The Bangor State Fair will expand to seven days this year and feature new attractions, including a beer garden, harness racing and triple the number of food trucks as last year.
The fair was four days long last July. This year, it will kick off Thursday, July 25, and run through Sunday, July 28, before returning the following weekend from Thursday, Aug. 1, through Saturday, Aug. 3. A seven-day fair also gives organizers flexibility to add a rain date if necessary.
Extending the 175th Bangor State Fair over two weekends is designed to boost attendance and earnings after it lost money in the years prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s also about growing the fair’s offerings in an effort to “restore it to its former glory,” said Chris McGrail, general manager at the Cross Insurance Center.
The Bangor State Fair has been a mainstay since at least 1849 and is considered one of the oldest state fairs in the country.
“It’s our responsibility to grow this thing and make sure we’re doing right by the past and making it what it should be,” McGrail said.
The fair, which was 10 days long pre-pandemic, drew roughly 50,000 to 60,000 people when the Cross Insurance Center opened in 2013, McGrail said. Since then, its attendance has declined, and in 2020 the fair was canceled altogether.
The fair’s schedule was shortened to four days in 2021 to 2023, reducing the amount of revenue it could bring in. But McGrail said the fair “made budget” in those years and has gradually recovered. Last year it drew about 16,000 people and made $384,178 from ride and ticket sales, according to data provided to Bangor city councilors.
Organizers hope for continued growth this year and have committed to improving the fair to ensure it remains sustainable in the long term, said McGrail, who anticipates about 25,000 people will attend this year.
During a Bangor business and economic development committee meeting Monday night, he touched on last year’s challenges, including Smokey’s Greater Shows not delivering as many rides as it promised, limited food options and congestion throughout the fair. Smokey’s also didn’t provide ATMs despite most of its vendors accepting only cash.
“Last year one side of the midway looked like I-95,” he said. “The other side looked like a one-way street. It was creating a lot of bottleneck spaces and congestion where we couldn’t move through.”
While the fair will stick with Smokey’s because other carnival companies pushed for a shorter fair, organizers are more clearly communicating their expectations, McGrail told the committee, adding there are penalties if it does not deliver. Smokey’s will provide ATMs this year.
In the past, the Cross Center had a single event coordinator who oversaw the fair, and staff helped out in various areas. But “it’s much too large of an event to have it rest on one person’s shoulders,” said Stesha Cano, the Cross Center’s assistant general manager and director of operations.
This year, the center is fully staffed and has involved 22 people, all of whom are providing their unique perspectives. Planners split into groups focused on food and beverages, entertainment, ticketing, parking, community involvement and other categories to plan the fair well in advance, Cano said.
Thirteen food trucks instead of last year’s four, a beer garden and harness racing for the first time since the 1980s or 1990s will be new to the fair this year. A dunk tank with “local celebrities” will return after several years, and proceeds will go to the Animal Orphanage in Old Town, McGrail said. The Cross Center is seeking volunteers to participate.
There also will be a variety of entertainment, including 15 bands, the Axe Women of Maine, escape artist Michael Griffin, Moose Maine-iah monster truck rides, the Silver Circus, wrestling, movie nights and more.
Popular activities from last year will return, including a demolition derby, which will expand to two days; truck pulls, split between the afternoon and evening in an effort to drive attendance; and a classic car show.
McGrail said fair-goers may notice changes to improve the “flow” of the fair. For example, a children’s area with rides, booths and a tent with two stages for performances is designed to better connect the midway to the Cross Center, where there will be animals, air conditioning and bathrooms. Agricultural attractions will start before the midway opens each day of the fair.
Agriculture barns and livestock exhibits returned last year after being notably absent in 2022 after the demolition of barns on the fairgrounds.
Entrance tickets will be $10 to $15, depending on the day.
Organizers will offer discounts on tickets to seniors, first responders and others. They are considering adding themed days, where attendees would receive a discount for dressing like Paul Bunyan or something along those lines, McGrail said.
