LITTLE ROCK, Ark — According to the board of directors for the Arkansas Livestock Show Association, the 2020 Arkansas State Fair has been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This year’s event was scheduled for October 16 – 25.
Although the fair is canceled, General Manager Doug White says the door is still open for a possible livestock during that time.
“We have been closely monitoring COVID-19 data from local, state and federal health officials for the past few months, and we determined that it was in the best interest of the safety of our patrons, staff and our many sponsors to cancel this year’s fair,” stated White. “We always want to produce the best fair possible for the state of Arkansas and we felt we could not do that with the multitude of restrictions we would have to put in place.”
White added that every possible scenario for holding the 2020 event was considered, but the board ultimately decided the large crowds of people would not be safe during this time of social distancing.
Board chair Bruce Maloch said the "most responsible decision" was made with the health and safety of Arkansans as the number one priority.
“We host well over 400,000 patrons every October and we want every single person to feel safe on our fairgrounds,” Maloch said.
Maloch also added he expect the fair to come back "bigger and better than ever in 2021."