At sunrise on Friday, August 5th , hot air balloons will dot the sky over central Indiana, marking the official beginning of the 2016 Indiana State Fair. Opening ceremonies will occur shortly after, with notable appearances from Lieutenant Governor Eric Holcomb, and Executive Director of the Indiana State Fair, Cindy Hoye. The 2016 Indiana State Fair celebrates 200 years of Indiana’s statehood with special bicentennial-themed events and exhibits, like the Visit Indiana Bicentennial Pavilion and the largest Bison-tennial Field Art Exhibit. Here are some of today's highlights:  

6:15 a.m.	Giant Hot Air Balloon Launch	Join us for this annual event, free with paid Fair admission in the Hoosier Lottery Grandstand at sunrise on opening day.
ALL DAY	Pokemon Go Meet-Up	The Indiana State Fairgrounds & Event Center is home to more than 32 Pokestops and 4 Gyms!  Bring your friends to level up and log some distance.
ALL DAY 8-5 p.m.	CANstruction Build Day	CANstruction is a unique international 501(c)(3) food charity competition that showcases colossal structures made out of full cans of food. Structures will be on display throughout the duration of the Fair as a giant art exhibition. At the end of the Fair, all food is donated to Gleaners Food Band providing over 35,000 cans, equating to over 20,000 meals to fight local hunger. You might even catch a Pacer or two around 11 a.m.
8:30 a.m.	Opening Ceremonies	Dignitaries and creative contest winners will join Indiana State Fair leadership to kick off the 2016 Indiana State Fair at the Free Stage.
10 a.m.	Visit Indiana Bicentennial Pavilion Grand Opening	Come and enjoy the Visit Indiana Bicentennial Pavilion, home to the CANstruction Exhibit, Lego display, the Visit Indiana mobile unit and much more!
11 a.m.	Ribbon Cutting for Habitat for Humanity Ag Home Builds	This Indiana State Fair tradition has continued to grow.  This year, the team is tackling two homes for two families! Don’t miss this exciting tradition on the north side of the Fairgrounds.
11:30 a.m.	BMV Commissioner to Unveil License Plate for Public Vote	BMV Commissioner Kent Abernathy will unveil three designs for a new state license plate before an on-line vote where Hoosiers decide which design will become the new Indiana license plate in Expo Hall.
7 p.m.	8th Annual Liar’s Contest presented by Storytelling Arts of Indiana and the Indiana State Fair	Judged by a panel of expert storytellers, contestants will tell “lies” 3-5 minutes in length.  They will be judge on technique, story development, originality, and effectiveness.  Located in Pioneer Village.
7:30 p.m.	Night Ranger	With more than 30 years in the rock music industry, Night Ranger has proven that they can still “Rock in America”!  Night Ranger has sold more than 17 million albums worldwide and will be rocking the Free Stage on Friday, Aug. 5th.
9 p.m.	Light up the Night Illuminated Tractor Parade and Hot Air Balloon Glow presented by Reynolds Farm Equipment	Come see the magic of the Fair kick off with the Light Up the Night Illuminated Tractor Parade and Hot Air Balloon Night Glow. This event is free to the public in the Hoosier Lottery Grandstand.

More info at IndianaStateFair.com.