State fair explained

A state fair is an annual competitive and recreational gathering of a U.S. state's population, usually held in late summer or early fall. It is a larger version of a county fair, often including only exhibits or competitors that have won in their categories at the more-local county fairs.

State fairs began in the nineteenth century for the purpose of promoting state agriculture, through competitive exhibitions of livestock and display of farm products. As the U.S. evolved from a predominantly agrarian to an industrial society in the twentieth century, and the more service economy of the 21st century, modern state fairs have expanded to include carnival amusement rides and games, display of industrial products, automobile racing, and entertainment such as musical concerts. Large fairs can admit more than a million visitors over the course of a week or two. The oldest state fair is that of The Fredericksburg Agricultural Fair, established in 1738, and is the oldest fair in Virginia and the United States.[1] The first U.S. state fair was the New York, held in 1841 in Syracuse, and has been held annually since.[2] The second state fair was in Detroit, Michigan, which ran from 1849[3] to 2009.[4] [5]

Events similar to state fairs are also held annually in each state capital in Australia, known as royal shows. Australian royal shows are organized by state agricultural and horticultural societies, and are described further in the agricultural show article.

List of state fairs

United States

State or Region Fair Name Location Typical Month(s)data-sort-type="number" Attendance (year) !data-sort-type="number"Attendance as % of State Pop.
a!a!a-9999
a!a!a10000000000
Alabama Alabama State FairBirmingham
AlabamaAlabama State Fair MontgomeryMontgomery
Alabama Alabama National Fair
Alaska Kenai Peninsula State Fair 7,300 (2013) [6] .99%
Alaska Southeast Alaska State Fair
Alaska 92,000 (2014) [7] 12.49%
Alaska 299,698 (2015) [8] 40.68%
Arizona 1,102,044 (2015) [9] 16.37%
Arizona Navajo Nation Fair 100,000 (2016) [10] 57.58% (of Navajo Nation)
Arkansas Arkansas State Fair 473,106 (2015) [11] 15.95%
California 673,237 (2016) [12] 1.7%
Colorado 466,576 (2016) [13] 8.71%
Delaware 262,587 (2016) [14] 28.07%
District of Columbia
Florida 395,435 (2016) [15] 1.99%
Georgia Georgia State Fair
Georgia 535,000 (2016) [16] 5.30%
Georgia North Georgia State Fair 320,000 (2016) [17] 3.17%
Hawaii Hawaii 50th State Fair
Idaho 249,892 (2021) [18] 14.08%
Idaho August243,474 (2016) [19] 14.90%
Idaho North Idaho Fair [20] 168,567 (2022) [21] 5.18%
Illinois
