A midway at a fair (commonly an American fair such as a county or state fair) is the location where amusement park rides, entertainment and fast food booths are concentrated.
The term originated from World Columbian Exposition held in Chicago, Illinois in 1893. It was the first world's fair with an area for amusements which was strictly separated from the exhibition halls. This area, which was concentrated on the city's Midway Plaisance, included carnival rides - among them the first Ferris Wheel, Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West show, and other attractions.
In the years after the Exposition closed, midway came to be used as a common noun to refer to the area for amusements at a county or state fair, circus, or amusement park.
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