To: Board of County Commissioners
Through: Gini Pingenot, Director, Open Spaces
Prepared By:
prepared
Matt Bixenman, Fairground Site Manager, Open Spaces; Glen Poole, Operations Manager, Open Spaces; Gini Pingenot, Director, Open Spaces
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presenter
Presenter: Matt Bixenman, Fairground Site Manager, Open Spaces
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Subject:
title
2:00 PM *2026 Fair Debrief and Proposed 2027 Fair Changes
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Purpose and Request:
recommended action
Open Spaces Fairgrounds staff will present 2026 Fair recap and recommendations for key operational changes to the 2027 Fair. Staff seeks the Board’s feedback on recommended changes.
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Alignment with Strategic Plan: Good Governance - Understand and respond to community needs, interests, and values.
Background and Discussion: The Arapahoe County Fair attracts thousands of visitors from around the region each year. The event showcases the County’s agricultural and western heritage through 4-H programming, traditional farming and educational activities, and entertainment for the whole family. Gate entry tickets include event parking, unlimited carnival rides, Colorado Pro Rodeo Association sanctioned rodeos, firework or drone shows (weather and fire restrictions permitting), live entertainment, National Sled Pullers Association truck & tractor pulls, Globe of Death Show, mutton bustin’, public competitions, petting farm, 4-H livestock shows, Kids Corral and more.
The County Fair is financially supported through annual Fair operations and supplemented, when necessary, by the Fairgrounds Event Center Revenue Net Income fund. Open Spaces Sales and Use Tax collections cannot support the annual County Fair per the Open Space Resolution. The only Non- Sales and Use Tax Revenue available to help the Fair is the Fairgrounds Event Center Rental Revenue fund. In 2026, there was a transfer of $104,639 from the Fairgrounds Event Center Rental Revenue fund to support additional event expenses and anticipated financial losses for the 2026 Fair.
The Arapahoe County Fair celebrated its 120th anniversary in July of 2026, continuing a long tradition of providing a safe, educational, and family-oriented event that showcases the county's agricultural heritage, western culture, and community spirit. This presentation provides a recap of the 2026 Fair and outlines recommended 2027 operational changes. Staff is seeking feedback from the Board of County Commissioners regarding recommended operational changes intended to enhance the guest experience while maintaining the event's core mission and values.
The 2026 AC Fair was focused on the key objectives defined in the Fair Project Charter: supporting 4-H programs and youth achievement events, celebrating the county's agricultural and cultural character through educational and competitive programming, bringing residents together through a shared community experience, operating a sustainable and safe event, and generating revenue to offset direct annual operating expenses. These event objectives will continue to guide planning and decision-making for future fairs. Staff will periodically review and potentially update these objectives as the annual County Fair evolves over time.
Throughout 2026, staff implemented numerous improvements designed to enhance operations, customer service, and public safety. Key initiatives included incorporating feedback from the Sheriff's Office into security and parking operations, replacing the underperforming Pours on the Plains event, increasing event admission pricing from $25 to $30, modifying vendor and entry layouts, collaborating with the State of Colorado on a 150th drone show, conducting emergency management exercises, introducing expanded digital payment options, commemorating the County's 120th anniversary through special programming, and implementing a new marketing and sponsorship contract. These efforts reflect staff’s commitment to continuous improvement and adaptive event management.
Despite these enhancements, the 2026 Fair experienced several challenges. Overall attendance declined by approximately 25 percent compared to the prior year. Factors that may have contributed to the decline in attendance include increased ticket prices and softening consumer confidence, sustained and extreme heat, changes in marketing approach, demographic assumptions, budget limitations that influenced activation decisions and changing immigration policies.
The Fair's revenue and expenditures define the financial structure of the event. Approximately 70 percent of total revenue is generated through event entry ticket sales, followed by event sponsorships, food and beverage revenue, carnival provider related sales, vendor booth rentals, and program fees. On the expense side, nearly half of expenditures support overall Fair operations, while the remainder is dedicated to entertainment programming, kickoff events, and support of the Arapahoe County 4-H program. These figures highlight the importance of balancing guest experience, operational effectiveness, and financial sustainability as staff prepared recommendations for the 2027 Fair.
For the last several years, the annual County Fair revenues have fallen short of covering Fair operational expenses, between $50,000-$100,000 per year. From 2022-2026, the average loss has been roughly $50,000.
