Wild 2024 for Alaska State Fair; 2025 Will Be ‘Weird’
Photo Credit: Image-Source | Envato
A record number of fairgoers made their way to the Alaska State Fair in Palmer. Organizers counted 370,485 fairgoers from August 16 to September 2, surpassing last year’s attendance of 356,179.
“People far and wide gathered together to celebrate an end-of-summer tradition uniquely assembled with entertainment, music, food, carnival, agriculture, games, culture, contests, and a celebration of Alaska,” says Alaska State Fair CEO Jeff Curtis.
2025 Concert Lineup Will Include “Weird Al”
The ConocoPhillips Alaska Concert Series was a major draw, with a record number of concertgoers and five sold-out shows, including performances by Wynonna Judd, Whiskey Myers, Oliver Anthony, and two nights with Ludacris.
Fair organizers aren’t resting on their music-loving laurels; they’ve already started putting together the 2025 lineup. Fair officials announced this week that pop parody singer “Weird Al” Yankovic—famous for songs like “Eat It,” “White & Nerdy,” “Like a Surgeon,” “Smells Like Nirvana,” “Amish Paradise,” and “Word Crimes”—will be performing Sunday, August 17, at 6 p.m. Tickets go on sale Friday, September 27 at 10 a.m. at the state fair website alaskastatefair.org.
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September 2024
The acclaimed accordionist hasn’t performed in Alaska since a four-night tour in 1995, which was an encore to his first visit the year before. Locking in the 2025 concert date was part of a broader announcement this week of the “Bigger & Weirder” tour through sixty-five cities next summer. The tour marks a return to multimedia productions in larger amphitheaters after a six-year period of scaled-down tomfoolery in smaller venues.
Setting New Gardening, Auction Records
The Alaska State Fair’s 4-H/FFA Junior Market Livestock Auction has never been bigger, raising $589,306 through the sale of 141 animals, a notable increase from last year’s $510,000 and 107 animals. A variety of livestock were exhibited and sold at the fair, including chickens, ducks, geese, game birds, rabbits, turkeys, beef, swine, lamb, and goats.
Special exhibits contests included the 18th annual Alaska’s Midnight Sun Great Pumpkin Weigh-Off and 28th Annual Giant Cabbage Weigh-Off. Dale Marshall of Anchorage brought a 2,035-pound pumpkin for his seventh win in a row. The biggest cabbage was 97.35 pounds, grown by Scott Robb of Palmer.
Eight new state records were set at the 2024 Fair, including records for catnip grown by Rita Gelino-Bequette of Wasilla; buckwheat grown by Sandy Skaggs of Anchorage; bunching onion, garlic, and tomato plant grown by Theresa Phillips of Palmer; mushroom (puffball) grown by Barry Siltman of Palmer; mustard greens grown by Krystyna McRobert of Wasilla; and rhubarb grown by Roger Francisco of Anchorage.
Mat-Su Food Bank collected approximately 7,000 pounds of canned goods for its food drive, and 434 pounds of vegetables from crop exhibits and more than 300 pounds of produce harvested from the fair gardens were donated as well. Another ton of vegetables from the crop exhibits was donated to the Alaska Zoo and Wildlife Conservation Center, while flowers from the fair gardens were shared with local businesses and organizations through the Facebook group “That Thing Goin’ On.”
The Alaska State Fair Recycles initiative collected 31.7 tons of aluminum, plastic, paper, steel, and cardboard at this year’s event. Since 2002, 469.8 tons of recyclable material have been diverted from landfills.
“As the 2024 Alaska State Fair comes to an end, I’d like to reflect on the people and community that make it all possible,” says Curtis. “It’s our dedicated staff, board of directors, volunteers, sponsors, service providers, and community partners that help this world-class event be so successful. I sincerely thank you all for joining us and look forward to seeing you all again next year.”
The 2025 Alaska State Fair, themed “Reach for the Stars,” will be held from August 15 to September 1, 2025.
