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The Delaware State Fair’s 2012 concert series is shaping up, with its first performer announced and a new seating section unveiled.
New Grandstand section open for business
New for this coming year, fans will be able to get closer to the stage in an orchestra pit section that will be standing-room-only.
Organizers realized the necessity of this after unveiling their new, permanent stage during the 2011 fair, said Danny Aguilar, assistant general manager and director of marketing. The new stage is bigger, but it’s farther from the front-row seats than the previous stage. To give fans a chance to get closer to the stage, the fair has opened up a 167-person, standing-room only “pit” section that’s currently trending at awards shows.
The “pit” is general admission with no chairs, and tickets are $94. All other tickets (track, stadium, grandstand and clubhouse) will be reserved seating with chairs. Concert attendance also requires the purchase of a separate gate admission ticket.
During the 2011 concert series, the 8,182-capacity facility sold out with Big Time Rush, Toby Keith and Alan Jackson. With the new section and the movement of the stage, capacity will increase to 9,385.
The stage unveiled during the last fair was engineered to both enhance the concert experience and also for safety reasons, Aguilar said.
Safety is a major concern, especially after intense weather caused a stage collapse at the Indiana State Fair Aug. 13, killing seven and wounding more than 40.
“You can never predict weather, and in our situations our structures are engineered for over 100 miles per hour winds,” he said.
Because the concrete stage is permanent, the fair is using it to attract acts throughout the year.
First act booked, more to come
Earlier this week Aguilar announced country superstar Jason Aldean as the first confirmed performer scheduled for the 2012 Delaware State Fair.
Aguilar said like last year, organizers are getting a lot of requests from their Facebook fans for country artists.
“We’re always looking at diversity [but] we know that country does very well at the fair,” Aguilar said.
Aguilar added that they’re working on scheduling the rest of the acts, and that there will likely be more announcements in early January.
Tickets for Jason Aldean’s Wednesday, July 25, performance will go on sale at 10 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 22, at www.delawarestatefair.com.
“While many of us are busy getting ready for the holiday season, we are busy here at the Fairgrounds getting ready for next July. We are so excited to have Aldean in 2012 and couldn’t wait to share this concert with our fans who might be looking for the perfect last minute gift. We are still working on an opening act for Jason so stay tuned for more details,” said Aguilar.
The Delaware State Fair’s 2012 concert series is shaping up, with its first performer announced and a new seating section unveiled.
New Grandstand section open for business
New for this coming year, fans will be able to get closer to the stage in an orchestra pit section that will be standing-room-only.
Organizers realized the necessity of this after unveiling their new, permanent stage during the 2011 fair, said Danny Aguilar, assistant general manager and director of marketing. The new stage is bigger, but it’s farther from the front-row seats than the previous stage. To give fans a chance to get closer to the stage, the fair has opened up a 167-person, standing-room only “pit” section that’s currently trending at awards shows.
The “pit” is general admission with no chairs, and tickets are $94. All other tickets (track, stadium, grandstand and clubhouse) will be reserved seating with chairs. Concert attendance also requires the purchase of a separate gate admission ticket.
During the 2011 concert series, the 8,182-capacity facility sold out with Big Time Rush, Toby Keith and Alan Jackson. With the new section and the movement of the stage, capacity will increase to 9,385.
The stage unveiled during the last fair was engineered to both enhance the concert experience and also for safety reasons, Aguilar said.
Safety is a major concern, especially after intense weather caused a stage collapse at the Indiana State Fair Aug. 13, killing seven and wounding more than 40.
“You can never predict weather, and in our situations our structures are engineered for over 100 miles per hour winds,” he said.
Because the concrete stage is permanent, the fair is using it to attract acts throughout the year.
First act booked, more to come
Earlier this week Aguilar announced country superstar Jason Aldean as the first confirmed performer scheduled for the 2012 Delaware State Fair.
Aguilar said like last year, organizers are getting a lot of requests from their Facebook fans for country artists.
“We’re always looking at diversity [but] we know that country does very well at the fair,” Aguilar said.
Aguilar added that they’re working on scheduling the rest of the acts, and that there will likely be more announcements in early January.
Tickets for Jason Aldean’s Wednesday, July 25, performance will go on sale at 10 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 22, at www.delawarestatefair.com.
“While many of us are busy getting ready for the holiday season, we are busy here at the Fairgrounds getting ready for next July. We are so excited to have Aldean in 2012 and couldn’t wait to share this concert with our fans who might be looking for the perfect last minute gift. We are still working on an opening act for Jason so stay tuned for more details,” said Aguilar.
