Fair attendees ride in one of the bumper cars during the first night of the 105th East Texas State Fair in Tyler in 2021.

Despite current construction around the grounds, the East Texas State Fair is ready for its 106th year.

“We’re going to do it,” said ETX State Fair President John Sykes. “I’ve seen hurdles thrown at us before, and we are pretty good at overcoming those.”

This year’s fair will be held Sept. 23 through Oct. 2, and will include the carnival, food, animals, live music and more.

Sykes said the fair had to first overcome the hurdle of the W.T. Brookshire Conference Center construction last year. This year’s plan is to apply most of the same modifications and operate the fair in essentially the same way as last year.

“With all the construction and whatnot, we keep figuring out a way to make it happen, and it works,” Sykes said.

This year’s fair will be pushed back toward the Mike Carter Baseball field and also utilize Houston Street to make more room, Sykes said. Livestock, which is typically brought in through Houston Street, will come in a different way.

With last year’s modifications, livestock was brought in on Lyons Avenue and went through the Rose Stadium parking lot. This is one thing in the works to be a little different this year, Sykes said. Other than that, this portion of the fair will remain the same.

Around 5 acres of operating grounds were lost with construction last year, he said. This year, a little more space has been lost with a few more obstacles in the parking lot area used such as added islands and curbs.

While challenging to make the fair fit in a more limited space, Sykes said they have one year of experience “under their belt” holding the fair with ongoing construction and are prepared to do it again.

“I don’t ever tend to focus on the negative,” he said. “We are always trying to figure out how to turn everything into a positive and make it work.”

The East Texas State Fair has been held in the same place since 1912, Sykes said. The only times the fair was not held was for three years during World War II and in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Being able to hold the fair again last year after the pandemic led to a large turnout, he said. Looking at current ticket sales, he added that this year looks like it could be just as big or bigger.

“We have high expectations,” Sykes said.

Annually, around 250,000 people visit the East Texas State Fair, he said, and it is one of the largest events in East Texas.

Throughout the years the fair has become one of the biggest regional fairs in Texas, Sykes said. The four largest fairs in Texas are held in Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and Fort Worth. These are followed by the regional fairs in Austin, Waco, Beaumont and Tyler.

“As far as fairs across the country, this fair is highly respected and has a major economic impact on our community,” Sykes said. “We’re proud of it.”

The fair has “top notch” entertainment and attractions for people to enjoy, he said. People love coming for the food and animals especially, Sykes added.

Those interested in more information or buying tickets for the fair can visit https://www.etstatefair.com/ .

This year’s East Texas State Fair music lineup will include:

At the Optimum Community Stage:

• Braxton Keith from 8:30 to 10 p.m. Sept. 23
• The Thing with Feathers from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Sept. 24
• Cody Wayne from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Sept. 25
• Darin Morris Band from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Sept. 26
• Matt Raker from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Sept. 27
• Lee Mathis and the Brutally Handsome from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Sept. 28
• University of Texas at Tyler Jazz Ensemble from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Sept. 29
• Ashmore from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Sept. 30
• Tyler Junior College Jazz Band from 3 to 5 p.m. Oct. 1
• Jesse Spradlin from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Oct. 1

At the South Pavilion:

La Invasora Conjunto Fest Oct. 2. Time to be announced.