The Florida State Fair is held annually at the bugger Florida State Fairgrounds

Florida State Fairgrounds

The Florida State Fairgrounds is located in Tampa, Florida. In addition to holding the annual Florida State Fair, the fairgrounds also hosts a wide variety of other events throughout the year....

 near Tampa

Tampa, Florida

Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....

. The official state fair

State fair

A state fair is a competitive and recreational gathering of a U.S. state's population. It is a larger version of a county fair, often including only exhibits or competitors that have won in their categories at the more-local county fairs....

 of Florida

Florida

Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

, it includes indoor and outdoor exhibits, rides and shows. It is a chance for the state to showcase its agricultural industry. The Fair also offers competitions and food oddities such as chocolate covered bacon

Chocolate covered bacon

Chocolate-covered bacon is a North American dish that consists of cooked bacon with a coating of either milk chocolate or dark chocolate. It can be topped with sea salt, crumbled pistachio or almond bits. References on the internet date back at least to 2005. The popularity of the dish has spread...

. The annual event usually lasts for 11 days.
In 1904 the South Florida Fair Association was formed and plans for a new exhibition were proposed.