Tennessee State Fair Moving Away From Longtime Nashville Venue

The Tennessee State Fair will soon have a new home in Wilson County, Fox 17 reports. The annual event is leaving its longtime Nashville Fairgrounds venue and moving to the James E. Ward Agriculture Center in Lebanon, which hosts the state's largest county fair each year.

The Tennessee General Assembly approved the plan to relocate the fair to Wilson County, and Gov. Bill Lee is expected to sign it into law.

"In partnership with Wilson County and Wilson County Promotions, the Tennessee State Fair will be one of the largest and strongest in the country," said Gov. Lee. "I thank the State Fair Commission and General Assembly for prioritizing the investments needed to expand facilities, showcase our agriculture community, and ensure the best possible experience for Tennesseans."

According to the news outlet, the Tennessee State Fair has been held in Nashville for more than 100 years, but because the new soccer stadium, the land is no longer suitable to host the statewide fair. The Nashville Fairgrounds have 117 acres of land while the James E. Ward Ag Center has 267 acres.

Attendance at the Wilson County Fair typically outperforms the state fair, with nearly 580,000 people attending the Wilson County Fair in 2019 compared to the state fair's 100,000, per Fox 17. Both fairs were canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic, but they are expected to return in 2021.

Both the Tennessee State Fair and the Wilson County Fair will be held jointly later this year, from August 12-21.

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