Your Official Guide to Iowa's 2025 Great Jones County Fair

Get ready for the "Five Best Days of Summer!" Happy Great Jones County Fair week!

This Wednesday through Sunday, the normally quiet city of Monticello, Iowa will draw in thousands of fairgoers looking to enjoy rides, games, live entertainment, adult beverages, fair food, and four nights of amazing concerts on the Grandstand stage. Here's a rundown of everything you need to know ahead of the 2025 Great Jones County Fair:

Fair Dates & Admission

The 2025 Great Jones County Fair officially runs from Wednesday, July 16th through Sunday, July 20th, but you can also check out "Sneak-A-Peek Day" on Tuesday, July 15th. Here are the 2025 admission prices:

Sunday - $5 at the gate
Tuesday - FREE
Wednesday through Saturday - $12 online HERE or $15 at the gate
5-Day Admission Package (available through July 15th) - $38 online HERE
Children 10 and under are always FREE

Grandstand Events & Concerts

Here's a look at this year's Grandstand events, including concerts:

Tuesday, July 15th
- ECIPA Tractor Pull
  - 6:30 p.m.
  - All seating is FREE
Wednesday, July 16th
- Pro Pulling League
  - 7 p.m.
  - "This form of motorsport has to be experienced to be believed. Exotic, custom-built machines with absolutely no limitations compete to determine who has the best combination of horsepower, chassis setup and pulling skill in several different classes. From four supercharged engines powered, ground shaking, 10,000 horsepower tractors to jet turbine powered, flame belching semi-trucks, this series is all about America’s favorite homegrown passion, HORSEPOWER!"
  - Amphitheater seating is $5, all other seating is FREE
Thursday, July 17th
- Harness Racing
  - 11 a.m.
  - All seating is FREE
- Sam Hunt Concert
  - 8 p.m.
  - Opener - Dylan Marlowe
  - All tickets are $64.15 - purchase them online HERE
Friday, July 18th
- Nelly Concert
  - 8 p.m.
  - Opener - Chingy
  - Track tickets are $55.15 and amphitheater & bleacher tickets are $50.15 - purchase them online HERE
Saturday, July 19th
- Hardy Concert
  - 8 p.m.
  - Opener - John Morgan
  - All tickets are $90.15 - purchase them online HERE
Sunday, July 20th
- Extreme Bull Riding
  - 5 p.m.
  - All seating is FREE
- Roots and Boots Concert
  - 7 p.m.
  - Featuring Sammy Kershaw, Aaron Tippin, and Collin Raye
  - All tickets are $25.15 - purchase them online HERE

A friendly reminder that all track tickets are standing room only, so there is absolutely no seating. Once you are admitted onto the track for a concert, you will not be able to leave and re-enter. All ticket sales are FINAL, and gate admission is NOT included with your Grandstand event ticket.

Hillside Seating

If you don't want to purchase a ticket, but would still like to enjoy the concerts at the fair, you can always try getting a spot on the hillside for free. But, you'll need to get there really early the day of the show you're interested in attending. Here are the rules for hillside seating:

Blankets and tarps are allowed on the grass beginning at 8 a.m.
The maximum tarp size allowed is 8x8 feet
You CANNOT tape tarps together
Please remove all your trash and items when leaving the hillside

Beer Tents

There are three different beer tents at the fair, each with different offerings. Here's a rundown on each of them:

Brewhaus Beer Tent (main/most popular beer tent)
- Located just south of the Amphitheater/northeast of the Midway - offers views of the Grandstand stage
- Entertainment Schedule
  - Tuesday at 8 p.m. - DJ Johnson
  - Wednesday at 8 p.m. - DJ Johnson
  - Thursday at 11 p.m. - Funk Junkies
  - Friday at 11 p.m. - Tyler Richton & The Highbank Boys
  - Saturday at 11 p.m. - Crazy Delicious
- Alcoholic Beverages
  - Bud Light
  - Busch Light
  - Carbliss Black Raspberry
  - Michelob Ultra
  - Nutrl Watermelon
  - Skimmers Vodka Iced Tea - Half & Half
  - Twisted Tea
Craft Beer Tent
- Located north of the Amphitheater/east of the 4-H Exhibit Hall - offers views of the Grandstand Stage
- Entertainment Schedule
  - Wednesday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. - Steve Kalmes
  - Thursday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. - Molly Shannon
  - Friday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. - Sam Day
  - Saturday from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. - Zoey Kleitsch
  - Saturday from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. - Sarah Boyle
  - Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. - Foley & Farrow
- Alcoholic Beverages
  - Backpocket Lemon Shandy
  - Big Grove Easy Eddy
  - Big Grove Neighborhood
  - Crown Royal Apple Canned Cocktail
  - Crown Royal Lemonade Canned Cocktail
  - Crown Royal Whiskey Cola Canned Cocktail
  - Exile Maria
  - Jefferson County Easy Apple
  - Lion Bridge Tag
  - SingleSpeed Gable
  - Sun Cruiser Tea & Vodka Canned Cocktail
  - Toppling Goliath Cyber Sue
Fountain Beer Tent
- Located west of the center Amphitheater on the north end of the food court/south, up the hill from the Berndes Center

Fair Cards

If you'd like to enjoy any adult beverages at the 2025 GJCF, you'll need to get yourself an official Fair Card. They can be purchased at multiple ticket booths on the fairgrounds, and you can load money on to them for beverage purchases at those booths, at the Fair Office, or by scanning the QR code on the back of your card.

The only place you'll be able to purchase alcoholic beverages using cash will be on the track during the concerts Thursday through Sunday. They will also accept Fair Cards on the track.

Additional Entertainment

The beer tents and Grandstand stage aren't the only places you can enjoy entertainment at the 2025 fair! Here are some of the other spots around the fairgrounds that you can check out:

Pepsi Plaza
- Show run Wednesday through Sunday starting around 12 p.m.
- Shows
  - Wheels of AG
  - Pork Chop Review
  - Fahrenheit Fire
  - Foam Zone
Free Stage
- Located south of the Berndes Center/west of the Amphitheater
- Show run Wednesday through Sunday starting around 11:15 a.m. (10:30 a.m. Wednesday)
- Shows
  - Extreme Illusions and Escapes
  - John Cassidy Magic Show
  - Brothers Walker
Kids Zone
- Located inside the Berndes Center
- Open Wednesday through Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.\
- Attractions
  - Arts & Crafts
  - Corn Boxes
  - Face Painting
  - Lego Race Tracks
  - "Papa Balloon" Creations
  - Play with Giants Ag Edition
  - Strolling Card Magician
Acts "On The Grounds"
- Conjurer Fortune Machine
- SupaFun Band
- Uncle Sam Stilt Walking
Line Dancing
- Located at the Small Animal Barn
- Following the Grandstand concert on Saturday, July 19th until midnight
- All ages welcome (alcohol-free event)

Where to Visit Us!

On Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday, the KHAK truck will be parked right inside the main gates around 5:30 p.m. Come say hi and sign up to win some concert tickets before the country concerts!

For more information about the 2025 Great Jones County Fair, including a BIG construction update, check out the photos below, or visit the fair's official website HERE.