Tyler Hubbard concert, Giant Slide among things to do at Iowa State Fair on East Side Night

Susan Stapleton, Des Moines Register
·4 min read

Nothing compares to the 2023 Iowa State Fair, which runs for 11 days through Sunday, Aug. 20. Check out our daily guide compiled by Des Moines Register newsroom staffers to help you enjoy your time at the 2023 Iowa State Fair.

Here are our recommendations for Friday, Aug. 11.

Don’t miss East Side Night

Consider Friday the true party night at the fair. It's East Side Night, dubbed the fair’s biggest party, and unofficial Lee Township and East High School reunion. You don't have to live on the east side to join in the party; showing up at the Bud Tent on the first Friday night of the fair automatically makes you an honorary East Sider.

Don’t miss these State Fair attractions

The animals: Day 2 is all about riding the iconic Giant Slide, celebrating its 52nd year at the State Fair. Grab a mat, climb the steps and slid down the iconic yellow and green slide with five bumps. You can join the likes of Martha Stewart and actress Barbara Eden, who rode the slide in previous years. Find it southeast of the Varied Industries Building.

More: Iowa State Fair to feature Caitlin Clark, Kurt Warner, and Jack Trice as butter cow companions

Try a new State Fair food favorite

The pork chop on a stick at the Iowa State Fair.
The pork chop on a stick at the Iowa State Fair.

What's your favorite food at the Iowa State Fair? The readers of the Register voted the iconic pork chop on a stick as their favorite in our inaugural food brackets that pitted 16 fair favorites against each other.

The pork chop on a stick, found at the Iowa Pork Producers Tent at the corner of East Grand Avenue and East 34th Street on the Fairgrounds, made its debut in 1999.

Since the introduction of the pork chop on a stick, the Iowa Pork Producers estimate they’ve sold more than 1 million, and Trish Cook, the president of the Iowa Pork Producers Association and a pig farmer from Buchanan County, estimates 50,000 will be consumed over the course of the fair.

The association describes the dish as a frenched rib pork chop weighing 9 to 11 ounces. Fans can buy them for $8 each or $45 for a six pack at the organization's location.

More: Meet the fans' favorite Iowa State Fair food as voted by readers

Who’s performing at the State Fair?

See a free show: Blake Guyre, who performs tributes to Elton John and Billy Joel, plays at 7 and 9 p.m. at the Susan Knapp Amphitheater. Des Moines-based folk-rock group The Nadas perform at 7 and 9 p.m. on the MidAmerican Energy Stage. Country band Rockland Road takes the Anne and Bill Riley Stage at 7 and 9 p.m.

Who's on the Grandstand?: Tyler Hubbard, of Florida Georgia Line, plays a solo show on the Kum & Go Stage at 8 p.m. with Parmalee opening. Tickets for the performance range from $25 to $55.

See presidential election candidates speak

Who’s at the Des Moines Register Political Soapbox? 

  • 11:15 a.m.: Republican Francis Suarez

  • Noon: Republican Perry Johnson

  • 1:30 p.m.: Republican Larry Elder

Watch some contests

Head to the Susan Knapp Amphitheater for the Best Bagger Contest at 1 p.m. The best grocery baggers from across the state put their skills to the test. Tension builds as contestants bag identical grocery orders consisting of approximately 35 commonly purchased items into three reusable grocery bags.

Watch more than 100 women and girls, with their horses, compete in the Cowgirl Queen contest at 6:30 p.m. at the Richard O. Jacobson Exhibition Center.

More: Need fresh ideas of things to do at the Iowa State Fair? We have 61

What should I know if I go on the first day?

Regular gate admission: $16 for ages 12 and up, $10 for ages 6-11, free for children 5 and under.

Hours: Fairgrounds, 8 a.m. to midnight. Buildings, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thrill Ville and Thrill Zone, 10 a.m. to midnight. Thrill Town, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Weather forecast: Sunny with a high of 89 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.

A map of the Iowa State Fairgrounds.
A map of the Iowa State Fairgrounds.

More on the Iowa State Fair

Susan Stapleton is the entertainment editor and dining reporter at The Des Moines Register. You can reach out to her on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, or drop her a line at sstapleton@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Tyler Hubbard, Giant Slide among top Day 2 Iowa State Fair attractions

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