Illinois 509,000 (2019) [22] 4.00%
Indiana 730,000 (2016) [23] 11.07%
Iowa 1,130,260 (2018) [24] 35.93%
Kansas 359,808 (2016) [25] 12.39%
Kentucky August609,955 (2017) [26] 13.7%
Louisiana Cajun Heartland State Fair
Louisiana Greater Baton Rouge State Fair
Louisiana State Fair of Louisiana 379,700 (2017) [27] 9.78%
Maine Bangor State Fair
Maine Skowhegan State Fair
Maine 166,838 (2016) [28] 12.54%
Maryland 588,000 (2013) [29] 9.53%
Michigan 92,000 (2014) [30] .93%
Michigan 80,000 (2013) [31] .81%
Minnesota 2,126,551 (2019) [32] 37.90%
Mississippi 733,151 (2016) [33] 24.49%
Missouri August 349,048 (2023)[34]
Montana Montana State Fair 54,938 (2015) [35] 5.37%
Montana MontanaFair 226,333 (2016) [36] 22.10%
Nebraska 379,108 (2017)[37] [38] 19.88%
Nevada Nevada State Fair Closed
Nevada The Nevada Fair 22,000 (2015) [39] .77%
New England 1,629,527 (2019) [40] 10.97%
New Hampshire
New Jersey 420,000 (2013) [41] 4.70%
New Mexico 497,000 (2016) [42] 23.83%
New Mexico
New Mexico Northern Navajo Nation Fair
New York 1,329,275 (2019) [43] 6.8%
North Carolina October-November1,028,364 (2016) [44] 10.34%
North CarolinaDixie Classic FairWinston-Salem357,416 (2011)3.7%
North Carolina 187,819 (2007) [45] 1.89%
North Dakota July293,123 (2016) [46] 39.64%
Ohio 921,000 (2016) [47] 7.95%
Oklahoma 900,000 (2012) [48] 23.21%
Oklahoma 1,206,000 (2016 estimate) [49] 31.10%
Oregon 295,000 (2016 estimate) [50] 7.43%
Pennsylvania 500,000 (approx) (2014) [51] 3.91%
Pennsylvania Butler Fair 240,000 (approx) (2011) [52] 1.88%
Pennsylvania 364,037 (2015) [53] 2.85%
Pennsylvania The Reading Fair 40,000 (2016) [54] 0.3%
Pennsylvania York State Fair 555,252 (2016) [55] 4.34%
Rhode Island Washington County Fair around 100,000 [56] 9.48%
South Carolina 464,878 (2016) [57] 9.62%
South Dakota 211,371 (2016) [58] 24.77%
Tennessee LebanonAugust115,000 (2015) [59] 1.76%
Tennessee Delta Fair about 200,000 (2016) [60] 3.05%
Tennessee 180,000 (approx) [61] 2.75%
Texas 175,000 (2014) [62] .65%
Texas 2,547,289 (2022) [63] 7.24%
Texas East Texas State Fair[64] about 250,000 (estimate from 2016) [65] .93%
Texas 200,000 (estimate from 2023) [66] .68%
Utah around 300,000 (2014) [67] 10.19%
Vermont 40,00050,000 (2022) [68] 9.83%
Virginia 238,000 (2014) [69] 2.86%
Washington 312,191 (2016) [70] 4.42%
Washington 342,631 (2016) [71] 4.85%
Washington 189,154 (2015) [72] 2.68%
Washington 1,117,323 (2012) [73] 15.82%
West Virginia 155,000-160,000 (2016) [74] 8.65%
Wisconsin August1,015,815 (2016) [75] 17.64%
Wisconsin 85,000 (2015) [76] 1.48%
Wisconsin 90,000 (2016) [77] 1.56%
Wyoming Wyoming State Fair
Notes

