WEST SPRINGFIELD – It may only be Spring, but Eastern States Exposition has already begun announcing entertainment that will be featured at the annual Big E fair. On Feb. 26, Eastern States Exposition announced that Christian rock band Skillet would be performing during The Big E on Sept. 15.

“Every year, Eastern States Exposition strives to uphold the diversity of the artists performing at the Big E. With an overall fairtime audience of more than 1.5 million attendees, it’s our job to bring something to the fair that each of those individuals will enjoy,” said Anne-Alise Pietruska of Mellowship Entertainment, the company responsible for all entertainment booking for the Big E.

Pietruska continued, “In recent years, we expanded the Big E’s entertainment offerings exponentially to host more unique concerts. This has allowed us to make sure almost all major genres and sub-genres are represented in the lineup.”

The quartet, who boast seven albums and the record for biggest digital sale in the history of Christian music for their single “Monster,” will take the stage at the Xfinity Arena.

Pietruska said that she hopes including Skillet as part of the fair’s entertainment will draw an audience that may not have experienced the Big E before. “As what we define as a Christian, hard driving rock band, Skillet ticks a couple of our boxes. They have a large crossover appeal and a passionate fanbase. We are confident that Skillet will be a draw for our returning fairgoers and attract a new audience that might not have come to our event before,” Pietruska said.

Catherine Pappas, Public Relations and Communications manager for Eastern States Exposition said that a performance at the Xfinity Arena is an experience that stands out for concertgoers. “The Xfinity arena is a large venue that seats more than 6,000 people, yet it has a cozy feel and every seat is a good seat. With large closed-circuit screens capturing all the action on the stage, concertgoers won’t miss a minute of the show,” Pappas said.

The Big E is known for its food offerings, and the Skillet show will be no exception, according to Pappas. “There are concessions inside the arena to be sure our patrons have access to beverages and some of their favorite fair foods,” Pappas said.

Skillet’s albums “Collide” and “Comatose” were nominated for the “Best Rock Gospel Album” Grammy award in 2004 and 2007 respectively. The band won the Billboard Music Award for “Top Christian Album” in 2011 for their album “Awake.” Their 2010 singles “Awake and Alive” and “Monster” were recognized by the Recording Industry Association of America as platinum and double platinum respectively.

Skillet will embark on a United States tour on March 15 with Breaking Benjamin, Underoath and Fight the Fury. Before their stop at the Big E, Skillet will also be touring in Russia.

The performance is free with Big E admission. A limited number of premium reserved seats are on sale for $29 and include Big E admission. The tickets are available at www.ticketing.thebige.com/Admissions/ or at the Big E box office.