Honestly this one's a tossup between 3 and 4 stars. It seems that the Illinois State Fair, compared to some of the other state fairs, is kind of boring and doesn't offer a lot. Iowa and Minnesota's state fairs have a better selection of foods to offer, for instance. But I think I'll just stick to the positives of Illinois's. The fair does pay great tribute to the Prairie State, like agriculture, dairy and midwestern life. I'm very surprised and glad that Chicago isn't mentioned all that much, although I wish some Chicago foods would be offered at the fair! The buildings and architecture are nice. The Route 66 Experience (which is open year-round) is a must for everybody. No fair visit is complete without checking out the livestock barns as well as going to livestock judging competitions. Oh and I can't leave out the butter sculptures. As far as the entertainment part, they do have a great eclectic mix of cover bands and popular acts performing there. Again, despite of everything that I said - I do think Illinois needs to step up its game and re-define itself as a popular destination. After seeing what Iowa State Fair has to offer, it definitely made Illinois SF look very weak. read more

Updated review: I came back earlier in the fair to see the animals which was fascinating, with the family culture of camping out by the animals and displaying/competing them. This time around I had a hard time tolerating any of the food, everything I tried other than ice cream just did not seem appetizing. It was hot ! Always fun to see the bustling nature of things here, explored the Route 66 and some of the other parks filled with all kinds of activities. read more

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Went to the state fair on Saturday Aug 22. Went to sit down inside the Reisch pavilion. Was disgusted at the amount of garbage on the ground. Tables looked like they had not been washed since last year!! Every garbage can was so full you couldn't put any more into it. It was terrible. This was at 4 pm. read more

Another year , another fair and what a nice fun time Great people Great food Great time And if you haven't , you must try the apple cider slushie! read more

Illinois State Fair - Apple Cider Slushie - Festivals Near Me - Springfield, Illinois

Neat State Fair that has all the usuals for a Midwestern Fair. Fried foods, great headliners at the main stage concerts, numerous stages for a lot of variety, animal barns for the different farm stock, harness racing, an amusement park for kiddos and a separate one for older kids and adults, a section of ethnic food offerings, tents representing the different political parties and candidates, hobbies and crafts displays and awards, and on and on. Fair entrance is $11 ... but that's for ages 12 to 59. Neat experience for the whole family. Bring sunscreen because there is little respite from the sun. Parking is pretty inexpensive, if you don't fall for the first one advertised ... drive in real close, as parking went from $20 to $5. All in all ... highly recommended. read more

Have visited a number of state fairs over the years. If you didn't grow up on a farm they're interesting and educational. You needn't have a farm interest to enjoy a state fair, however, because plenty of free and paid entertainment is available. The Illinois fair is smaller than its neighbor's in Sedalia, Missouri. It offers two distinct benefits: family-friendly convenience and better proximity for St. Louis area residents. Most Midwestern state fairs can be easily covered in a day with a plan. The Illinois fair is closer for St. Louis residents--90 to 120 minutes away versus 3 to 3-1/2 hours to the western side of Missouri. That makes a fairly easy day trip. The compact layout of the Illinois fair packs a lot of family-friendly activity in a smaller footprint than Missouri's. That's helpful for families of small children. The distant Conservation World is a hike from the front entrance. A free tram cuts down in the walking and there are many activities there also for the kiddos. Lastly, fair costs are very reasonable and outside the for you'll find varying but affordable prices for close parking. read more

Illinois State Fair - Food options abound. Small and expensive plates at the Cultural Village, with better options in the fair's center & back areas. - Festivals Near Me - Springfield, Illinois

