Here are all of the Grandstand acts taking place at the 2023 Kansas State Fair
9 August 2023
HUTCHINSON, Kan. (KSNW) — The 2023 Kansas State Fair is almost here. More hotels are planned for Hutchinson, but not in time for this year’s fair.
The fair is planning for more than 300,000 visitors for the 2023 Kansas State Fair, but not all will be staying in Hutch.
Currently, there are about 700 hotel rooms after the largest Hutchinson hotel closed in 2019.
The Kansas State Fair brings in anywhere from $75-100 million each year.
“For 10 days specifically, that period is a huge boost for the entire community,” said Visit Hutch Vice President LeAnn Cox.
With visitors, vendors, and performers coming from all over, they need a place to stay.
Hotel rooms sell out most years in Hutch.
Limited rooms force fairgoers and vendors to head elsewhere, such as McPherson, Newton, and even Wichita.
“Those dollars that they could be leaving here in Hutchinson if they were staying here are going to other communities, so that is a painful fact that we’ve been facing for a number of years,” said Cox.
“We’ve gotten to the point of starting to book all the Airbnb’s, VRBOs, and talking to people about if you’ve got an open room can we put some of our entertainers there,” said Kansas State Fair General Manager Bryan Schulz.
Schulz said performers staying elsewhere can increase the bills.
“We are going to have to pay a little bit more in their travels, and it also cuts down the amount of time they are staying here on the grounds,” said Schulz.
More places to stay are coming.
The Hilton Garden Inn is to be built near the Kansas Highway 61 and 17th Street corridor. It’s expected to have 100 plus rooms and break ground in the next few months.
The Hoke, a boutique hotel, is being redeveloped in downtown Hutch. It will have around 23 rooms open in 2024.
The Hoke (KSN Photo)
Visit Hutch said it would like to see 100 more hotel rooms in the future but said the Hilton Garden Inn and the Hoke are the only current projects.
The Kansas State Fair is Sept. 8-17 in Hutchinson.
The fair features a rebuilt historical landmark, the House of Capper. It was built in the architectural style of the original building from 1916 and is named after Arthur Capper, the first native-born Kansas Governor.
House of Capper (KSN Photo)
This year marks the 110th year of the Kansas State Fairgrounds, and updates are needed each year. Changes this year include new asphalt and a safety announcement system.
“We had to have the highway patrol going out in their carts telling people that there were issues. Now we can push a button, and we can let people know that we have a tornado coming or we have bad weather coming or anything else,” said Schulz.
The system costs over $1 million and will be used at this year’s fair.
To plan your fair trip, click here.