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A Preview of the Red River Valley Fair’s 2023 Celebration

Every year, the Red River Valley Fair Association puts on what they call “The 10 Best Days of Summer.” Check out whats coming up for this year’s celebration!

Ferris wheel and colorful carousel at a county fair under a sunset sky

10 Days of Summer Fun in West Fargo

Every year, the Red River Valley Fair Association puts on what they call “The 10 Best Days of Summer.” This year marks the Association’s 118th year of entertaining the Fargo-Moorhead-West Fargo community with family-friendly fair events. Check out this preview of the July celebration, plus some highlights from last year’s fun!

Fireworks burst over a crowded fairground midway at night with food vendor signs lit up below
The RRVF offers a plethora of vendors that serve food, sell handmade crafts, and offer carnival games and rides. You can even see the fair’s fireworks display from the carnival area!

Unlimited Fun!

The RRVF is offering a “Mega Pass” to the 2023 fair. The Mega Pass gives the ticket holder unlimited access to the Red River Valley Fair and ALL the rides for all ten days of the fair! Each Mega Pass costs $120 and is only available through July 6th.

This year’s rides include the Monkey Maze, the Ring of Fire, the Scorcher, the Spider, the Supershot, the Surf Shack, the Swing It, the Thunderbolt, the Tilt-a-Whirl, and the Tornado.

Learn About Agriculture

Each year, the fair offers a wide variety of opportunities for fair attendees to learn about our region’s unique agriculture. The RRVF’s Ag Education Center, which is presented by the Cass County Farm Bureau, offers interactive experiences to help people learn more about farm animals, bees, agriculture, and the process of bringing farm products to our tables.

Boy in camo cap uses a power drill on a wood box guided by an adult at a fairground workshop
As part of their agriculture education, the RRVF offered a “Beehive Camp” to the community, where kids ages 6-12 could learn about bees and help assemble and decorate beehives!

In 2022, the Ag Education Center held educational day camps, like their Beehive Camp that taught participants more about our favorite fuzzy pollinators. Similar camps will be held in 2023!

Free Entertainment for the Family

In order to make the fair experience fun for all, the RRVF always hosts an array of free activities and entertainment for everyone to enjoy. This year, free entertainment will include glassblowing with Mobile Glass Studios, Swifty Swine Pig Races, ALL ABOARD Train Rides, dairy education with the Mobile Dairy Classroom, live goat feeding at Goat Mountain, Pikadilly Face Painting, the Bear Hollow Wood Carver, and more!

Black-and-white Holstein calf with yellow ear tag standing in a straw-bedded barn pen
Agriculture education is a huge part of the fair experience. Last year, fair attendees got the opportunity to vote on a new dairy calf’s name. The winning name for this beautiful calf was Fable!
Smiling male performer in a USA jacket and ripped jeans dancing on an outdoor stage
Last year, musical acts like Jason Derulo and for KING & COUNTRY graced the Grandstand at the fair. This year, acts include Flo Rida, Ying Yang Twins, Dan + Shay, and more!
Male singer performs on outdoor stage, mic in hand, one arm raised, wearing a dark vest and orange scarf

New Attraction: Sip ND

This year’s festivities will feature the NEW Red River Valley Fair “Sip ND” building! According to the RRVF’s Director of Marketing and Events Elizabeth Birkemeyer, the Sip ND building is “a building that is dedicated just to local craft drinks.” The building will host local breweries, wineries, cideries, and more, embracing the craft drinks that are unique to our area.

Exciting Musical Acts

Perhaps the biggest draw for the RRVF is their concert lineup. Last year, the lineup included big artists like Jason Derulo, Parmalee, for KING & COUNTRY, and more. This year, headlining acts include Dan + Shay, Third Eye Blind, Flo Rida, Ying Yang Twins, Shinedown, and Lynyrd Skynyrd, plus more!

The fair also offers free concerts throughout the duration of the event, included with your gate admission.

Interested in Attending the Red River Valley Fair?

When: July 7-16, 2023
Where: Red River Valley Fairgrounds, 1805 Main Ave W, West Fargo
Gate Admission:
$15.00 for ages 12+
$8.00 for ages 6-11
Free for ages 5 & under
Concert Admission: Varied by artist

More info and tickets can be found at redrivervalleyfair.com.

Website | (701) 282-2200
Email | info@redrivervalleyfair.com
Facebook | /RedRiverValleyFair
Twitter | @RRVF
Instagram | @redrivervalleyfair

Red, white, and blue logo reading The 10 Best Days of Summer with a star and ribbon design

Looking for Even More Summer Fun?

Check out the North Dakota State Fair, taking place July 21-29, 2023! The NDSF will include all kinds of carnival activities and a concert lineup including Ludacris, T-Pain, Eric Church, Joe Nichols, Brad Paisley, Five Finger Death Punch, and more!

For more info and tickets for the North Dakota State Fair, visit ndstatefair.com

Photos provided by the Red River Valley Fair
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Published June 13, 2023

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