DES MOINES, Iowa —

The Iowa State Fair warned Thursday against buying Grandstand tickets from third-party sellers after announcing the first two headliners for the 2026 concert series : Rod Stewart on Aug. 14 and Lainey Wilson on Aug. 16.

Tickets go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. at iowastatefair.org .

Fair CEO Jeremy Parsons cautioned that anyone selling tickets before the official release could be running a scam. "For those of you that have maybe already purchased tickets, you basically have given your money to someone hoping they will buy a ticket because no one, no one at this point has a ticket."

He also urged buyers to check prices and to buy only through the fair's website; the most expensive ticket this year is $134.50.

"The reality is, if you're paying more than $135 for a Gra

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