Arizona State Fair temporarily moving to Chandler area for more space

PHOENIX — The Arizona State Fair will temporarily move to Gila River’s Wild Horse Pass near Chandler for the 2021 event, the fair’s board unanimously voted Thursday.

“This temporary location gives us the ability to plan and ensure the fair goes on no matter what,” Jonathan Lines, chairman of the State Fair Board, said in a press release. “By working with the Gila River Indian Community on this option, we’ve been able to give early certainty to vendors we needed to secure to make this event a success, while also ensuring this event is safe for all Arizonans.”

Gila River’s Wild Horse Pass has more space to allow the fair to safely be held in 2021 after being one of the many attractions canceled last year amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Gila River Indian Community sent a letter to the fair’s board saying the location “has the space and the know how to host and deliver a meaningful, safe and appropriately scaled outdoor event.”

Board members of the self-funded agency that oversees the fair toured the Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park, near Interstate 10 and Wild Horse Pass Boulevard, before going into executive session.

“Safety has been our number one priority during the pandemic and we are prepared to carry on this legacy for all of Arizona in the most supportive way possible,” Gila River Indian Community Governor Stephen Roe Lewis said in the release. “WHPDA is more than capable to deliver a memorable State Fair experience and we welcome Arizonans to come and enjoy themselves in our Community.”

The fair has been held at the state fairgrounds at McDowell Road and 19th Avenue since 1905, attracting more than 1.2 million visitors in 2019, the highest total seen in more than a decade.

“This gracious offer by the Gila River Indian Community and today’s decision by the Arizona State Fair Board ensures that another year won’t pass without a State Fair,” Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey said in the release, adding the event is a beloved annual tradition for countless Arizona families.

Gila River’s Wild Horse Pass offered to hold a fair in March, according to the release, but the timeline was too ambitious as the state is currently working to finalize dates for the event to take place later this year.

The fair after announcing the cancelation last year had initially set a tentative date of Oct. 7-31 for the 2021 event.

The state fairgrounds is being used by Banner Health to administer COVID-19 vaccines, which will continue with Thursday’s decision to move the fall event, according to the release.

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