Justin Bieber fans won't have to stand in a long line to get the best places for his Sept. 5 concert at the Maryland State Fair, thanks to a color-coded wristband procedure announced Wednesday by fair officials.
Ticketholders for the Bieber show will be handed wristbands at the fair's main admission gate on the day of the show; the color on each wristband will determine when the wearer will be allowed to enter the concert grounds. The earlier fans pick up their wristbands at the main gate (which opens at 8 a.m.), the earlier they'll be allowed onto the racetrack infield for the 7 p.m. concert.
Fans will be taken first to a staging area, where they will be checked by security before being allowed into the infield. No fans will be allowed into the infield before 5:30 p.m.
In addition, there will be no camping out allowed on the fairgrounds on the days before or morning of the concert.
The Bieber show is a general admission concert, with no assigned seating. Blankets are allowed, but no folding chairs. A long list of other prohibited items (viewable online at marylandstatefair.com) includes food and drink purchased outside the fairgrounds, liquor, guns, knives, fireworks, ladders, wagons, in-line skates and Frisbees.
While fair officials don't want Bieber fans lining up early to get into the show, they have no problem with their arriving at the fair early. Ticketholders will receive discounts on midway rides and, as a news release from the fair helpfully reminds everyone, "there are many things to enjoy at the fair."