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I have been to 8 state fairs in my day, including this one. Illinois currently sits at #3, tied with Indiana. It's vast and has a lot to look at, but here are the reasons it does not compare with the Big E in New England or the Wisconsin State Fair: -most of the food is that carnival food truck stuff that is at every midway and fair across the US. Its all the same. There was one place that did the unusual stuff like fried Twinkies and fried green tomatoes, but that was it. The little cultural area with foods from across the world was a little tame, I would have liked to see more unusual offerings. There was a tent that offered fresh corn and watermelon and that was great though. -buildings are sort of everywhere. Even with a map it is hard to plan out a good route to take and even though we went two times and took the little trolley around I still feel like I missed some things. -there is no souvenirs at all. Yes one building sold State Fair t shirts, but it was one design and pretty boring. -if I am not mistaken, Illinois is the #1 state for soybean production. And I saw almost nothing talking about that. It's like when I went to the Iowa State Fair - land of corn - and literally the only thing there that had anything to do with corn was buying a corn dog. Is this not an agricultural event? I dont get this. Pros: LOTS of horses, nice arenas to sit and watch the judging of animals, beautiful conservation park with a lovely pond, lots to see and do. Parking is very easy. Cheap entrance fee. Very clean and excellent service by the employees. People watching was fantastic. 8/10 I would go again for sure. read more

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My family and I have been going to the Illinois State Fair for YEARS. It's a summer staple event for us but after this year, we will no longer be returning. The Fair has changed soo much. My FAVORITE thing here is the ENOURMOUS GIANT YELLOW SLIDE. The tickets are now $5 a slide and those steps to climb to the top are quite the workout but well worth it. Another favorite is the Whole ear of corn dunked in the hot butter $5 an ear, the tub of freshly fried mini cinnamon sugar donuts, walk and around to compare prices but either way you're going to pay either $17 or $18 for the tub, worth EVERY penny and the fried cheese curds, now this item you have to be really careful, some vendors say tub but it's actually a tray, an over priced tray. Besides my favorite items there is a good variety of food options from turkey legs, burgers, ethnic cuisine, corn dogs, fried oreos, ice cream, fried twinkies, fried candy bars, chicken kabobs and more. A hit around the fair were jars of tea, which come in multiple flavors as well as lemonade in a jar. Of course there is alcohol available wine and beer. The Illinois State Fair use to host waaaaaay more vendors, there were so many open areas where vendors were once housed. In addition to food, the fair offers a plethora of rides and various vendors selling t-shirts, wacky candy apples, hats, boots, a safety tent, a highway patrol tent, live auctions, tattoos, jewelry and more. My family really enjoyed visiting with the live animals, the cows especially, touching them, learning about them and taking pictures with them. Very beautiful and gentle animals. There are plenty of parking options from residential lawns to business lots that are reasonably priced. There are port-ta-potties available as well bathrooms inside some of the buildings accessible to visitors. Check out the dairy tent which houses multiple sculptures made of butter. read more

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We had a great time at the fair. Ate a lot of delicious jumbo corn dogs, roasted corn, ice cream, turkey legs, and deep-fried Oreos. I must say deep-fried Oreos are deliciously sinful! I was lucky to pet many beautiful horses in the stables and watched the horse riding competitions. I was in love with the white goats with black faces and heads - White Sox colors! We also paid for grandstand seats to watch country singer Miranda Lambert put on a great show that evening. The 300 lb Butter Cow is a must see tradition since 1922. read more

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it's a great way to experience Route 66 in the state of Illinois it touches on each point of interest giving some history behind each spot read more

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I have enjoyed this state fair with my entire family since we moved here 40 years ago. I have enjoyed them with my son and daughter, and now I am enjoying them with my grandson as well. I love the displays, the exhibitions and the competitions. I decided this year to show my grandson what it would be like to compete it the fair this year. I entered a photograph of a close up of two mature eagles that were nesting in a tree near the house. The entry was easy and I even checked online to find that I was listed in 4rth place. Not enough for a ribbon or acknowledgment, but good enough for my first try! read more

We will no longer be attending. The Illinois state Fair gets worse each year but this year was like being in another country. The only English heard was obscenities. Everything else was not English. People were yelling arguing and even using the bathroom on the sides of rides. All you could smell was weed. Usually it smells like different foods. It unfortunately has gotten very unsafe and not family appropriate. The music was all cursing sincerely in the kids rides section! Just not family oriented anymore and no longer worth taking kids and grandkids. read more

