2025 CMA ‘Group of the Year’ Winners Announced for 2026 Iowa State Fair

The 2026 Iowa State Fair Grandstand lineup has a couple of new additions! This morning (February 18th), two new acts, including an award-winning country group, were announced as 2026 performers! Making their way to Des Moines this August, get ready for...

THE RED CLAY STRAYS!

Who Are the Red Clay Strays?

If you haven't heard of the Red Clay Strays, it's probably because they're still pretty new to the music scene. According to Wikipedia, the Alabama-based band first formed in 2016, but didn't start getting serious attention until late 2023 when their song "Wondering Why" went viral on TikTok. Although they've made waves in the country music community, Google describes their music as "Americana," or a combination of "Southern rock, country, blues, and gospel."

The Red Clay Stray's debut album Moment of Truth was self-released in 2022, and was followed by a record deal and global publishing deal in the spring of 2024. Made by These Moments, the band's second studio album, dropped in July of that year, with "Wanna Be Loved" serving as the lead single.

In 2025, the Red Clay Strays continued to develop a loyal fan base, and ended up winning two major awards at country music award shows: Vocal Group of the Year at the CMAs, and New Vocal Duo or Group of the Year at the ACMs. Their latest release, "If I Didn't Know You," just dropped on February 12th, and the music video features comedian Matt Rife!

When is Their Iowa State Fair Show?

The Red Clay Strays will headline the Grandstand at the Iowa State Fair on Saturday, August 15th at 8 p.m. Tickets will range from $54.40 to $109.40 and go on sale this Friday, February 20th at 10 a.m. HERE.

The Other Announcement

The second show to be announced this week is alternative/indie pop group AJR! They'll be playing the Iowa State Fair Grandstand on Wednesday, August 19th at 8 p.m.

Tickets for AJR will range from $54.40 to $94.40 and will also go on sale this Friday at 10 a.m. You can get the link to buy them HERE.

Who Else is Coming to the 2026 Iowa State Fair?

As of right now, there are seven announced acts for the upcoming Iowa State Fair, which is set for August 13th through 23rd. In addition to the Red Clay Strays, the shows that have been announced include:

• HARDY
  • Thursday, August 13th at 8 p.m.
  • With special guest McCoy Moore
• Rod Stewart
  • Friday, August 14th at 8 p.m.
  • With special guest Richard Marx
• Lainey Wilson
  • Sunday, August 16th at 8 p.m.
  • With special guest Tigirlily Gold
• Riley Green
  • Thursday, August 20th at 8 p.m.
  • With special guest Mackenzie Carpenter
• Josiah Queen
  • Sunday, August 23rd at 6 p.m.
  • With special guest Ben Fuller

That means there are still FOUR more Grandstand acts that have yet to be announced! For the latest updates from the Iowa State Fair, you can check out their Facebook page HERE.

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READ MORE: Concerts & Comedy Shows Coming to Iowa in 2026 [LIST]