The Spokane County Interstate Fair Is Turning 75 — And It’s Almost Fair Time

There are certain things that just feel like Spokane.

Warm September afternoons that still feel a little like summer. Cooler evenings that remind you fall is right around the corner. The smell of fair food in the air. The lights of the midway after dark.

And, of course, elephant ears.

It’s almost fair time in Spokane.

The Spokane County Interstate Fair returns September 11–20, 2026, and this year there’s an extra reason to celebrate: the Interstate Fair is turning 75.

For generations of Spokane families, the fair has been one of those traditions that marks the changing of the seasons. And whether you go every single year or haven’t been in a while, there’s something about seeing those rides going up at the fairgrounds that makes you want to go again.

75 Years of Fair Memories

Think about how many Spokane memories have been made at the fair over 75 years.

Kids proudly showing the animals they spent months raising.

Parents taking their children on rides they remember riding themselves.

Teenagers wandering the midway with their friends.

Grandparents introducing another generation to their favorite fair traditions.

And families having the same annual debate about where to go first.

That’s part of what makes the fair special. Attractions come and go, but the tradition keeps getting passed along.

There’s More Than the Midway

The rides and carnival games may get a lot of attention, but there’s much more happening at the fair.

Several attractions have already been announced for 2026, including the Off Axis Stunt Show, Crazy Animal Races, Mutton Bustin’, Legendary Longhorns, Pirate Parrot Show, Butterfly Kingdom, Strolling Piano, Spokane Tribe Indian Village and the Wheatland Farm Animal Experience.

And then there are all the things that make a county fair feel like a county fair — livestock barns, agricultural exhibits, competitions, photography, flowers, crafts, food preservation and all those ribbons proudly hanging beside someone’s hard work.

I think that’s one of the best parts of wandering the fair without being in a hurry. You never quite know what you’re going to find.

Don’t Skip the Animal Barns

If your normal fair routine is to make a beeline for the rides and food, make a little time for the barns this year.

For many of the young people showing animals, fair week represents months of feeding, training, caring for and working with those animals.

There’s something very Spokane about walking from the noise and flashing lights of the midway into a barn filled with cattle, goats, sheep, rabbits and kids who are incredibly proud to tell you about them.

It’s a side of our community we don’t always get to see.

And Then There Are the Elephant Ears

We need to talk about the real fair tradition.

The elephant ear.

You can eat dessert any day of the year. But somehow a warm elephant ear covered in cinnamon and sugar just tastes better when you’re standing at the fair.

Maybe it’s the smell.

Maybe it’s the fact that you’re eating something roughly the size of your head.

Maybe it’s because so many of us remember eating them at the fair when we were kids.

Whatever the reason, elephant ears have become one of those foods people start thinking about before the fair even opens.

And I’m guessing everyone has an opinion about the proper way to eat one.

Do you tear pieces off and share?

Fold it?

Eat your way around the edges?

Or claim you’re going to share and then somehow eat most of it yourself?

No judgment here.

The Fair Is Better After Dark

There’s also something about the fair after the sun goes down.

The lights come on. The midway gets brighter. You can hear the rides and music from across the grounds. The September air starts to cool down, and suddenly it feels like fall really is on its way.

You might have walked those same paths dozens of times over the years, but somehow they still feel different under the carnival lights.

That’s the kind of Spokane tradition I never get tired of.

What’s Your Fair Tradition?

Maybe you head straight for the animal barns.

Maybe there’s a ride you have to go on every year.

Maybe you love seeing the exhibits.

Maybe you go for Mutton Bustin’.

Or maybe you’re already thinking about that first elephant ear.

Whatever it is, I think that’s what makes the Spokane County Interstate Fair worth celebrating after 75 years. We all experience the same fair, but each of us has our own little traditions attached to it.

So yes, September is still a little ways away.

But it’s officially close enough to start getting excited.

The Spokane County Interstate Fair returns September 11–20, 2026, for its 75th anniversary.

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