On an uptick. Clean, good customer service, free attractions galore. It's so great to see the Coliseum's restoration and multipurpose arena return. read more

Amidst a pandemic emerged a fair. It reaped one of the greatest comics of this era. Gabriel Iglesias made a great appearance here. Upon this occasion he attracted people from numerous states over, me being one of them. Yes, I drove 6 hours one way with an overnight stay to see him (not the first time). The fair grounds are nice, much bigger than initially expected, especially when a huge fair is the normal (the Ohio State Fair is anything but small). I was pleasantly surprised with the amount of rides, food options, game options, and the entertainment options! That being said I was impressed and liked the fact I was able to enjoy a fair that held up the standard my previous experiences have set forth. The show was great, one of Gabe's best! Plus when he gave the option at the end to take a video or picture it made it so much sweeter! My day trip with my girlfriend to this fair and show, not only filled us with joy for the show, but the a great fair that was highly comparable to the one we are used to. Thanks, Illinois and thank you Gabe for the awesome time! Both made it a sweet memory!! read more

Every Illinoisan should experience the Fair at LEAST twice. Once when they're young, and again as an adult. Even as a hard-to-impress teenager, there are still fun skill games and decent rides. It's not Six Flags, but the rides are still fun. I was never into the agricultural stuff at the Fair, but the beer tents are great and the people-watching is top-notch. Search for the State Fair Bingo card! Mullet, check. Drunk soccer moms, check. The Governor, check. Now I just need someone double-fisting corn dogs and it's bingo! read more

The Illinois State Fair is not bad. It's actually pretty large compared to other fairs I have been to. The rides in 2008 were not impressive. A lot of kiddie rides for the most part. The food was typical of a fair, greasy corndogs, anything on a stick & other junk food. The exhibitors were interesting, but nothing spectacular. Overall, not much different since last time visiting over a decade ago. Don't miss the lesbian parking on the north end. They were extra friendly & cheap too! read more

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As late fair visitor I was still pretty impressed. My local friends said that some of the exhibits had closed because the competitions were over and a lot of the animals were gone. I've never been to a fair before since I'm a pure Urbanite but it was still fun to see the cattle and sheep. My sister even paid a dollar to milk a cow, which I find hilarious because wasn't she doing work for them? No, because the milk just spilled out onto the hay. The pig exhibit was kind of cute with all the little piglets but the smell was like a punch in the face and I left quickly-keep in mind I have been punched in the face a few times so, actually it's probably worse than getting punched in the face since I didn't back away so quickly. I didn't ride any rides because well, who cares? Carnie rides are carnie rides and just like last year it was kid oriented-thanks for the background info, David F. The food however, was okay, fried everything sure, but ice cream made with liquid nitrogen was good, basically you could mix in your own flavors and honey is delicious, especially when mixed. They even liquid nitrogened my friend's hat to make him cooler. The ethnic village was kind of a weird mix, the French shack had no french food whatsoever, not even french toast. I think they should just rename it the Freedom shack and be done with it-I think it would be more popular. You can get a stale taco-bell style taco for 150% mark-up but the Korean, Jamaican, Filipino shacks have some authentic dishes. The Greek one does too, but Gyros is pretty American now, and German too come to think of it. Why is it that aside from the Bud and Miller tents the only beer is sold in Ethnic Village? Do they think drunks are only minorities? Also, butter cow. A cow made out of butter. read more

My first time to the Illinois State Fair and had a nice time. It was a little hot and humid, which limited the amount of walking. We took the Amtrack from Chicago, caught a shuttle from the train station to the fair grounds, spent a few hours there, took shuttle back and the train back to Chicago. It was a long day, but I'm checking the Illinois State Fair off my bucket list! Employees working the fair and the vendors we talked with were all very nice and helpful. We went on the first day. Saw the cow sculpted from butter, saw some donkeys, steer, large farm equipment and more. I would go back on a cooler day to see more stuff like lawn mower races, pie eating contests, animal competition, etc. President Abe Lincoln was even on the train back to the city. I'll try to add the picture later. read more

