2010 Country Showpass Lineup

Big names and a brand new Grandstand will headline the 45th Annual North Dakota State Fair. Brooks and Dunn, Eric Church ft. The Band Perry, Darius Rucker and Sugarland will all be included on the 2010 Grandstand Showpass. Showpass tickets will go on-sale Thursday, March 25 at 8am.
Superstar duo Brooks & Dunn will be making a stop at the Fair during their final tour on Friday, July 23. Eric Church will round out the opening weekend of the Fair on Sunday, July 25 with opening act The Band Perry. Darius Rucker will take to the stage on Friday, July 30 and Sugarland will close out the 2010 State Fair on Saturday, July 31. 

The Grandstand Showpass will be comprised of seven nights of entertainment for $75 Standing Room or $85 Reserved Seating. 


2010 Lineup:
Friday, July 23 – Brooks and Dunn
Sunday, July 25 – Eric Church ft. The Band Perry
Monday, July 26 – Enduro Auto Race
Tuesday, July 27 – Demolition Derby
Wednesday, July 28 – Front Fenders and Collector’s Car Show
Friday, July 30 – Darius Rucker
Saturday, July 31 - Sugarland

Concert Ticket Sales Update

They're flying out the door! Tickets to this year's North Dakota State Fair concert lineup are selling faster than they ever have in the past. It is even being speculated that if sales keep on track we'll have a record breaking Fair! Tickets currently on sale include: The Grandstand Showpass, Daily and Season Gate Admission, Mega Ride, Family Fun Pack, Motley Crue with Theory of a Deadman and Good Charlotte. Get yours today! Visit the north Dakota State Fair Center M-F, 8-5pm, call 701-852-FAIR or Click Here to order online.

State Fair Lineup rocks the ACM Awards

The Academy of Country Music held its 44th Annual Awards show last night in Las Vegas. Viewers had the opportunity to see concerts from several star studded entertainers, two of which will be at the Fair in July! Taylor Swift (left photo) sung one of her newest songs while Heidi Newfield (right photo) belted out her hit single "Johnny and June." Additionally, Taylor Swift ended up being one of the biggest winners of the evening when she took homethe Album of the Year award for her album Fearless. Taylor Swift will perform at the Fair on Saturday, July 25th while Heidi Newfield will take to the stage on Sunday, July 26th in a double header with Rodney Atkins.

Dierks!!! Showpass Tickets on Sale April 8th!

We are sooooo excited to announce that Dierks Bentley, has been added to the North Dakota State Fair concert lineup! Dierks will close out the 2009 country lineup on Friday, July 31. Known for hit songs like “What Was I Thinkin’,” “Come a Little Closer,” and his newest single “Feel That Fire” this will be one of the biggest concerts of the Fair!

We are also excited to be answering the most sought after question about the Fair: When are tickets going on sale? Well, tickets go on sale Wednesday, April 8 at 8:00 a.m! You can purchase online at www.ndstatefair.com, at the North Dakota State Fair Box Office, weekdays, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; or by calling 701-852-FAIR or 701-857-7620.

Tickets available on April 8 include: Reserved Seating Cenex Grandstand Showpass, General Admission Cenex Grandstand Showpass, Adult & Junior Daily Gate Passes, Adult & Junior Season Gate Passes, Advanced Mega Ride Pass and the Family Fun Pack.

This year’s Showpass ticket includes admission to Taylor Swift, July 25; Rodney Atkins and Heidi Newfield, July 26; Enduro Race, July 27; Demolition Derby, July 28; The Devonshires with Classic Car Show, July 29; Gary Allan July 30; and Dierks Bentley on July 31. The Showpass is $65 for general admission and $75 for reserved seating.

Announcements on the final rock concert and Motley Crue ticket on-sale date will be made public soon. Tickets can be purchased with cash or credit card only.

Country Lineup Announcing Soon!

Morning! This week we will be announcing the 2009 Grandstand Showpass lineup. For $75 reserved seating or $65 general admission Fairgoers will receive four nights of country concerts and three nights of auto events including the Enduro Auto Race, Demolition Derby and Classic Car Show! We are waiting to book our last country act, as soon as we get confirmation I'll let you know who's coming to the Fair and when tickets will be on sale! With these big- name acts it's going to be best to get your tickets EARLY!

Join our eNewsletter Mailing List!

We are getting close to being able to announce the majority of our '09 concert lineup (We just need the go-ahead from a couple of the bands). Sign up for our e-newsletter to ensure that you are first to get the concert lineup, ticket on-sale dates and other breaking news about the 2009 North Dakota State Fair! You can sign up by visiting the North Dakota State Fair website.

Proposed North Dakota State Fair Grandstand

Last week Governor Hoeven released his budget , within it he supported the North Dakota State Fair by allocating $17 million for the construction of a new Grandstand facility. The current grandstand is home to the Fair’s concerts and motor events’ it also hosts fans for the Nodak Speedway races. Growing demand and a deteriorating infrastructure has presented many maintenance challenges. Therefore the State Fair Board is looking to build a new grandstand facility. A new grandstand for the State Fair is critical in maintaining the numbers necessary for future success and growth. For this reason, strong, vocal support for a new grandstand must come from all fairgoers. A new grandstand facility will attract more premiere events, better accommodate spectators and provide for a better overall experience. Help us bring a new grandstand to the North Dakota State Fair by contacting your legislators!

Grandstand Continued

There are many variables to booking an artist: First we need to see who is actually touring. Just because an artist is in the spotlight doesn't mean they are touring or performing concerts. Once we find an act that is touring the next factor is routing. It works best to find an artist who is already playing within this area of the country. If our Fair routes with their tour we are more likely to get that artist. The tricky part is that we aren't very flexible on dates they can perform since our Fair only runs for 9 days. 9 out of 365 doesn't leave us with too many options! The final aspect is the cost. Artists can range from $40,000 to over a million dollars for one performance. Needless to say we wouldn't be able to purchase 9 nights of entertainment if we spend over 1 million on just one act! We just received confirmation on our first performer, and he's really gonna rock the Fair!

Grandstand Entertainment

Before I started working at the Fair I was under the impression that it was really easy to book Grandstand acts. I had my list of who I thought should be at the Fair: Rascal Flatts, Taylor Swift, Jonas Brothers (don't judge me), Kid Rock, Kenney Chesney (again). I'm beginning to understand that booking bands for the Grandstand is one of the hardest jobs and you truly can never please everyone! Over the next couple of posts I'm going to answer common questions we get and explain how we book acts and why we book them.

For starters we tend to book two rock acts and four country acts each summer. This is primarily due to our customer demographics, we conduct surveys during and after the Fair to get an idea of what bands our attendees are looking for. Once we know what there is an interest for we can start working with our agent to see who's available.