The Arizona State Fair concert series has been entertaining generations for decades.
However, when the fair returns to the Arizona State Fairgrounds in Phoenix on Oct. 1., there won’t be any major concerts taking place at Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum
Citing apparent budget shortfalls after the 2019 fair and the fact that the 2020 fair was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Jen Yee, a spokesperson for the Arizona State Fair and fairgrounds, recently shared that there was not enough money in the budget to book concerts this year.
In less than 40 days, the Arizona State Fairgrounds in Phoenix will be filled with its classic carnival rides, games, and vendors selling deep-fried everything, however, the one Arizona fair tradition of evening concerts at Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum will be greatly missed.
As a self-funded state entity, proceeds from the previous year’s state fair and event rentals of the fairgrounds help to fund those big attractions and activities for the following year’s fair.
This year’s fair runs from Wednesday – Sunday, Oct. 1-30, 2021. Advanced tickets to the 2021 Arizona State Fair, at the fairgrounds, near 19th Avenue and McDowell Road, went on sale on Thursday.
General admission tickets are $10-$12 per person. VIP parking is $25, which includes access to the main parking lot at the fairgrounds. Pricing for general parking is not listed online.
Details on what rides, games, and vendors will be at the 2021 state fair has yet to be announced. The fair partnerships have not been announced yet either.
Earlier this year, the Governor’s Office announced that the State Fair would temporarily be moved to Gila River’s Wild Horse Pass development in Chandler. However, earlier this month, officials reversed their announcements and said the fair would indeed be held at the fairgrounds, a location where it has been held for decades.
Officials have left open the possibility that the 2022 fair could still be moved to the Gila River Indian Community.
“We remain committed to working with the Gila River Indian Community to see if we can move the Fair to the Gila River Indian Reservation in 2022 in a manner that is mutually beneficial to both sides,” said Jonathan Lines, chairman of the Arizona Exposition and State Fair Board,” in a previous statement.
Click here for more information on the Arizona State Fair.
