Nebraska State Fair

What Nebraska State Fair does

Nebraska State Fair is an annual 11-day agricultural exhibition and entertainment event held August 28 – September 7 at Fonner Park in Grand Island, Nebraska. Founded in 1868 and operated as a state-level entity, the fair serves as Nebraska's premier showcase for agriculture, livestock, competitive exhibits, and live entertainment, targeting general-public families, 4-H/FFA youth exhibitors, vendors/concessionaires, and veterans. Core offerings include competitive exhibits across 9+ departments, livestock shows, the Wade Shows carnival midway, the Nebraska Lottery Concert Series (ticketed indoor/outdoor concerts), the Fair-Tastic Friday accessibility initiative, the HAL Sports-managed Marathon (a Boston Qualifier), and the Galaxy of Stars talent competition. The organization is supported by the affiliated 1868 Foundation, which funds volunteer programming.

The business model is multi-stream and event-driven, with revenue generated through (1) gate admission ($12 adults, $6 seniors, free for children 5 and under, with promotional pricing tiered by day), (2) carnival wristbands ($37 weekday / $42 weekend) operated by Wade Shows, (3) vendor and concessionaire licensing on a take-rate model (greater of $600 guarantee or 18% of adjusted gross sales for F&B; flat booth fees of $745-$1,098.50 for indoor exhibitors and $30/front foot for outdoor), (4) ticketed concert and event sales (ranging $16-$115) distributed exclusively via Etix, (5) sponsorship revenue managed by a dedicated Sponsorship Director, and (6) campground reservations processed via Set Your Sites. Pricing for ancillary services includes mobility rentals ($20-$80) through Hometown Mobility.

The organization operates with approximately 21 named staff members across executive, administrative, agriculture, livestock, competitive exhibits, entertainment, marketing, sponsorship, sales, operations, volunteer coordination, ticket office, beverage, and gate management functions. Distribution is omnichannel: direct via the StateFair.org and Etix e-commerce storefront, in-person and phone box office, third-party retail (Pump & Pantry), and physical fairgrounds access with free parking, ADA accommodations, and a Sam's Club shuttle. The go-to-market motion is event-driven, with year-round social media, email (FairShare), and concert announcement campaigns targeting demand into the concentrated 11-day revenue window. Technology is composed of partner-managed platforms (Etix, Set Your Sites, Hometown Mobility) with no proprietary AI, machine learning, or data products identified.

Name

Nebraska State Fair

Legal name

Nebraska State Fair

Website

https://statefair.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1868

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Nebraska State Fair operates an annual 11-day agricultural exhibition and entertainment event at Fonner Park in Grand Island, Nebraska, serving general-public families, 4-H/FFA youth exhibitors, vendors, and veterans through gate admission, concerts, carnival, livestock shows, and competitive exhibits.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Fair & Live Events

NAICS

All Other Amusement and Recreation Industries (713990)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

General Consumer Expos & Trade Shows (MPAGAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Fairgrounds & Expo Parks (THAHAAAH)

Keywords

• Agricultural exhibitions
• Livestock competitions
• State fair events
• Live concert series
• Carnival entertainment

Headquarters

HQ city

Grand Island

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Gate Admission: Paid admission to the fairgrounds. Adults $12, Seniors $6, Youth (6-12) pricing varies by day, children 5 and under free. Veterans free on Monday, Sept. 7.
2. Carnival Rides: Carnival wristbands sold by Wade Shows Carnival: $37 weekdays, $42 weekends. Individual ride tickets and ride cards also available.
3. Vendor & Concessionaire Licensing: Food and beverage concessionaires pay the greater of $600 guarantee or 18% of adjusted sales. Indoor exhibitor booths $745-$1,098.50. Outdoor exhibitors $30 per front foot (minimum $450).
4. Concert & Ticketed Event Tickets: Concert tickets sold via Etix, including gate admission. Events include Truck & Tractor Pull ($20-$30), Roughstock Rodeo ($25-$45), Phil Wickham ($55-$76), KC and the Sunshine Band ($30-$55), Shinedown ($85-$115), HARDY ($78-$107), Demolition Derby, and Figure 8 Racing ($16-$41).
5. Sponsorship Revenue: Sponsorship program with named sponsors at various levels. Sponsorship Director Nicki Stoltenberg manages the program.
6. Campground Reservations: Campsite fees collected through the Set Your Sites reservation system. Additional vehicle passes available for purchase.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The Nebraska State Fair operates an annual 11-day agricultural exhibition and entertainment event held at Fonner Park in Grand Island, Nebraska, featuring competitive exhibits, livestock shows, a Nebraska Lottery Concert Series, Wade Shows Carnival, a Marathon, talent competitions, and family attractions. Revenue is generated from gate admissions, ticketed concerts and events, vendor and concessionaire licensing fees, sponsorships, and campground reservations.

