Amazing
by Relle on 8/10/23This was a wonderful experience for my 8 year old.
Ohio State Fair Tickets
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About the Ohio State Fair
The Ohio State Fair isn't just an annual event celebrating delicious concessions, a livestock competition, creative arts and crafts and a butter cow. The fair — happening in Columbus, Ohio, at the Ohio Expo Center, located just south of downtown near MAPFRE Stadium — also boasts a series of concerts featuring well-received national acts. These gigs take place over the course of the fair in the WCOL Celeste Center, a 10,200-capacity arena and event center that received a multimillion-dollar facelift in recent years.
Ohio State Fair History
The first Ohio State Fair took place in 1850 at Camp Washington near downtown Cincinnati. Over the next few decades, the event traveled around to various Ohio cities (including Cleveland, Dayton and Sandusky) before settling into its current home at the Ohio Expo Center in Columbus in 1886.
Over the years, the fair has been a hub for popular music acts. In 1928, for example, the John Philip Sousa Band performed twice a day. As rock 'n' roll, soul and country became mainstream in the 1960s, the fair's booking reflected this trend: acts such as the Bee Gees, James Brown, Kenny Rogers, Johnny Cash, Tanya Tucker and Sly & The Family Stone performed. As the decades progressed, mainstream country, rock and pop acts became staples, as the Beach Boys, Oak Ridge Boys, Diamond Rio, K.C. and the Sunshine Band, Kool & The Gang and Mel Tillis all made appearances.
In recent years, the Ohio State Fair has continued to book an eclectic concert lineup. Genres include alternative rock groups (Weezer, Devo), classic rock bands (REO Speedwagon, Styx, Cheap Trick, Deep Purple), country artists (Dolly Parton, Toby Keith, Jake Owen, Reba McEntire), pop acts (Meghan Trainor, Charlie Puth), soul and R&B superstars (Patti LaBelle, Blackstreet, Keith Sweat), Christian artists (Lecrae, Matthew West) and comedians (Gabriel Iglesias, Jeff Dunham).
Rating: 5 out of 5 Rating: 5 out of 5 Great Experience
by Steve on 8/10/23The Ohio State Fair provides a great day of fun, education, and is an overall worthwhile way to spend your day. The exhibits ste limitless, thevanimaks are countless and the variety of food is great. We took our 3 grandchildren ages 10, 9 and 8 and they had a blast. They even caught some fish in the pond. Highly recommend a visit. Getting in and out is a breeze and it's run very efficiently.
Rating: 3 out of 5 Some food vendors were expensive
by shelllbell on 8/10/23Some of the food vendors were very expensive! you had to walk around to find the best prices on funnel cakes, french fries. Funnel cake prices were anywhere from $6.00 -$10.00, French fries were anywhere from $5.00 -$7.00 for a small size, and these vendors' were not on the mid-way!
Rating: 5 out of 5 Cma
by Stac on 8/10/23Had a great time with family and kiddie land was a blast!
Rating: 5 out of 5 William
by William on 8/10/23I made it to the Ohio State Fair for the first time since 2016. I like the merchant building.
Rating: 3 out of 5 Too much missing!!
by Grammy13 on 8/9/23Prices for food + drinks were very high. So much was missing - the parade, original giant slide, crafts outside the Kasich building, + lots more! Fun but a bit disappointing.
Rating: 5 out of 5 2023 Ohio State Fair was Awesome
by Lo on 8/9/23The 2023 Ohio State Fair was well organized. Get food vendors and shop vendors. The band and characters were fun to hear and watch. Great job !!
Rating: 5 out of 5 Wonderful and educational
by Don on 8/9/23Exhibits were very interesting and reflected a great deal of talent and time dedicated in using their talents. Food was very good, and the venues were attractive and clean.
Rating: 5 out of 5 Great Fair Fun
by Lisa S. on 8/9/23Great time at this year's Ohio State Fair. I felt safe, had fun and enjoyed the food, people and great traditions that make the Fair fun.
Rating: 3 out of 5 A little disappointed
by Mocha on 8/9/23There seem to be less vendors. I was like going to the sunglass stand in the back. Nothing theless vendors also in the Bricker building. I am glad though that I got the tickets pre-sell as. I only paid 6 dollars, hoping the fair is better next year.
Rating: 5 out of 5 Junior Fair Board Rocks!
by OSUFAN on 8/9/23The Junior Fair Board worked their behinds off! It didn’t go unnoticed. Everywhere we went, we saw young adults in the blue shirts actively helping and engaging with the fair goers. Job well done!
Rating: 5 out of 5 Fun
by A. D. on 8/9/23It’s fun but honestly get the fast past for older kids it’s 50 but will save alot of time and for meals you might want to bring something to eat because like a sandwich is about 15 dollars but drinks the cheapest you can find is sweet tea but I recommend to eat before you go or bring something
Rating: 3 out of 5 Disappointed
by Vicki on 8/9/23The ticket value is very good. I will continue to use Ticketmaster to purchase andvance tickets as long as it is available. Unfortunately I felt that the fair was not as entertaining as years past. As an old timer I looked forward to going through the buildings, viewing vendors and comparing the prices. Both this year and last the number of vendors declined, the quality decreased but the prices increased.
Rating: 4 out of 5 Fun Experience
by Crank54 on 8/9/23Easy entry with pre-sale tickets. Ample food booths. Loved the commercial building. Too many mattress booths though. Fun for everybody though.
Rating: 5 out of 5 Great
by CRH on 8/9/23We all had a very good time. There were 9 of us. The pig races were fun, but the microphone didn’t work. Thank you.
Rating: 5 out of 5 Great Food!
by Heisenberg on 8/9/23I always love eating my way through the midway! French Fries, corn on the cob, Texas tenderloin, Italian sausage, calzones, lemon-aid, butter cow & ice cream!
Rating: 5 out of 5 Always a hit
by MrsB on 8/9/23We have loved attending the Ohio State Fair for decades. First with our 5 children; now with our oldest granddaughter. There is something for everyone. Our favorite spot on the fairgrounds is the Dept of Natural Resources. Such a quiet spot - an oasis in the midst of all the fair noise & activity. So much to learn about also.
Rating: 5 out of 5 Always fun with my kids!
by Nicole on 8/9/23Who doesn't love going to the fair?! I think that the only downfall is the increasing costs of things making it more necessary to plan to go to events anymore. With saying that, my kids and I always have so much fun going to the fair. It gives me some hangout time with them and gets them out of the house to do something other than video gaming. Our favorite thing to do there? Well, indulge in all the glorious food of course! Lol, they're just as much foodies as I am and they always love finding out what new food is there every year. Of course, we hit up the rides, and play some games, but we also really enjoy seeing all the vendors, shows, and animals. We enjoy as much of the fair as we can each year we go, and we always look forward to the next years fair!
Rating: 5 out of 5 Awesome amazing time.
by Redd on 8/9/23The Fair had great food and plenty of fun things to do and ride.The concert that day was off the chain.
Rating: 3 out of 5 Where's the ac?
by Julie on 8/9/23The go to air conditioned venues like the butter barn are no longer very cool. Please bring back the giant YELLOW slide. The rainbow colored slide has drawbacks. Are napkins too much to expect from food vendors?