Minnesota State Fair sets new first-day attendance record, beating previous benchmark by more than 5K
FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. — Despite a few raindrops here and there, the first day of the 2024 Minnesota State Fair saw enough people pass through the turnstiles to set a new first-day attendance record.
The fair reported that 138,875 people passed through the State Fair gates Thursday. That is up significantly from the opening day last year, which saw only 106,327 visitors.
The previous opening-day record was set back in 2019, pre-COVID. That day saw 133,326 admissions, meaning that this year's opener easily cruised to its new record status by about 5,550 people.
That 2019 State Fair remains the benchmark for attendance. Last year, 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.
Almost every daily record for high attendance has been set in the last decade, with the only major exception being that of the first Sunday. Back in 1994, 209,969 people came to the fair on the fourth day, a record that's proven difficult to surmount.
One of the most popular attractions with each new year at the fair are the new foods. With nearly three dozen new offerings and six new vendors, there will be plenty for fairgoers to sample. Click here to see what some of the WCCO team's favorites are.