Huge disappointment. I had lived in Illinois all my life but had never been, so I decided it was time. 2014 would be the year. There was also the opportunity to attend one of the political party's events which would add to the amusement. So I begin the adventure with a drive all the way down from the northwest suburbs of Chicago. After a couple hours of rousing political speeches, that part was all over and I ventured out into the fair grounds. What a disappointment. What found turned out to be nothing more than miles and miles of carnival rides and carnival games and carnival food. As far as they eye could see. End to end. Anything and everything you could think of to eat on-a-stick. Just like those carnivals that pop up every year in the suburbs. Just more of the stuff. Repeated over and over. Miles and miles. I guess I didn't really know what to expect. I had looked at the map before I planned to go. It looked more interesting than it turned out. I expected there would be a lot of agriculture-oriented exhibits. Sure, there were pavilions for that purpose, but the animal pens were all virtually empty! Only a few piggies, a few little goats (really cute) and a couple sheep getting sheared. Only the relatively small llama pavilion was full. At least I didn't get spit on. There was a beer tent. There was a large hall with stalls for vendors hawking various stuff. Like jewelry, sunglasses, Sleep Number beds and bathroom remodeling. The unique highlight of the entire event was just that Butter Cow. I guess it was worthwhile to go once just to have seen it. And for the small-town locals within a 150 mile radius of Springfield, that is their carnival for the summer. But I won't be enduring the four hour drive to go back. Just another failure of Illinois government. read more

This was my first visit to the Illinois State fair and the family and I went on Saturday, August 22nd, 2016. The weather was mostly overcast, temps in the high 70's, modernly high humidity and it did rain for short periods during the seven hours or so we were there. I for one was happy with the weather as it was tolerable and it may have contributed to the extremely low turnout as there was plenty of room to walk and no long lines anywhere. The entrance fee was $10 for parking, and $10 for every adult passenger. In my view, this is not too bad of a price. They provide you with a good map and list of the events for the day. We enjoyed the various animal barns and there certainly was a good number of cows. A little disappointing on how few rabbits and poultry were on display. I was extremely disappointed on the crafting displays as there didn't seem to be very much of it from the buildings we went in. Although perhaps we missed the building, but I don't think we did. We did make it through the Dairy building to see the cow, sculptured out of butter and that was neat. The fair has a number of live entertainment venues going on not only for the day we visited, but it seems they have a good line up the entire time the fair runs. We did take advantage of several performances, which was nice to take in. The grounds were well maintained, restrooms clean, and streets/buildings well marked. I personally feel the prices of the food and drinks were high. Especially since none of what I had was very good. I did get around to trying things too, such as, Italian Sausage with onion and peppers (dry), RibEye (the worst), Gyro Sandwich (okay), Fried Dough (too crispy) and a two scoop ice cream at the diary barn, which was perhaps the best thing I had there. The prices for the rides on the fairway are ridiculously high. It's probably cheaper to go to a six-flags than do the rides here. Of course as with almost any fair, the people watching is perhaps the most entertaining of them all. I didn't see any displays which will be rememberable or overly educational. Which I think is sad, as I do feel an important aspect of any state fair is to promote education and awareness. Yea, there are a few political tents set up, but the manurer piles were much higher there than over by the cow barns. Overall the Illinois State Fair is mediocre. I've been to the following state fairs; New York, Kentucky, Texas, Wisconsin and now the Illinois fair. Out of these five, Wisconsin is by far the best, followed closely by Texas. I liked both the Kentucky and New York fairs, and I would place Illinois last. Now, don't get me wrong. If you've never been to the Illinois State Fair, it certify worth going at least once. I would suggest however, eat before you come with the intent of having something simple, go on a day where there is a performance/show you would like to see, and avoid the rides as they are not worth the money. read more

I am 48 years young and I FINALLY made it to the State Fair. I had a few things to check off of my list: the butter cow, check, had a fried twinkie, check and seen Sammy Hagar on stage check. Got to see all of the folks that one would expect to come to the state fair. Been there, done that, forgot to buy the tshirt. read more

