Officials Cancel This Year's Indiana State Fair Due to COVID-19

INDIANAPOLIS -- The normal traditions you're used to seeing and enjoying at the Indiana State Fair will not happen this summer.

The Indiana State Fair announced Thursday that the traditional state fair has been canceled due to the coronavirus. However, there will still be a modified 4-H Livestock Show in August.

On their website, the Indiana State Fair explains why they canceled instead of postponing the fair:

"The State Fair is a collaborative effort between many partners, including the carnival, entertainers, food vendors, sponsors and more. Unfortunately, picking up the State Fair that we all love and moving it to another time of the year is not possible."

"Safety is our number one priority. We’ve spent months working through options that would allow us to host the Fair," said Cindy Hoye, Executive Director of the Indiana State Fair Commission. "Agriculture and youth are the foundation of our mission and the heartbeat of the Indiana State Fair, so we are determined and proud to honor our 4-H members with a version of that State Fair experience that allows Indiana’s youth to be recognized for their dedication and hard work."

Nearly 879,000 people attended the State Fair in 2019.

More information: https://www.indianastatefair.com/p/state-fair/2020-fair-update