," said Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Warren Zimmerman.

But not everyone is packing it in just yet: in a Facebook post Thursday, the Washington State Fair reaffirmed that it would be opening its gates as planned Sept. 3. The fair has been set to run from September 3 - 26.

The state fair is not alone: the Evergreen State Fair, which begins later this month in Monroe, has also said it will not cancel festivities. The Pierce County Fair also just wrapped up a successful five-day run in Graham.

The Washington State Fair will make one concession for pandemic concerns: A spokesperson for the fair told the News Tribune the fair would follow any state pandemic mandates. For the fair, that means requiring masks in indoor spaces like barns or other enclosed amusements.

The fair has also promised "rigorous standards for sanitation and cleaning" to tamp down on potential COVID-19 transmission, saying that vendors will be required to follow Department of Health COVID-19 safety guidelines, and will provide easy access to handwashing and sanitation stations for employees and customers alike. Notably, the state fair's website says it will not check guests' vaccination status.

Last June, the fairgrounds had to completely cancel the 2020 Washington State Fair — marking the first and only time the fair has been cancelled since the second World War. Before that, the 2020 fair had also been scheduled for September.

The return is good news for revelers who missed out on last year's festivities, but health officials still urge caution at any large gathering. State and national COVID-19 restrictions have generally been more lenient for largely outdoor events like the Washington State Fair, and while coronavirus transmission is less-likely in open spaces, it isn't impossible: the Watershed Music Festival held at the open-air amphitheater in George, Washington was recently linked to a cluster of COVID-19 outbreaks across the state.