The Tulsa State Fair is a yearly tradition for Tulsa. It was held in the Expo Square Fairgrounds for two weeks from late Oct. 1-11. This fair was especially impressive drawing an estimated 1,040,000 attendees, according to the Tulsa State Fair infograph at  https://www.tulsastatefair.com/ Chief Operating Officer for the Expo Square, Amanda Blair said that the planning for Expo Square/Tulsa State Fair is on a year-round basis. “The planning takes into consideration budget, entertainment availability, and staying current with trends in the Tulsa Market,” Blair said.

Blair said that the goal is to always exceed the expectations of the guests by providing quality entertainment, food, attractions, and livestock to the Tulsa community. “The focus each year is how to accomplish these goals in a safe, family friendly environment,” Blair said.

Blair estimated the Tulsa State Fair’s turnout as 1,040,000. When asked what they would do differently for the next Tulsa State Fair, Blair said, “Every year we strive to make the necessary adjustments to be better than the year before. We look at what worked, and build upon this foundation.”  

Blair said that the planning committee is already looking at the entertainment for next year’s event. “Our team is already looking at the music schedules, and developing a lineup that includes a genre for everyone to enjoy,” Blair said.

According to the Tulsa State Fair webpage, this fair was very successful. When it comes to the Ford Family Fun night coupons, 11,069 were redeemed. The two week event brought in $3,595,337  for the city of Tulsa. There were 17,523 mega ride bands purchased and the annual Disney On Ice figure skating event grossed 16,489 over 10 shows. The total gross for the food and beverage was $1,409,601 and the compensation for local employees working the Tulsa State Fair reported at $1,057,786.

The Tulsa State Fair featured many booths all along the midway and the Pavilion. Some of these booths were the typical fair food such as corn dogs and cotton candy. The Everything Bacon stand offered chocolate covered bacon and Bacon Mac and Cheese empanadas, the Double Decker funnel cake was offered at McKinney Food Services.

According to the aforementioned infograph, The Gathering Place Stage, located inside the Expo Square Pavilion, was home to various multi-cultural acts including Hmong, Chinese Acrobats, and various senior citizen communities. There were a variety of musicians that performed including Ginuwine, Rival Sons, Chris Janson, Whiskey Myers, and Bone Thugs N’ Harmony.

The social media aspect of the Tulsa State Fair was impressive with 8,820,136 and the engagement counted as 12,079. The meet and greet last count was 163. Blair said that the staff at the Tulsa State Fair will be working to improve the guest experience for 2020.

The Tulsa State Fair will take place in 2020 from Oct. 1-11 at the fairgrounds at Expo Square.  Expo Square is located at 4145 East 21st St and the phone number is 918-744-1113. The website is at www.exposquare.com