The Iowa State Fair is already building anticipation for 2026 with the announcement of the first two major Grandstand acts: country superstar Lainey Wilson and rock icon Rod Stewart.

Wilson, fresh off a landmark year that included sweeping top honors at the 2025 CMA Awards — Entertainer of the Year, Album of the Year for Whirlwind, and Female Vocalist of the Year — will make her Iowa State Fair debut on Sunday, Aug. 16, 2026. She’ll be joined by special guest Tigirlily Gold.

Two days earlier, on Friday, Aug. 14, Stewart will return to the Iowa State Fair for the first time in more than four decades. The two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee is expected to bring fan favorites such as “Maggie May,” “Forever Young,” and “Rhythm of My Heart” to the Iowa Lottery Grandstand’s Krause Group

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