Product overview

Nebraska State Fair is an 11-day annual event (August 28 - September 7, 2026) held at Fonner Park in Grand Island, Nebraska. The fair operates as a unified platform offering multiple distinct products and services: the core Nebraska State Fair exhibition featuring competitive exhibits, livestock shows, and carnival; the Nebraska Lottery Concert Series with ticketed indoor and outdoor performances; the HAL Sports-managed Marathon; Galaxy of Stars talent competition; Fair-Tastic Friday accessibility initiative; and the Set Your Sites-operated campground. The event also utilizes dedicated venues including Heartland Events Center, TD Landing, US Foods Outdoor Arena, and Motorsports Park for specialized programming.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Galaxy of Stars: Talent search program providing a platform for talent throughout Nebraska to develop singing, dancing, instrumental, variety and songwriting skills.
• Nebraska's Largest Classroom
• Nebraska State Fair Marathon
• Fair-Tastic Friday
• Veterans Day Celebration

Products and services

• Nebraska State Fair The flagship 11-day annual agricultural exhibition and entertainment event held at Fonner Park in Grand Island, Nebraska, featuring competitive exhibits, livestock shows, concerts, carnival rides, family attractions, and accessibility programming. Open to the general public, families, 4-H/FFA youth, and vendors.
• Nebraska Lottery Concert Series A ticketed concert series at the Nebraska State Fair featuring performances across genres including country, rock, Christian music, and comedy, held at the Heartland Events Center (indoor) and TD Landing (outdoor). All advance tickets include gate admission. Sold exclusively through Etix.
• Wade Shows Carnival Carnival midway operated by Wade Shows featuring rides, games, and family midway entertainment. Wristbands and ride cards are purchased on-site at the Wade Shows ticket booth.
• Livestock Shows Open Class, 4-H, and FFA livestock exhibitions across beef, dairy, sheep, swine, goats, poultry, and equine categories, available to youth and adult exhibitors.
• Competitive Exhibits Open class competitions across agricultural products, bee culture, education, foods, horticulture, photography, quilts, textile arts, and visual arts. Open to Nebraska residents and exhibitors of all ages.
• Nebraska State Fair Marathon

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• HAL SportscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 May 2026HAL Sports has been selected as the new race management partner for the Nebraska State Fair Marathon. HAL Sports will manage and produce the annual marathon event, which returns August 29, 2026, in its 12th year as a Boston Qualifier drawing runners from more than 35 states and countries.
• Set Your SitescoreTechnology or IntegrationSet Your Sites powers the campground reservation system for the Nebraska State Fair & Aksarben Stock Show campground. The platform enables online campsite booking, check-in management, and reservation administration for the on-grounds campground operating August through September.
• Hometown MobilityminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHometown Mobility provides on-site electric mobility scooter and wheelchair rentals at the Nebraska State Fair. Rentals available at the Main Gate and ADA Parking Gate, with online and phone reservations accepted.
• EtixcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEtix is the exclusive ticketing partner for the Nebraska State Fair Nebraska Lottery Concert Series. All concert and event tickets must be purchased through Etix (online or phone). The fair explicitly states it will not honor tickets from any other ticketing company.
• Wade ShowscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWade Shows operates the carnival at the Nebraska State Fair, providing all carnival rides and attractions across the midway. Wristbands and ride cards are purchased at the Wade Shows ticket booth inside the midway area.
• Sam's ClubminorOthersSam's Club in Grand Island serves as the designated off-site shuttle parking location for the Nebraska State Fair. Free shuttle buses depart Sam's Club on the hour during fair hours.
• Pump & PantryminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPump & Pantry convenience stores serve as retail locations for Nebraska State Fair gate admission tickets in addition to the fair's own box office and online channels.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Indiana State Fair: Annual state fair held in Indianapolis, Indiana. Direct peer on event format (livestock, competitive exhibits, concerts, carnival), revenue model (gate admission, vendor licensing, sponsorships), and state-affiliated operating structure.
• Minnesota State Fair: One of the largest state fairs in the U.S. by attendance, held annually at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds in Falcon Heights. Direct match on agricultural exhibitions, livestock competitions, concert programming, and vendor/concessionaire economics.
• Iowa State Fair: Iowa's flagship state fair held annually at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines. Directly comparable agricultural showcase with similar 11-day format, livestock exhibitions, concert series, and carnival midway serving a rural Midwestern audience.
• Kansas State Fair: Annual state fair held in Hutchinson, Kansas. Comparable in scale and format — livestock, competitive exhibits, concert series, and carnival — operating in a neighboring rural Midwestern state with similar agricultural community ties.
• Ohio State Fair: Annual state fair held in Columbus, Ohio. Comparable agricultural exhibition with livestock, youth programs, concert series, and midway, operating on a similar multi-venue fairground model.
• South Dakota State Fair: Annual state fair held in Huron, South Dakota. Operates the same core playbook as Nebraska State Fair — livestock shows, 4-H/FFA competitions, concert series, and midway attractions — with comparable scale and rural Midwestern positioning.

Broad incumbents

• State Fair of Texas (Big Tex): The largest state fair in the U.S., held annually at Fair Park in Dallas. Operates the same agricultural showcase + entertainment + carnival playbook at substantially greater scale (~2M+ attendees), making it a useful upper-bound peer for Nebraska State Fair.
• Calgary Stampede: World-class annual exhibition and rodeo event in Calgary, Alberta, with extensive concert series, agricultural competitions, and midway. Provides a useful international benchmark for state-fair-class event monetization at scale.

Others

• Wade Shows: The carnival operator that runs the Nebraska State Fair midway. Although a partner rather than competitor, Wade Shows operates similar midway attractions at hundreds of fairs nationwide and is the closest comparable for understanding carnival economics and ride pricing benchmarks.

Regional players

• Aksarben Stock Show: Regional livestock show held at Fonner Park in Grand Island, Nebraska. Shares the same physical venue and broader Nebraska agricultural ecosystem as the Nebraska State Fair, making it a directly co-located peer on livestock programming.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/nestatefair
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/NebraskaStateFair
• Facebookfacebook.com/NebraskaStateFair
• Instagraminstagram.com/nestatefair
• TikToktiktok.com/@nestatefair

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles22 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Nebraska State Fair