Sioux Empire Fair continues in Sioux Falls through Aug. 8

The 87th annual Sioux Empire Fair is underway at the W.H. Lyon Fairgrounds in Sioux Falls, with the 2026 event scheduled to continue through Aug. 8.

The fair began July 31 at 100 N. Lyon Blvd. Southeast South Dakota Tourism identifies the event as South Dakota’s largest fair.

For visitors attending on weekdays, admission is free Monday through Friday until 1 p.m. The source does not list general admission prices outside that free-admission period.

What visitors can expect

The fair combines entertainment, commercial exhibits and agricultural programming. Listed attractions include national headline concerts, carnival rides, commercial displays and agricultural activities.

Those offerings make the fair a single event with both entertainment and agriculture-focused components, rather than a concert series or carnival alone. The programming is taking place at the W.H. Lyon Fairgrounds during the fair’s July 31-to-Aug. 8 run.

The available event information does not provide a complete day-by-day schedule for concerts, rides, displays or agricultural activities. People planning a visit should note that the confirmed free-admission offer is limited to weekdays before 1 p.m.; the source does not provide additional pricing details.

Regional event continues through Saturday

The fair is described by Southeast South Dakota Tourism as the state’s largest fair, placing the Sioux Falls event among the region’s prominent annual gatherings. Its listed mix of concerts, carnival activity, commercial displays and agricultural activities brings several types of fair programming together at one venue.

The source does not provide attendance figures for the 87th annual fair, and it does not quantify the event’s economic impact. It also does not identify attendance projections or provide a full schedule of individual attractions.

For the remaining days, the key confirmed deadline is Aug. 8, the final scheduled date of the 2026 Sioux Empire Fair. Visitors can find the event at the W.H. Lyon Fairgrounds, 100 N. Lyon Blvd., in Sioux Falls.

The weekday free-admission period remains one of the specific visitor details listed for the event: admission is free Monday through Friday until 1 p.m. Beyond that offer, the available source packet does not establish other admission rates or event-by-event times.