Expensive all around yet the prices keep raising every year and some how still find a way to lose money every year. Having my daughter make state in 4H was pretty cool accomplishment and it was something that I had never pulled off when I was in the club, so needless to say when she received the nod to exhibit at the state fair we were pretty pumped. The fair is massive and quite the spectacle; however I do not think I will be making the trip again unless I have vested personal interest. Worth the experience? you bet, however I am not sure I could spend a whole week here. Combining the cost of admission, parking, and food a person needs some deep pockets just to set foot in the gate that is not even mentioning lodging costs. read more

I've been going since I was a little girl. It's the best fair in the whole state. The admission is $10.00 They have the Ethnic Village with has entertainment and foods from around the world. Conservations world, with lots of great activities for the kids, like beginner fishing, beginner archery, etc. The Secretary of State is there, so if you need to renew your driver's license you can do so with out having to go to the DMV. It's a good time for all! Parking is better found along the the streets near the fair grounds instead of parking on the fair grounds. It's just slightly more expensive that fair ground parking. It's easier to get in and out of the locations. Fair ground parking is on grass and after it rains it's quite muddy. Building that house the exhibits are quite old and in serious need of renovation. Everything looks the same since I've been going and that's about 30 years. read more

Every Illinois resident should visit the state fair at some point!!! I just went for the first time and was very impressed. There are so many things to do and it's really nice to see different items from various parts of the state. Highlights include the chairlift ride, carnival rides, livestock contests, craft and garden contests, concerts, beer tents, and lots of fried foods. All of the beer tents have bands and at night they are an absolute blast. One of the best parts of the fair is that it's very clean. There are real bathrooms but even when there aren't, the hand washing machines are always filled and well maintained. It's basically an entire city inside the fairgrounds, and the staff are friendly and can help you navigate. Wish I lived closer so I could go every night! read more

First time we have come to the fair in about 20 years!! I always enjoy coming an seeing all the animals and all the food food food!!! Wow everything you could ever want they have it there somewhere. The price was good for us because it was senior day!! What is better than free? Parking was good...right by the front gate for 5 dollars. Only problem its so big and hard to see it all in one day and its a massive amount of walking. But I am sure we will be back...just hope its not another 20 years!! read more

Illinois State Fair - Me at the Fair!! - Festivals Near Me - Springfield, Illinois

First time at the state fair and it was awesome. Didn't ride rides but we did try some food, play some games and see some cool stuff. Parking price was decent, 5$ and a short walk to the gates. Gate pricing was, in my opinion, too high considering the ticket prices are high too. The air lift thing looked cool just didn't ride it bacuse of the price. Paid 6$ for alligator on a stick (wanted to be adventurous I guess lol) it was disgusting haha. Lots of free stuff to see when I visited.. livestock, magic show, high dive show, a house made out of a tree log.. pretty cool stuff. We went to watch the fray and Andy Grammer. Loved the venue!!! Security is good there. Beer prices are lower than other concert venues I've been to. Seemed to have a wide variety of rides to choose from and lots of different games. We had a blast and I can't wait for next year to see who's playing! read more

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As some have said, it's not cheap, but what is? Basically I go for the Tony Bettenhausen 100 dirt car race. But the livestock show is about as good as they have nationwide. Food is typical fair food.. Butter cow is a tradition, you must see in the dairy barn. ONE Thing...you need to seek out what you can enjoy. Go to the web site, look for the free acts on the various stages. There is a lot of interesting things to enjoy, but this is a grand tradition of a fair so go and enjoy! read more

I thought the fair was great, (although a tad wet at times) friendly venders selling corn dogs and Carmel corn, just what you'd expect at a fair. I took in a concert 3 bands for 40 bucks, amazing, played a few games had a spin on a ride or two, and the entertainment around the fair was amazing. read more

Do you go to the fair to eat a lot of fried food and go on rides? Then this fair is for you! Do you go to the fair to see a lot a animals and vendors and music? Then go to the Wisconsin State Fair. Was it still fun? Yep. Would I go again? Probably not. Luckily I didn't drive all the way to Springfield just for the fair, so no harm, no foul. The one positive thing I will say is that everyone was really nice and friendly. read more

