The Illinois State Fair begins Thursday

SPRINGFIELD (WGEM) – The 2024 Illinois State Fair is officially open.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker cut the ribbon Thursday morning, welcoming people from across the state and country to the Springfield Fairgrounds.

“With this year’s theme, ‘It’s Showtime,’ we’re highlighting events, entertainment and fun that capture the spirit of our great fair,” said Pritzker, a Democrat.

From the carnival rides and games on the midway, to animal exhibits, live shows featuring artists like the Jonas Brothers, Lil Wayne, Keith Urban and Miranda Lambert, and the famous Butter Cow sculpture, there’s something for everyone at the fair.

But for Springfield’s John Belz, the idea is to start the fair in a different way.

“The food,” he said. “You know, there’s sausages and corn gravy and chips and things like that. And when you have kids like that, it’s nice to go on all the rides and things like that.”

Mindy Magarity came to the fair from Bentonville, Arkansas, to see a special attraction.

“The butter cow,” he said. “We’re here to see the butter cow, we did it. So we’ve seen it, it looked great.”

The former Bloomington resident returned to the Land of Lincoln for the Butter Cow as her children tagged along on rides.

Regardless of what brings someone to the fair, though, it is first and foremost a celebration of Illinois agriculture.

“Today and throughout our State Fair, we honor our agricultural industry and express our shared hopes and dreams for our future, not just in agriculture, but as a state,” Pritzker said.

The fair ends August 18. Admission is $5 Sunday through Thursday and $10 on Friday and Saturday. It costs $3 for people 60 and older. Admission is free for children 12 and younger.

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