The Washington State Fair Will Return In September

PUYALLUP, WA — It's official: The Washington State Fair will return in 2021.

Organizers announced the move over Twitter Thursday, saying that the state's plan to lift COVID-19 restrictions by the end of June will allow the fair to return in full force later this summer.

The fair will run from September 3 - 26. Organizers say they hope to announce information on ticket sales soon.

Tickets for the Columbia Bank Concert Series, which runs concurrent with the fair, will go on sale starting Friday. The fair has already announced more than a dozen concerts, including performances by Carrie Underwood, Ice Cube and the Beach Boys.

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.

At the time, the fair's CEO said the cancellation was a tough choice to make, both because of fans who look forward to the fair every year, and because of the economic impact the closure would have on the many vendors counting on the fair for summer revenue.

"Though it was a difficult decision, it was really the only decision possible based on what we currently know," CEO Kent Hojem. "It was a decision made in what we feel are the best interests of the health and safety of all of our guests, our employees, our exhibitors; basically all of our constituents."