N.C. State Fair reveals new rides, entertainment
There will be five new rides, eight new entertainers and 117 concerts at this year's N.C. State Fair, organizers announced Thursday.
The biggest new ride is the State Fair SkyGazer, a 155-foot-tall Ferris wheel that is the tallest ride ever brought to the fair. The 10-minute ride features more than a half million individual LED lights and holds more than 200 people at a time.
"We know fairgoers love the classics like racing pigs and lumberjack shows, but we also want to bring in a mix of new acts to continue to wow fair visitors,” fair manager Kent Yelverton said. “The SkyGazer literally raises the expectation level, and we can’t wait to see the wheel go up on the grounds. It’s the tallest traveling Ferris wheel in the United States and when assembled, it will tower 62 and half feet above Dorton Arena.”
Riders need a separate ticket ($6 in advance and $7 at the fair) for the SkyGazer.
Other new rides this year include the new Alien Abduction, SkyHawk, Sizzler and Dream Wheel.
Craft sodas will be available for the first time at the Our State Public House. The house already serves beer and wine. The Kegs, Corks and Pop pass (which runs $12-$17 in advance) includes fair admission, admission to the public house and drink samples.
New entertainers
This year's free entertainment will include acrobats, lumberjacks, stilt-walkers, a parrot-riding pirate and more.
Here's a look at the performers:
- Bandaloni - Canadian Paul David is a one-man band, who will be performing near the Holshouser Building. His act includes a custom-made guitar and drum rig, bass and rhythm guitars, harmonica, a kick drum, two high-hats, snare drum, cow bell, tambourine and singing.
- The Flippin’ Aerial & Acrobatic Spectacular - You can catch this high-flying show near Gate 10. The show includes acrobats, comedians and aerialists performing on flying mechanisms, a trapeze and a rotating dual wheel.
- The Paul Bunyan Lumberjack Show - This show, which runs near Gate 11, includes lumberjacks racing across spinning logs in four feet of water.
- Parrot-Riding Pirate - Catch this pirate roaming through Kiddieland near Dorton Arena.
- Street Drum Corps - This percussion group, which uses buckets, trash cans, trash lids and large empty metal barrels for drum kits, will be at the north Dorton Arena patio.
- Stilt Circus - This duo will be walking around Kiddieland.
- Giraffe and her Zookeeper - See them around the Flower Show and Heritage Circle area daily.
- Cast in Bronze - This act features a carillon, a musical instrument with 35 bells that weighs four tons and is played by the silent and masked “Spirit of the Bells." See this act daily in the Flower and Garden Show area.
The 2019 N.C. State Fair runs Oct. 17-27. Advance tickets are on sale now.