State fair police departments

Several state fairs maintain their own police departments, including:

Provincial exhibitions in Canada

A few annual exhibitions in the summer in Canada are similar to state fairs in the United States:

Province Fair Name Location data-sort-type="number"Attendance (year)
a!a!a-9999
a!a!a10000000000
Alberta 1,275,465 (2019)[78]
Alberta 702,327 (2019)[79]
British Columbia 731,708 (2019)[80]
Ontario 1,500,000 (2019)[81]
Ontario Ottawa SuperEX422,095 (2009)[82]
Ontario 300,000 (average per annum)[83]
Ontario 170,000 (2015)[84]
Manitoba 203,624 (2019)[85]
Manitoba 110,000 (2018)[86]
Saskatchewan 121,326 (2019)[87]

Awards

State and county fairs are famous for a variety of competitions that award ribbons. Awards are generally given according to the following scale:

Attendance

As of 2019, the largest attendance at a state fair in the US is in Texas with the fair having attracted 2,514,637 visitors.[88] [89] [90] Even though it is longer than an average state fair, any advantage is negated by the size of the physical state since those days would be required for the states citizens to have equal opportunity to attend.

The largest average per day attendance is at the Minnesota State Fair averaging just under 200,000 people per day.[91]

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: Fredericksburg Agricultural Fair . . December 30, 2023 . Founded in 1738, Fredericksburg Agricultural Fair is the oldest fair in the United States..
  2. Web site: New York State Fair :: The Encyclopedia of New York State :: Syracuse University Press. www.syracuseuniversitypress.syr.edu. 20 April 2018.
  3. Web site: History of the Michigan State Fair. https://web.archive.org/web/20091125155839/http://www.michigan.gov/mistatefair/0,1607,7-109--12804--,00.html. dead. November 25, 2009. www.michigan.gov.
  4. Web site: Granholm cuts State Fair from budget. https://web.archive.org/web/20131103032010/http://www.freep.com/article/20091030/NEWS06/91030026/1322/Granholm-cuts-State-Fair-from-budget. dead. November 3, 2013.
  5. Web site: It's official: State Fair a goner. https://web.archive.org/web/20131103030456/http://www.freep.com/article/20091031/NEWS06/910310309/1001/News/Its-official-State-Fair-a-goner. dead. November 3, 2013.
  6. Web site: KP fair has big changes . 9 June 2014 .
  7. Web site: Tanana Valley State Fair begins Friday . 3 August 2016 .
  8. Web site: 2015 Fair Continues Upward Trend . 24 October 2015 .
  9. Web site: State Fair attendance stayed on par despite heavy rain .
  10. Web site: Navajo Nation AG Expo/4th of July PRCA Rodeo > CANCELLED. nnfair.navajo-nsn.gov.
  11. Web site: Arkansas State Fair sets new attendance record . 19 October 2015 .
  12. Web site: Kirk . Marjorie . California state fair attendance drops 14 percent . The Sacramento Bee.
  13. Web site: Colorado State Fair attendance drops in 2016, but event considered a success . 7 September 2016 .
  14. Web site: Home - Delaware State News | Bay to Bay News .
  15. Web site: Venuestoday.com. www.venuestoday.com.
  16. Web site: Georgia National Fair sets new attendance record . 2023-03-19 . 11Alive.com . 18 October 2016 . en-US.
  17. Web site: 320,000 visitors attend over North Georgia State Fair's 11-day run . 5 October 2016 .
  18. Web site: 2021-09-16 . Eastern Idaho State Fair sets historic attendance records . 2023-03-19 . East Idaho News . en-US.
  19. Web site: Staff . KBOI News . 2016-09-09 . Western Idaho Fair attendance up 12,000 people in 2016 . 2023-03-19 . KBOI . en.
  20. Web site: North Idaho State Fair. www.nisfair.fun.
  21. Web site: August 31, 2022 . 'We didn't expect to see that much in growth': North Idaho State Fair sets attendance record . 2023-03-19 . krem.com . en-US.
  22. Web site: Illinois State Fair sets revenue record with Snoop Dogg, Reba McEntire major draws . . 19 September 2019 .
  23. Web site: August 22, 2016 . Rainy weather hurts attendance at 2016 Indiana State Fair . 2023-03-19 . wthr.com . en-US.
  24. Web site: Fair Dates & Attendance .
  25. Web site: 2016-10-24 . Kansas State Fair attendance in 2016 third highest ever . 2023-03-19 . AP NEWS . en.
  26. News: It was a good year for the Kentucky State Fair . Carolyn . Tribble Greer . Louisville Business First . August 31, 2017 . November 16, 2017.
  27. Web site: Weather Affects Attendance at State Fair of Louisiana .
  28. Web site: Fair attendance up over last year . 10 October 2016 .