Admission/Parking line to get in for events/competitions.. Make it two lanes or get faster people working the car lines. $7.00 for car, $7 per person inside the car. No signs posting pricing and apparently they make the pricing up as they go along. Fair "supervisors" not helpful. read more

Perhaps Quinn should have used the $188 Million to repair the Illinois State Fair instead of the House Library to suck up. Read below article. http://www.pantagraph.com/news/opinion/columns/kurt-erickson/the-politics-of-the-illinois-state-fair/article_60382245-f476-54c2-a4d9-03c1163fa826.html When I was a kid they had the double ferris wheel, super swing, Huge Lincoln statue with others in front of the exhibit, lots of toffee machines (I think they sold a million pounds a day), UFO thing by the Giant slide etc. now it's like a mini ride place. What a disappointment, read more

Great Fun. Be sure to visit Conservation World and all of the animal judging. For get Ethnic Village for food though. Small portions and ethnic in name only. read more

I have been to the Minnesota, Wisconsin and now the Illinois State Fair. I was there the last day of the Fair, Sunday August 21st. What I liked about the fair is that I did not have to go through security, metal detectors of have my purse gone through. I also liked how the State had many government offices there where you could talk to them and get information. The Dairy Barn had a glass of cold milk for a $1.00. The prices for the fair food was cheaper than Wisconsin. I also did not see a lot of booze being sold. I loved the old building on the grounds. What I did not care for was all the food vendors were either in food trucks of shacks. Wisconsin and Minnesota had permanent buildings with many of the restaurants having live music. The commercial building with the vendors was laughable. Only about 20% of the Wisconsin Fair. It took me over five hours to get to the fair, I just don't know if I will ever come back. If I could I would give the fair 2.5 stars but oh well. read more

Our family of four traveled from Chicago for our first-time State Fair experience. The price to get in was very reasonable and we didn't pay a dime more to enjoy the weight lifting, magic show, wolf show, rock climb, all the conversation world content (rock climb, wood carving, exhibits, etc.) plus all the wildlife. We thought it was a great value and that the food prices were less than what we would see at events up North. I'll never forget the charm of that endlessly happy dog offering smooches at the Humane Society's kissing booth - that brought huge smiles! Yes, it's a bit grimy and some people can be unfriendly but it's the best for people watching and the assortment of food is remarkable. read more

Some of the food vendors have been participants of the state fair for decades. I know the salt water taffy stand near the grandstand has been there as long as I've been alive(41 years). The small salt and vinegar stand just down the way has also been there that long, too. The small arenas have some very talented folks around the area, so don't miss those. The kids will have something to do all day...magic shows, hog/husband calling contest, puppet shows, story telling, etc. This is THE BEST fair I know of. We live in NC now and have nothing even close to it here. read more

Bathrooms are terrible. Extremely unclean and not well supplied. Dirty floors. The worst aspect of the Illinois State Fair.

I go to fair several times a yr. I really enjoy about everything there, love the animals & horse shows, the animals down in old happy hollow are really neat in the tents. but that is no place for a Stage. It was such a waste & those people drive from Nashville to sing & they are good singers. They get about 25-30 people to listen to them. Sad to waste that money & not have the stage in an area where people can stop & listen as they walk by. The animals should be at that west end & stage up close to the main street as people come & go. They shouldn't make a singer pay to park $7.00, two times for two stages. She parked by Ag. bldg. On radio they were telling who was there to sing at Ethnic Stage on Thurs. they stopped at 6:00. Didn't tell Gracia Harrison & her band was at 7:00. She the girl that had to pay to park 2 times, should be refunded. Sound guy on Thurs. had a lot of trouble getting it right for Gracia's band. Sound guy down at Hilltop Stage on Fri. was great. Nice to have the Clydedales back again. Can't compare to other fairs, I don't go to others, but seems like it's pretty great. The stage should be moved so those people can be heard. One young girl travels with Reba & she had 30 people hear her. Gracia only had 50 people, that's sad. read more