Ohio State Fair expands 2025 Celeste Center schedule with Trace Adkins and two additional live shows
Three new additions complete another step in the fair’s nightly entertainment calendar
The Ohio State Fair has added three more concerts and event-style performances to its 2025 summer schedule at the WCOL Celeste Center on the Ohio Expo Center grounds. The fair is set to run from July 23 through Aug. 3, 2025, and organizers have built the calendar around a near-nightly run of indoor shows.
The latest round of announcements combines one ticketed headliner date with two events that do not require separate concert tickets beyond general fair admission, reflecting a mix of paid and free programming within the same venue.
Newly announced performances: one ticketed headliner, two free events
Trace Adkins with special guest Alex Miller: scheduled for Aug. 2, 2025, with tickets sold in two price tiers and bundled with fair admission.
Let’s Sing Taylor – An Unofficial Live Tribute Show: scheduled for July 27, 2025, listed as a free show with no separate ticket required.
Sixteen Candles (Senior Day program): scheduled for July 29, 2025, presented as a free daytime concert tied to the fair’s Senior Day programming.
How the added dates fit into the broader 2025 lineup
The three additions extend a concert slate that already included family entertainment, classic rock, country, R&B/funk, comedy and pop. Previously announced 2025 ticketed shows at the Celeste Center include KIDZ BOP (July 23), Foreigner (July 24), Warren Zeiders (July 25), Morris Day and The Time (July 26), Tauren Wells (July 28), Leanne Morgan (July 29), T-Pain (July 30), Quinn XCII with Chelsea Cutler, AJR (Aug. 1), and the newly added Trace Adkins date (Aug. 2).
In addition to evening concerts, the venue schedule also lists fair-specific programs such as youth and band performances and the Sale of Champions livestock auction events, indicating the Celeste Center’s dual role as both a concert hall and a fair showcase space.
Ticketing and access: bundled admission, capacity planning and price points
For the ticketed concerts, organizers have continued the model in which a concert ticket purchased in advance includes admission to the fair on the day of the show. The free events, including the Taylor-themed tribute performance and the Senior Day concert, are positioned as accessible options within the same venue footprint without requiring a separate concert purchase.
The 2025 entertainment calendar reflects a blended strategy: nightly ticketed headliners alongside no-additional-cost programming designed to broaden audience reach across different age groups and music tastes.