The Ohio State Fair is back in less than one week for its 171st year.
And after a few years of demolition, renovation and new construction, buildings old and new are now ready to welcome fairgoers, according to Ohio Expo Center and State Fairgrounds officials.
Attendees will be met with two new buildings, the Ohio Showcase Building and the Ohio Agriculture Center. The former includes a new historical exhibit and food hall featuring six Ohio vendors. Among various uses, the latter will house the Taste of Ohio cafe, where the Ohio Poultry Association will serve its notorious deviled egg flights, which this year includes a birthday cake flavored deviled egg for America 250.
Four more freshly renovated buildings—including the Dairy Products Building, the Bricker Building and the North Commercial Pavilion—are good to go.
So is the new Town Square, which includes water misting and the new Ohio Children’s Carousel, featuring hand-carved animals from Marion.
“About $460 million was allocated to this project, and we’re right here on the tail end,” said Alicia Shoults, deputy director of operations and experience for Ohio Expo Center and State Fairgrounds. “We’re also evaluating whether or not there are contingency funds that might be available and the best ways to use those.”
Even with fencing lining sections of the fairgrounds last year, Shoults said the 2025 Ohio State Fair fared just fine.
“Even though buildings were closed, we were able to relocate a lot of the exhibits,” she said in an interview Wednesday.
Data showed attendance down about 2% in 2025, with a total of about 969,000 visitors, lower than its record of about 1,006,200 visitors in 2023. The Ohio State Fair runs 12 days, through August 9, and tickets start at $9.
