The North Dakota State Fair is an annual state fair

State fair

A state fair is a competitive and recreational gathering of a U.S. state's population. It is a larger version of a county fair, often including only exhibits or competitors that have won in their categories at the more-local county fairs....

 held each July in Minot

Minot, North Dakota

Minot is a city located in north central North Dakota in the United States. It is most widely known for the Air Force base located approximately 15 miles north of the city. With a population of 40,888 at the 2010 census, Minot is the fourth largest city in the state...

, North Dakota

North Dakota

North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....

. The fair features carnival rides, agricultural expositions, government and commercial exhibitions, and a variety of musical and performance entertainment.

The Fairgrounds are located along Burdick

Quentin N. Burdick

Quentin Northrup Burdick was a United States Senator from North Dakota from August 8, 1960 until his death in 1992. Prior to that he had served in the United States House of Representatives from January 3, 1959 to August 8, 1960. He was the son of NPL North Dakota Congressman Usher L...

 Expressway in east Minot. The facilities on the site are used for a variety of other events; the grandstand is regularly used for Nodak Speedway stock car races, and the All Seasons Arena

All Seasons Arena

There are two All Seasons Arenas*All Seasons Arena *All Seasons Arena...

 is frequently used for conventions, sporting events, and festivals, including Norsk Høstfest

Norsk Høstfest

Norsk Høstfest is an annual festival held each Fall in Minot, North Dakota. It is North America's largest Scandinavian festival. The event is conducted in the All Seasons Arena on the grounds of the North Dakota State Fair in Minot, North Dakota...

.

The fair was first held in Minot in 1922 but was not officially sanctioned by the state government until 1966. The North Dakota State Fair is the largest event in the state, drawing around 250,000 people.http://www.ndstatefair.com/news/view.asp?ID=35 Attendance increased every year from 2000 to 2005.
In 2009, the fair has set a record with the attendance of 296,919. The 2010 fair increased its record to over 308,000.

On July 10, 2011 it was announced that the 2011 fair would be cancelled due to the historic 2011 Souris River flood

2011 Souris River flood

The 2011 Souris River flood is a record hundred-year flooding event on the Souris, a tributary of the Assiniboine River, which it meets near Treesbank, Manitoba. The Assiniboine meets the Red River of the North south of Winnipeg, Manitoba. The flooding has affected Saskatchewan and North Dakota,...

a month before that left much of the grounds underwater. This announcement came after originally planning to hold the fair sans competitive events.