2023 Colorado State Fair: From Chase Rice to Lil Jon, top concerts, events to see daily

The 2023 Colorado State Fair kicks off in less than two weeks and fairgoers are snapping up tickets to a jam-packed concert and event lineup at a faster pace compared to last year.

Scott Stoller, general manager of the fair, told the Chieftain that concert ticket sales are up compared to last year with some shows having either sold out or nearly there. One of those shows, featuring comedian Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias, sold out weeks ago.

“We have some really well-performing attractions this year that are ticketed, so if people are interested, they should buy them sooner than later,” Stoller said.

The spike in ticket buying points to what Stoller suspects will be another active scene this year at the state fair. He estimates that last year’s fair generated a slightly larger economic output than in 2021, when it produced $43.7 million in direct and indirect spending. Attendance at the 2022 Colorado State Fair was similarly up compared to 2021.

The state fair’s event lineup kicks off on August 25 with country singer Ian Munsick at 9 p.m. Here are other events to look for.

Saturday, Aug. 26

Michelob Ultra Arena at 7 p.m. | American country singer Chase Rice returns to the state fair for the first time since Sept. 2, 2015. As of Friday morning on Aug. 11, just 651 tickets were left for this event’s rodeo and concert, but more remained for just the concert.

According to his website, Rice has sold 2.4 million albums with his music generating more than 2.4 billion streams. He’s currently on tour, with scheduled stops in Idaho and South Dakota, before his performance in Pueblo.

Sunday, Aug, 27

Michelob Ultra Arena at 5 p.m. | This marks the fifth appearance for Sawyer Brown, an American country music band, at the Colorado State Fair. The band performed at the fairgrounds in 1997, 2000, 2003 and 2009.

Wednesday, Aug. 30

Michelob Ultra Arena at 9 p.m. | Ned Ledoux, a country artist, will sing on the same stage his father, Chris, performed on numerous times throughout his career.

It’s not Ned’s first time at the state fair, but he’s again honoring a tradition that his dad started decades ago. Chris, also a country music singer and songwriter, was a state fair staple, performing at the Ultra Arena in 1995, 1997, 1999, 2002 and 2004.

Friday, Sept. 1

Southwest Motor Events Center at 7 p.m. | The country music trio Lady A will make their Colorado State Fair debut when they take the stage at the events center. The group was originally set to perform at last year’s fair but rescheduled after postponing its North American tour.

Stoller said that about half of the people who bought tickets for this event opted to keep them for this year’s show rather than pursue a full refund. He added that this show is unlikely to sell out, but that state fair staff, based on initial numbers, are considering the event a success.

Michelob Ultra Arena at 8 p.m. | The first of two Toughest Monster Truck Tours kicks off on Friday, with the other taking place on Saturday, Sept. 2 in the same venue.

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Stoller said these shows are likely to sell out and tickets for it are selling faster than they did last year.

Saturday, Sept. 2

Pepsi Stage at 3 p.m. | The fifth iteration of the World Slopper Eating Championship will take place at the Pepsi Stage this year. Professional eaters across the world will compete to scarf down as many sloppers as they can.

Geoffrey Esper, the No. 2 ranked competitive eater by by Major League Eating, defended his title at last year’s fair and set a record in 2020 when he consumed 37.5 sloppers.

Michelob Ultra Arena at 7 p.m. | One of the state fair’s most popular events, Demolition Derby offers fairgoers all the vehicle-on-vehicle destruction that you can imagine. This event, like the monster truck tours, is also on a trajectory to quickly sell out.

Southwest Motor Events Center at 7 p.m. | Rapper Lil Jon will also make his state fair debut when he takes the stage alongside Chingy.

Jon, like Rice, is also on tour and has stops at other state fairs.

Sunday, Sept. 3

Southwest Motor Events Center at 7 p.m. | Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo last performed at the state fair in 2003. This year’s performance will make their third appearance, with the first occurring in 2000.

As of last Friday morning, 2,500 tickets were left for this event, which will likely sell out before Sept. 3.

Michelob Ultra Arena at 7 p.m. | Los Tigres Del Norte, a Mexican ensemble, will also perform on the last day of the fair. As of last Friday, about two-thirds of tickets for this show had been sold and at a higher rate than any other show.

Chieftain reporter Josue Perez can be reached at JHPerez@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @josuepwrites. Support local news, subscribe to The Pueblo Chieftain at subscribe.chieftain.com.

This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Colorado State Fair 2023 tickets to concerts, contests going fast