JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — After 70 years wedged among downtown stadiums, Jacksonville fair leaders cut a ribbon Thursday on a sprawling Westside campus built for more rides, parking and elbow room.
The Jacksonville Festival and Fairgrounds sits off Normandy Boulevard, with Fairfield Way tying the property to POW-MIA Boulevard. Organizers call the move the start of the 71st annual run.
The new grounds cover 82 acres, roughly five times the old sports-complex footprint, and offer about 6,000 parking spaces plus four ways in and out.
Fair Association leader Bill Olson said the open layout finally lets visitors stroll, grab food and sit down without the crush of the old downtown lot.
Food booths roughly doubled. Midway crews added five attractions that have never played Jacksonville before, plus a pair of roller coasters, and carved out a separate Kiddie Land. Shows also move into the new Jackson Amphitheater.
Livestock programming fills a barn next to the Equestrian Center with cattle, sheep, goats, rabbits and chickens. State agriculture inspectors checked rides ahead of opening, and a safety inspector must remain on the grounds whenever the fair is open.
Thursday gates swung at 5 p.m. for an 11-day stand. Discounted passes sold on the fair website until midnight the evening before the first day.
Midway operator Degler Attractions said the larger pad let the company stage more equipment and keep walkways clear of cable crossings for strollers and wheelchairs.
Organizers billed the Westside shift as a long-term home for Northeast Florida families, with paved midways, extra restrooms and shaded seating built into the plan.
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