  29. Web site: Patrick . 2022-09-19 . 2022 Maryland State Fair sets records with move to three weekends . 2023-03-19 . Morning Ag Clips . en-US.
  30. Web site: Michigan State Fair attendance up 15% .
  31. Web site: Upper Peninsula State Fair, Escanaba Michigan .
  32. Web site: Minnesota State Fair - Attendance. www.mnstatefair.org. 9 June 2016. 4 September 2019. 9 December 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141209164621/http://www.mnstatefair.org/general_info/attendance.html. dead.
  33. Web site: Mississippi State Fair sets attendance record .
  34. Web site: Shiner . Ryan . Missouri State Fair attendance hits six-year high . . https://web.archive.org/web/20230927053010/https://abc17news.com/news/pettis/2023/09/18/missouri-state-fair-attendance-hits-six-year-high/ . September 27, 2023 . September 18, 2023 . live.
  35. Web site: Montana State Fair numbers solid this year . 2023-03-19 . The Washington Times . en-US.
  36. Web site: Early numbers for MontanaFair attendance and sales . 2023-03-19 . KULR-8 Local News . 22 August 2016 . en.
  37. News: State Fair 2017 attendance nears all-time record . Kelli . Rollin . The Grand Island Independent . BH Media Group, Inc. . 5 September 2017 . 5 September 2017.
  38. Web site: Nebraska State Fair Sets a New Attendance Record (Press Release).
  39. Web site: Nevada Fair sees second successful year in Carson City .
  40. Web site: Big e Attendance Records .
  41. Web site: Moss . Linda . 7 July 2013 . N.J.'s State Fair Meadowlands wraps up, beats last year's attendance . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20170309072620/http://archive.northjersey.com/community-news/n-j-s-state-fair-meadowlands-wraps-up-beats-last-year-s-attendance-1.629061 . 9 March 2017 . NorthJersey.
  42. Web site: New Mexico State Fair attendance increased 8-percent . 29 September 2016 .
  43. Web site: Daily Attendance .
  44. Web site: Newsroom . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160726162027/http://www.ncstatefair.org/2016/Newsroom/Attendance.htm . 26 July 2016 . ncstatefair.org.
  45. Web site: 2007 NC Mountain State Fair . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20070427010410/http://www.ncagr.com/markets/fairs/mtnfair/index.htm . 27 April 2007 . ncagr.com.
  46. Web site: Attendance numbers released for ND State Fair . 31 July 2016 .
  47. Web site: Ohio State Fair Attendance Just Short of a Record . 8 August 2016 .
  48. Web site: Carnivalwarehouse.com's 2012 Top 50 Fairs . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130602124748/http://www.carnivalwarehouse.com/lists/2012list.pdf . 2 June 2013 . carnivalwarehouse.com.
  49. Web site: About Us . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160413131350/http://www.tulsastatefair.com/index.cfm?id=272 . 13 April 2016 . tulsastatefair.com.
  50. Web site: Oregon State Fair reports increase in attendance, revenue .
  51. Web site: About Us . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140720124131/http://allentownfair.com/index.php/general-info/about-us . 20 July 2014 . Allentown Fairgrounds.
  52. Web site: The Big Butler Fair | Always Over the Fourth. The Big Butler Fair.
  53. Web site: Fair Attendance . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20170401160046/http://www.thebloomsburgfair.net/attendance/2015.htm . 1 April 2017 . thebloomsburgfair.com.
  54. Web site: 5 Door and Window Replacement in Berks County, PA. thereadingfair.
  55. Web site: How many people attended the 2016 York Fair? .
  56. Web site: For the 50th, a full slate of favorites .
  57. Web site: 24 October 2016 . 2016 Fair Closes with Banner Attendance . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20170309071535/https://www.scstatefair.org/sc-state-fair/fair-news/2016/10/24/2016-fair-closes-with-banner-attendance . 9 March 2017 . South Carolina State Fair.
  58. Web site: South Dakota State Fair Attendance Up Slightly Over 2015 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20170309062933/http://www.kdlt.com/2016/09/30/south-dakota-state-fair-attendance-up-slightly-over-2015/ . 9 March 2017 . KDLT News.
  59. Web site: State fair continues to build attendance from past years . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20170309064806/http://www.columbiadailyherald.com/news/local-news/state-fair-continues-build-attendance-past-years . 9 March 2017 . Columbia Daily Herald.
