The Washington State Fair is returning this year to Puyallup in September.
"THE WASHINGTON STATE FAIR IS BACK!!!," organizers posted on Twitter Thursday, artfully capturing the excitement with all caps and triple exclamation marks.
The decision to host the fair in-person follows Gov. Jay Inslee's announcement that the state would fully reopen on June 30, organizers said in a statement. The fair closed in 2020 due to the pandemic — the first cancellation in nearly 80 years.
The event will take place Sept. 3-26, but will be closed on Tuesdays and on Sept. 8.
Visitors and vendors should anticipate some changes, with COVID-19 precautions expected to be in place.
"Safety will remain a top priority for our guests, staff and vendors, and we will ensure those who join us, and those who work for us — feel secure in knowing we are doing our part in keeping the grounds clean, practicing regularly cleaning of high-touch areas, providing hand-washing and sanitizing regularly," organizers said in a statement.
The fair is expected to release details on admissions, rides and the concert series "soon" on its website, TheFair.com.
Concert tickets will go on sale starting June 11 at 10 a.m. This year's headliners include: Carrie Underwood, The Beach Boys, Ice Cube with Ginuwine, Gabriel "Fluffy" Iglesias, Macklemore, Darius Rucker and Sublime With Rome.
Fairs are making a comeback across the country this year after scrapping in-person events over the past year in favor of safer options. The Washington State Fair hosted a fair food-to-go at the fairgrounds and hybrid drive-thru and walk-through events, including a drive-in movie night.
