Overview The North Idaho State Fair is Kootenai County's 10-day August fair in Coeur d'Alene, part rodeo and country concert series and part livestock show, and at its 2026 Youth Stock Sale young exhibitors sold 327 animals for more than $1 million. Findlay Arena carries the nights: motocross, a demolition derby, the Party in the Dirt concerts and the Gem State Stampede PRCA Rodeo. The fair grew out of 4-H fairs held in Post Falls and Worley in 1922 and 1923, and the city bought the old Mill Grounds for it in 1937. The Kootenai County Fairgrounds runs year-round and hosted 249 events over 748 event days in 2024. On site The 2026 arena schedule ran motocross on the opening Friday and Saturday, a demolition derby on Sunday, Lee Brice and Walker Hayes in Party in the Dirt on Monday and Tuesday, and the Gem State Stampede from Wednesday's Agricultural Appreciation Night through Tough Enough to Wear Pink Night, Patriot Night and a Sunday Family Day matinee. Around the arena sit the carnival, the livestock barns and show rings, a draft horse show, exhibit buildings full of judged entries, AgVentureLand, a shopping area of commercial vendors and free stages with strolling acts; a handpan player worked the grounds in 2026. Audience The fair runs on local hands. About 600 volunteers worked the 2026 fair, a record, and civic groups such as the Knights of Columbus work booths to raise money for their own causes. Buyers register ahead of the Youth Stock Sale to bid on animals raised by youth exhibitors. Free-admission days traded entry for canned food or winter coats, and in 2026 fairgoers brought more than 6,200 pounds of food and 56 bags of coats for Coats 4 Kids. Track record Attendance: 154,726 (2021), 168,567, 157,130, 170,882, 169,132, then a record 171,362 in 2026, six straight years above 150,000. Food, beverage and carnival sales all rose in 2026, and the fair hosted more commercial vendors than ever. The 2025 Youth Stock Sale moved 278 animals for $909,675; 2026 passed $1 million. The fair expected to distribute more than $200,000 to charities from 2026, and the Coeur d'Alene Press put the fairgrounds' economic contribution at an estimated $30 million a year. Brand presence Nearly every piece of the fair takes a sponsor: single days, the carnival, the arena, the entertainment stages and strolling acts, AgVentureLand, the shopping area, the exhibit buildings and their program, the photography contest, the judges and even the exhibitor numbers, with presenting positions on the large-animal livestock show and the exhibitor numbers. A company can also book a private party at the fair for its own guests.