  60. Web site: Delta Fair Attendance Down This Year . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20170309062753/http://www.localmemphis.com/news/local-news/delta-fair-attendance-down-this-year/546645044 . 9 March 2017 . Local Memphis.
  61. Web site: Tennessee Valley Fair. www.tnvalleyfair.org.
  62. Web site: South Texas State Fair attendance up 10,000 from last year . 7 April 2014 .
  63. Web site: Daily Attendance .
  64. Waterson, James and Seymour, Rachel Anne. Pulling Up Stakes: East Texas State Fair Says Goodbye Until Next Year. Tyler Morning Telegraph, October 4th, 2010, p. 1A, 6A
  65. Web site: East Texas State Fair .
  66. Web site: Sponsors . 20 March 2023 . North Texas Fair & Rodeo.
  67. Web site: 2014-10-15 . Utah State Fair draws crowds, generates profits for 2014 season . 2023-03-20 . Deseret News . en.
  68. Web site: 2022-08-24 . State fair sets new attendance record . 2023-03-20 . The Mountain Times . en-US.
  69. Web site: Storms muddy State Fair of Virginia's traffic, revenue . 6 October 2015 .
  70. Web site: 3 October 2016 . Final weekend pushes state fair attendance over 312,000 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20170309061208/http://www.khq.com/story/33306397/final-weekend-pushes-state-fair-attendance-over-312000 . 9 March 2017 . KHQ.
  71. Web site: Attendance at Evergreen State Fair second-highest in 6 years . 17 September 2016 .
  72. Web site: Townsend . Debbie . Attendance up at Northwest Washington Fair in Lynden . Bellingham Herald.
  73. Web site: Puyallup Fair attendance tops 1.1 million, beats last year . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20131113115122/http://blog.thenewstribune.com/street/2012/09/24/puyallup-fair-attendance-tops-1-1-million-beats-last-year/ . 13 November 2013 . The News Tribune.
  74. Web site: Davis . Austin . 25 August 2016 . A look back at the 2016 State Fair . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20170309064331/http://www.wvva.com/story/32843849/2016/08/Thursday/a-look-back-at-the-2016-state-fair . 9 March 2017 . WWVA.
  75. Web site: Shafer . Dan . 16 August 2016 . Wisconsin State Fair attendance tops 1 million . 2023-03-20 . www.bizjournals.com.
  76. Web site: Central Wisconsin State Fair sets record .
  77. Web site: 18 July 2016 . Nearly 90K people attended the Northern Wisconsin State Fair . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20180805082822/http://www.wqow.com/story/32472134/2016/07/18/nearly-90k-people-attended-the-northern-wisconsin-state-fair . 5 August 2018 . wqow.com.
  78. Web site: Second highest attendance record set at Calgary Stampede. CTV News Calgary. BellMedia. July 15, 2019. April 2, 2021.
  79. Web site: Weather to blame for lowest K-Days attendance since 2006, Northlands says. Ramsay. Caley. Corus Entertainment. Global News. April 2, 2021. July 29, 2019.
  80. Web site: 2019 Pacific National Exhibition Annual Report: April 1, 2019 - March 31, 2020. 2021. 2 April 2021. www.pne.ca. Pacific National Exhibition.
  81. Web site: Ex attendance rises to an estimated 1.5 million this year, CNE officials say. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. www.cbc.ca. Draaisma. Muriel.
  82. Web site: SuperEx attendance higher than last year. Bell Media. ctvottawa.ca. 31 August 2009. 10 July 2014.
  83. News: Locked out workers to picket Royal Winter Fair. Rider. David. November 1, 2018. April 2, 2021. Toronto Star. Torstar Corporation.
  84. Web site: Western Fair blessed with fair weather but attendance figures under wraps. www.lfpress.com. Daniszewski. Hank.
  85. Web site: Red River Ex sees uptick in 2019 attendance. Thompson. Sam. Corus Entertainment. Global News. April 2, 2021. June 24, 2019.
  86. Web site: Winter Fair Attracts More Than 100,000 Visitors But Registers Attendance Drop. April 1, 2018. April 2, 2021. Golden West Broadcasting. Discover Westman.
  87. Web site: Jump in international buyers, inaugural maple leaf finals rodeo and record-setting registration at Agribition 2019. Vorrieter. Karlee. Industry West. IW Media Group. 2019.
  88. Web site: Daily Attendance. 2021-09-25. State Fair of Texas. en-US.
  89. Web site: State Fair of Texas Welcomed More Than 2.5 Million Fairgoers in 2019. 2021-09-25. NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth. 21 October 2019 . en-US.
  90. News: How Much It Costs To Visit the 10 Biggest State Fairs in the US. 2021-09-25. finance.yahoo.com. en-US.
  91. Web site: Attendance. 9 June 2016.

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