YORK, Pa. — It’s that time of year again—the York Fairgrounds are buzzing with activity.
“We’re excited to have everybody out this year," said Montgomery Stambaugh, marketing and communications director for the York State Fair.
Last-minute preparations are underway for the 2023 fair.
All the fun kicks off Friday, July 21 and runs through July 30.
There are a few new promotional days this year, including $2 Tuesday.
“We’ve got $2 Tuesday going on which is $2 admission, $2 rides, as well as $2 food specials from select vendors," explained Stambaugh.
This is the third year the fair has been held in July, rather than September.
Last year’s run faced brutal heat, and it’s possible the same could happen this time around.
“We’ve had some up and downs with the weather and COVID but everyone is reacting fairly well to it," said Stambaugh. "All of our buildings are air-conditioned, we have multiple misting tents, and two air-conditioned tents provided by the state.”
Those two air-conditioned tents are new this year.
All the crowd favorites will be back, including rides, games, and lots of fair food.
Names like Five Finger Death Punch, Nelly and Dierks Bentley will take the grandstand stage throughout the week too.
You can also expect higher prices this year.
Inflation has hit just about everything, and fair organizers say they’re not immune.
“The things we have to buy to put on the fair have gone up so we’ve had to raise prices and it’s across the board with food vendors, rides, admission, parking, everything is kind of in the same line," said Stambaugh.
One way fairgoers who enjoy the midway rides can save a little money: The James E. Strates Shows, which is the York State Fair's exclusive midway provider, is celebrating the 100th anniversary of its founding. As part of the celebration, it will offer "100 Minutes of Free Midway Rides" on Thursday, July 27, which the Fair has designated as "Strates Day."
The 100-minute celebration of the "Centennial of Smiles" will begin at 2 p.m. that day, the midway company said.
There will also be a souvenir tent and several "selfie stations" throughout the fairgrounds this year too.
If you want to beat the crowds, Stambaugh recommends heading to the fair early in the day or later at night, especially on those special promo days.
More information can be found on the official York State Fair website.
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