It has been almost two months since the end of the 2026 Clark County Fair.
That means that administrators and staff have been working on the 2027 Clark County Fair for almost two months now.
That’s how it works when planning for Summer’s Best Party.
“I can’t grow it bigger, but I can grow it better,” said John Morrison, manager and CEO of the fair.
It is his organization’s critique process that allows him to make such a claim. Every year, soon after the end of the fair, dozens show up to the fair board meeting to discuss what went right, what went wrong, and start figuring out the next fair.
“The fair went very well. It was planned as well as any fair that we’ve had. It came off just the way we planned it,” Morrison told Clark County Today last week. “It was safe. It was enjoyable. It was family oriented.”
Oh, and he added, there were no issues that made for any negative headlines.
Safe and family friendly are big priorities for Morrison.
Officially, the fair did see a drop of attendance in 2026 from the 2025 party. But the numbers still fell in the range that Morrison considers a success.
“Right now, I could probably, within 5,000 people, tell you what the 2040 attendance is,” Morrison said.
That is because the fair and the fairgrounds are at capacity. Every inch is used by exhibits, rides, parking, staging, and more.
“We are probably a 250,000-person fair with minor fluctuations in there,” Morrison said.
This year’s fair attracted 246,000 over the 10-day run in August.
“The 246 is well within the wheelhouse of things that I expect out here,” Morrison said. “We’ve looked at the 246 and we don’t see anything where we say, ‘We never should have done that.’”
Morrison believes the Clark County Fair is one of the best entertainment values in the region. Yes, he acknowledged, that there are plenty of extras that can be purchased. But a family can bring its own food into the fairgrounds. There is a cost to get into the fair, and then the exhibits, shows, and concerts are all available.
“Everything is free when you come through the gate unless you ride it or eat it,” Morrison said with a laugh. “If you ride it or eat it, you’re going to pay for it. If you don’t, it’s free. You don’t have to pay (more) to watch the monster truck show, you don’t have to pay to watch a concert, you don’t have to pay to learn an awful lot about animals.
“You don’t have to pay to have an all-day time with your family and your kids.”
He enjoys comparing a day at the fair to going to the movies. Take a family of four to the movies, buy popcorn and drinks, and be quiet for a couple of hours, or bring the family to the fair for eight, 10 hours.
When choosing the movie, Morrison said, “in two-and-a-half hours you’re going to be home and all you did was tell your kids to (be quiet) when they ask any questions.”
Then there is the fair.
“You take that same amount of money and you bring those kids here, you can be here all day long. You can play and talk. You can sit and watch things. You can bring your own food. You can’t bring your own rides, obviously. Now, when you get home, you get to say you spent an entire day together, as a family. That’s the event I’m trying to put on.”
This year’s featured exhibit for families was Mars Encounters. It was a hit. Next year, there should be a new theme, but a similar vibe: Fun activities for the entire family.
As far as the grandstands, look for another three nights of concerts, followed by rodeo and bullriding, and then five days of motorsports.
For years now, the fair has offered three concerts on the first three nights of the fair. The grandstands are free with a paid admission to the fair. Then there are reserved seating up close to the stage. The reserved seating sold out for all three events this year.
“We are already looking at what we call the avails, the availability of concerts that are traveling, that are reasonably priced,” Morrison said.
There is a list of hundreds of acts, at different costs, in different genres. Look for the 2027 concert series to have a mix of country, rock, and pop.
In the meantime, fair staff continue to meet to go over important questions: What should the fair bring back next year? What should the fair say no to returning? How can the fair keep it fresh?
“I want people to always be able to say ‘I came to the fair and I saw something I’ve never seen there before,’ whether it’s an act or a feature. So we’ve had that first round of ‘What do we think we want to bring back for another year? What do we want for something different?’”
The rides will certainly return. Butler Amusements reported a record year at the fair. It was an overall record high in revenue that included five of the best five days on record, Morrison said.
Speaking of returning, yes, Morrison is returning for 2027, as well.
The man who retired in 2018 only to return a year later is still going strong. Now at 83 years old, he shows no signs of slowing down.
He understands his mission.
“I’m looking forward to 2027 to put on another family-oriented, safe event for the people of Southwest Washington,” Morrison said.
Save the dates: Aug. 5 through 17, 2027.
That is less than 300 days away, and yes, there is a countdown on the Clark County Fair website: https://www.clarkcofair.com/
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