MN State Fair attendance drops to 1.3M

The Minnesota State Fair returned this year after a one-year absence due to COVID-19… but the continuing pandemic caused a big drop in attendance.

This year’s Fair attracted a total of 1,301,584 visitors … nearly 825,000 below the 2019 attendance record of 2.12 million.

The largest single-day crowd at this year’s Fair came last Saturday – 153,953.

The smallest single-day attendance was 61,983 on the Fair’s stormy opening day (Thursday, Aug. 26).

As the Fair’s general manager Jerry Hammer put it: “Given the issues we faced, attendance was perfect this year.”

Meanwhile, more than 3,100 fairgoers were vaccinated at a free clinic on the Fairgrounds. 

The state says 3,118 fairgoers got vaccinated at the fair…and 3,042 of them claimed a $100 Visa gift card for getting their first dose.

 The gift cards were available to the first 3,600 receiving their first dose.

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(MN State Fair release:)

After being shuttered last year, the Minnesota State Fair marked its historic return with the 2021 Great Minnesota Get-Back-Together. A stormy opening weekend and more rain later in the fair, the pandemic, a labor shortage and supply chain issues failed to dampen the spirit of exhibitors, vendors, agriculturists, performers, volunteers and 1.3 million guests.

“Thank you very much to everyone who attended, and hats off to the thousands of people who created State Fair magic for the first time in two years,” said State Fair General Manager Jerry Hammer. “We weren’t sure that there would even be a ’21 fair until early May, and we didn’t know what the fair might look like until mid-June. Everyone involved in producing the fair did amazing work pulling everything together in a very short time under difficult and changing circumstances.”

Labor Day attendance of 123,578 brought this year’s cumulative total to 1,301,584. Visit mnstatefair.org/about-the-fair/attendance for 2021 attendance numbers.

“Given the issues we faced, attendance was perfect this year,” Hammer added. “The vast majority of State Fair activities are outdoors, and the fairgrounds are huge, giving people plenty of space to enjoy the fair.”