A grandstand is the fixed, roofed seating structure that faces a fair's main arena or track, built for events the crowd watches rather than walks through, pulling, demolition derbies, and harness racing among them. Massachusetts fairs record competitions of some kind at 30 of 98 events, and the grandstand is where the ticketed or reserved-seating versions of those competitions usually happen, as opposed to the free-roam judging that happens in an exhibition hall or livestock barn. Not every fair in this directory has a grandstand. Smaller, one-day town and Grange fairs more often run their competitive events at ground level, with spectators standing along a rope line instead of sitting in tiered seats.
Also known as: grandstand arena, track grandstand.
