What’s new at the State Fair? Restaurants, rooftop bar and other major changes
Puyallup is celebrating more than a century of fair fun – and fairgoers can expect a plethora of new experiences this year.
The Washington State Fair has unveiled four major projects for its 125th anniversary. Guests can enjoy food from a James Beard-nominated chef at the new 1900 Food Hall & Rooftop Bar, listen to live music at the new Fair Park Stage and see the new Ninth Avenue Festival Street and new features at the Gold Gate.
“[We’ve spent] about $25 million this year, which is unprecedented for us,” said Renee McClain, chief executive officer of the Washington State Fair.
1900 Food Hall & Rooftop Bar
Foodies are in for a treat.
The 1900 Food Hall & Rooftop Bar – named after the fair’s first year in operation – is bringing six restaurants and dazzling views this year.
Guests are now able to order burgers at Benji’s Diner, gourmet sandwiches at Big Mouth Sandos, pizza at Upper Crust, food inspired by the Pacific Northwest at The Pier, Asian cuisine at Fat Panda and desserts at DOH! Sweets & Treats. The chef behind the 1900 Food Hall is James Beard-nominated chef Mitch Mayers, who is overseeing the vision behind all six options.
The News Tribune reported in March that the new hall is replacing the International Village, which had been a fair fixture for 40 years. The International Village offered a variety of dishes from several restaurants and a rooftop bar.
Stacy Van Horne, spokesperson for the fair, told The News Tribune in March that the fair tore down the International Village for safety and aesthetic reasons, since the building was old and decrepit. She said after the International Village came down, the fair’s mission was to “find a great way to rebuild it.”
“It is probably one of the coolest views you’ll get at the Spring Fair and State Fair,” Van Horne said. “It’s so pretty during the day and night too, with all the rides surrounding it. It’s a central hub of the fairgrounds.”
Fair Park & Stage
The new Fair Park & Stage serves as the fair’s largest free entertainment stage. According to the fair’s website, the new venue will offer “entertainment for all ages.”
Guests will be able to listen to live music at the venue, and people aged 21 or older can partake in a bar area.
McClain told The News Tribune the Fair Park & Stage will be available for entertainment year-round, not just at the State Fair in the fall.
The stage replaces Barn M, which housed cattle, llamas, goats and miniature horses.
“This is an area that used to be an animal barn which was no longer needed for the animals, just because of the reduction of competitions over the years and focusing more on agricultural education – which we’re doing with the cattle birthing [exhibit] at the AgriPlex,” McClain said. “So, that park is going to become an entertainment space – not just during the fair, but throughout the year.”
Van Horne told The News Tribune in March that the animals at Barn M have been relocated to other areas of the fairgrounds.
Gold Gate renovations and Ninth Avenue Festival Street
The Gold Gate has undergone some renovations, now with an interactive water feature, ‘W’ statue and a lit-up entryway.
Fair staff have also worked with the City of Puyallup to create a new pedestrian boulevard on Ninth Avenue Southwest.
“We have a new Festival Street that is between our Gold Gate and our Red Gate and that is a way for us to connect to our community, to the city downtown and to be a part of it,” McClain told The News Tribune. “And so the look and feel of that street is going to be a more welcoming look.”
The end result is a curbless street designed to accommodate pedestrians during major events at the fairgrounds. Its promenade design features wide sidewalks, lighting, benches, planters, planter pots, trees, decorative lighting and more.
The City of Puyallup started work on the project in February, shutting the road from Meridian to Fifth Street Southwest until the opening day of the fair. The street is closed to traffic during major events, including the State Fair.
The city previously told The News Tribune that the fair contributed $1 million to the $5 million project and donated land to accommodate sidewalks in the right of way.
“During the day, it functions as a normal street for vehicles. However, during evenings and weekends, it can be closed to host events, festivals, and gatherings,” city spokesperson Eric Johnson told The News Tribune in an email in February. “The street will also be safer for drivers and pedestrians. The street is designed with traffic calming techniques, which essentially narrow the roadway and encourage drivers to slow down.”
Looking to the future
McClain told The News Tribune that the fair is already envisioning what the next 125 years will look like.
“We have to stay current on what’s going on, but we are going to stay true to being a fair,” McClain said. “There’s a lot of fairs in different areas of the country that have found it easier to be more of a festival – there’s more money in just food and alcohol and entertainment than there is in all the costs that go into putting on those traditional departments.”
When The News Tribune asked McClain what some future projects could look like, she said she would be interested in a new building focusing on agricultural technology.
“[We want to] look at doing agricultural awareness, agricultural science – there would be a building that would represent agriculture and technology, and it would be year-round,” McClain said. “It could be one where there could be field trips to.”
McClain also mentioned updating the fair’s traveling farm.
“We also do a traveling farm which goes out and about in a 150-mile radius ... and we really want to update that,” McClain said. “Really leaning into that agricultural side is important to us.”
Finally, McClain said, future fair projects will likely be aimed at enhancing the Grandstand.
“We want to look at how we can make it [a] more experiential piece for our guests,” McClain said. “So, maybe different ways to experience the Grandstand, or a deck area where people can stand up and sit in the actual seats.”
None of these projects have a specific time frame, McClain said, since the fair has poured so much time and money into the anniversary projects this year. But in 2026, the fair’s board is going to start a year-long process of looking at the organization’s “strategic vision,” she said.
When The News Tribune asked McClain what some key priorities for that strategic vision could look like, she said it’s important to the fair to expand their entertainment and continue to have “a first-class facility.”
“I think what’s important as an organization is we stay true to who we are,” McClain said. “Our mission is to bring people together for extraordinary moments. We’ve been doing that since 1900 and want to continue that today and going forward.”
The News Tribune archives contributed to this report.
