The King County Fair began in 1863, during Abraham Lincoln’s presidency, when Washington was still a territory. Originally a small agricultural celebration in Georgetown, just south of Seattle, the fair grew alongside Washington, which became a state in 1889. It later moved to Renton around 1900 and found its permanent home in Enumclaw in 1965, following World War II. Along with the fair, historic buildings made their way to the Enumclaw fairgrounds—including three structures from the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair, now serving as the Admin Building, RestorX Hall, and Les Schwab Hall.

In 1969, the King County Fairgrounds became part of Enumclaw, and by 1991, the fair reached its peak attendance—welcoming 270,316 visitors in just five days! Over the years, the fair has hosted top musical acts like Chris LeDoux, Collin Raye, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Chris Cagle, Blaine Larsen, and Martina McBride.

As the oldest fair west of the Mississippi, the King County Fairgrounds are steeped in Washington’s history. The Fieldhouse (formerly Pete’s Pool) is a King County Historic Landmark, while the rodeo grounds boast stadium seats and ticket booths repurposed from Seattle’s old Kingdome. Enumclaw’s logging heritage is honored by the iconic totem pole on Main Street, carved in 1968 by Charles Shaphawa from a British Columbia cedar log provided by Weyerhaeuser.

In 2006, King County transferred the fairgrounds to the City of Enumclaw. Then, on July 1, 2015, management transitioned to the Enumclaw Expo & Events Association—our very own nonprofit organization, proudly carrying on the tradition!