2025 Iowa State Fair: Day 2 Highlights and East Side Night Celebration
The 2025 Iowa State Fair is celebrating its 171st year, attracting over 1 million visitors to the east Des Moines fairgrounds. This year's fair runs for 11 days until Sunday, August 17th. Day 2 of the fair features performances by Parker McCollum and Josh Abbott Band at the Grandstand, Creed Fisher at the Susan Knapp Amphitheater, The Holy Rocka Rollaz at the Anne and Bill Riley Stage, and The Nadas at the MidAmerican Energy Stage. The weather forecast for Friday predicts mostly sunny and hot weather with a high of 93 degrees. The fair offers a variety of new drinks this year, including 26 alcohol-free options. Visitors can explore the Farmers Markets for fresh Iowa-grown products behind the Animal Learning Center from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. daily.
The first Friday night of the fair is East Side Night, where Des Moines eastsiders gather for an unofficial reunion. KCCI 8 News broadcasts live from the MidAmerican Energy Stage at 4:30 p.m. daily during the fair. Visitors can also stream the fair coverage for free on the Very Local app. The fairgrounds are located at East 30th Street and East University Avenue in Des Moines, with adult admission priced at $16 and $10 for children aged 6-11. Kids under 5 enter for free. The fairgrounds are open from 8 a.m. to midnight from August 7th to 16th, and from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on August 17th, with buildings open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.
In 2024, the Iowa State Fair set a record with 1,182,682 attendees, surpassing the previous record of 1,170,375 in 2019. The fair continues to be a popular event, attracting large crowds each year.