Despite weaker ending amid heat, 2023 State Fair was 6th best-attended on record
FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. -- It wasn't the best-attended State Fair since the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the 2020 edition, but this year's attendance was still good enough to count as the sixth best-attended on record, and a significant improvement over 2021's attendance figures.
Releasing the final tally Tuesday afternoon, fair officials say that they tallied up 1,835,825 admissions this year, compared to the 1,842,222 admissions in 2022.
It would appear that the brutal heat wave that straddled the last few days of the fair did, ultimately, have the effect of keeping some people away. The Labor Day tally of 119,731 was far short of the previous year's 156,985, and even short of 2021's 123,578.
In the end, only one of the six record-breaking days that the 2019 fair saw ended up making room for a new record — the first Friday, which saw 164,741 admissions. That year, 2019, also broke the record for overall yearly attendance, at 2,126,551, a record that remains intact.
"This was my first fair as CEO, and I was more awe-inspired by the dedication of so many than I could have imagined – the dedication of fair fans, staff, volunteers, vendors, livestock exhibitors, competitors, safety and security partners and so many others who went above and beyond to be a part of an amazing fair experience despite some challenging temperatures," said the fair's CEO Renee Alexander. "All of us across the state came together to celebrate one of the best Great Minnesota Get-Togethers."
Other fair factoids shared on Tuesday: there were more than 33,000 competitive agricultural and creative entries, from which more than $2 million in prize money was awarded.
The winner of this year's talent show was Roland Hawkins II of Minneapolis in the open division (singing a vocal solo of "Nessun Dorma"), Caleb & Laci from Woodbury in the teen division (a dance duet to "How Do I Say Goodbye?"), and Sophie Taggart of Blaine in the preteen division (a piano solo of Debussy's "Doctor Gradus ad Parnassum").
The winners of the 2022 State Fair's "Best" Awards were: Afro Deli; Aria Handmade; Bamboo Switch; Downdraft by Family Entertainment; Jammy Sammies by BRIM; Long-Range Basketball by Oren Concessions; The Minnesotan; Must be Ruff; O'Gara's at the Fair; Raiders by Wanderlust Amusements; Union Hmong Kitchen; and Visit Bemidji.