Each year, the County Fair offers an opportunity to try new approaches to operations and entertainment. Similar to the fall of 2026, staff are seeking a ‘pulse read’ from the Board on two different concepts intended to improve the 2027 fair experience. The accompanying power point includes layouts and details on each of the following concepts. The presentation also includes a series of ‘addendum’ slides to provide context for anticipated background questions commissioners might ask regarding the 2026 Fair or the 2027 Fair change concepts. Staff do not intend to speak to the 10+ addendum slides unless a question directs staff to utilize the addendum slides.
Finally, in developing these recommendations, staff sought feedback from CSU Extension, Arapahoe County Fair Planning Committee, Arapahoe County Office of Emergency Management, Communications Office, Heritage Hall Volunteers, and other county departments. This is not intended to suggest staff have received explicit support for these recommendations from all of these stakeholders but instead illustrates the extent feedback has been sought to help shape and inform these recommendations. The two recommendations are as follows:
Vendor Market Place Concept Until 2022, vendors operated for four days near the fair entrance. In 2023, vendors could choose two or four days (still at the front of the event); in 2026, vendors moved to the north lawn for Friday and Saturday only. For 2027, staff are proposing to rebrand and relocate retail vendors into an indoor “Marketplace” with a curated mix of retail goods and engagement features.
Staff Recommendation: Implement “The Marketplace” Friday-Sunday from 11:00-9:00 pm with approximately 38, 10×10 booths, a 40×40 courtyard, a small stage, and interactive games (shuffleboard, foosball, tic-tac-toe, table games). Offer a canvas shopping tote (branded) and collect shopper name/email/phone for engagement and post-event analytics. Curate retail goods across repurposed treasures, cottage foods, western apparel, art, jewelry, and home décor. Vendors or groups that do not fall into The Marketplace category are: event sponsors, county department booths, partners (In-Kind), non-profit organizations, etc., will be located outdoors in select locations determined by staff.
(Pros & Cons): Pros: Less expensive activation that covers 3 days, indoor controlled environment avoids tent and property damage for vendors, new activation in Exhibition Hall A to draw guests inside the space, and in alignment with what our partners in the Fair industry are already doing; Douglas County Fair, El Paso County Fair and Colorado State Fair all feature indoor retail vendors.
Cons: This area will need designated staff to oversee operations: checking guests in, distributing canvas bags, giveaways, games, etc. Traditionally, this has been a shelter-in-place location for Fair attendees. Staff will need to consider access and security of this space once the building closes at 9 pm. Partner with the Sheriff’s Office to integrate into the events Emergency Response Plan (ERP).
Heritage Hall Concept Heritage Hall traditionally operated Thursday through Sunday but beginning in 2022 shifted to Friday-Sunday due to staffing and lower Thursday attendance. The baseline budget is $3,000, supplemented by community groups and in-kind activations. Historically, Heritage Hall, uses Exhibition Hall B on Friday and Saturday/Sunday and expands into Exhibition Hall A, requiring two event space flips.
Staff Recommendation: Operate Heritage Hall Thursday-Sunday but minimize the footprint to Exhibition Hall B only, eliminating Saturday/Sunday expansion into Exhibition Hall A. This avoids space flips, provides equitable inclusion across all Fair days, and supports the Exhibition Hall A Marketplace concept.
(Pros & Cons): Pros: Opportunity for fewer volunteer positions that need to be filled due to focused programming. A refreshed layout and experience for new and returning guests. Increased energy in space provided in a curated fashion, within existing budget and a smaller space.
Cons: Competitive selection process for community group involvement. Change management education with volunteers who support traditional size of Heritage Hall.
Alternatives: Informational only intended to solicit Board of County Commissioner feedback.
Fiscal Impact: Given the dynamic nature and multiple variables that impact fair attendance and event revenue, it is difficult to state with any certainty how a specific operational change may or may not impact Fair outcomes in these areas. Based on the last five years of experience, transfers from the Event Rental Revenue Fund to the Fair Fund seem inevitable. While the projected Event Rental Revenue funding and current fund balance is sufficient to address fair overage expenditures for the immediate future, staff monitors this financial reliance closely. To date, two changes have been made to help sustain the fair’s financial reliance on the Event Rental Revenue Fund. Those include a reduction in the number of signature events and a closer look at Event Center rental rate increases.
Alignment with Strategic Implementation Strategies: The attached framework helps Arapahoe County institutionalize values-based, transparent decision-making, documenting how we make decisions and carry out actions to achieve the county’s strategic plan.
Staff Recommendation: Staff recommendations are listed as above in the report but the purpose of this is informational with a focus on Board of County Commissioner feedback.
Concurrence: None