Iowa State Fair: 2024 breaks all-time attendance record
Updated: 4:19 PM CDT Aug 19, 2024
Iowa State Fair: 2024 breaks all-time attendance record
Updated: 4:19 PM CDT Aug 19, 2024
COMING UP HERE SHORTLY. THANKS, JASON. A LOT OF FOLKS MIGHT BE DEALING WITH THEIR STATE FAIR HANGOVER TODAY FROM FILLING UP ON THE FAIR FOOD TO WATCHING THOSE WACKY COMPETITIONS COME TO LIFE. IT’S SAFE TO SAY IT WAS ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL YEAR FOR THE IOWA STATE FAIR. EXPANDED WAISTLINES RIGHT? AFTER ALL THE EATING COULD OFFICIALLY WRAPPED UP YESTERDAY, BREAKING SEVERAL ATTENDANCE RECORDS ACROSS THE 11 DAY EVENT. vlog BEAU BOWMAN IS LIVE AT THE IOWA STATE FAIRGROUNDS WITH THE FINAL NUMBERS FOR US AND BEAU. THESE JUST CAME IN. YEAH, BEN. ON SUNDAY WE SAW MORE THAN 100,000 PEOPLE WALK THROUGH THE GATES HERE ON THE IOWA STATE FAIRGROUNDS, ENOUGH TO BREAK THE PREVIOUS RECORD SET IN 2019. THE NEW RECORD,. 1,182,682 PEOPLE. NOW THIS COMES FOLLOWING THE SINGLE LARGEST DAY AT THE STATE FAIR OF ALL TIME, SET LAST SATURDAY WITH 128,000 FAIRGOERS. WE ALSO SAW RECORD HIGHS FOR THE FIRST SUNDAY AND TUESDAY, AND COMING UP TONIGHT AT AT 5:00, WE’LL CHAT WITH FAIR CEO JEREMY PARSONS FOR THE NEXT FAIR. AND WHAT’S IN STORE FOR SOME GROWTH AND SPRAWL ACROSS THE FAIRGROUNDS. WE’RE LIVE AT THE IOWA STATE FAIR.
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Iowa State Fair: 2024 breaks all-time attendance record
Updated: 4:19 PM CDT Aug 19, 2024
It's official: The 2024 Iowa State Fair is the biggest in the fair's 170-year history. According to fair officials, total attendance of the 11-day event is 1,182,682. That's 12,307 more than the previous record of 1,170,375 in 2019 and 48,724 more than 2023 (1,133,958), which was the second-biggest.Other attendance records broken this year:Saturday, Aug. 10 (Day 3): Attendance on the first Saturday was an all-time single-day record — 128,732. That broke the previous all-time daily record of 128,298 from 2022. It's also more than 1,500 over the record for Day 3 and 10,000 more than the same day last year.Sunday, Aug. 11 (Day 4): 115,048 people attended the first Sunday, breaking the previous Day 4 record (114,937) set last year by a margin of just 111 people.Tuesday, Aug. 13 (Day 6): 105,384 people went through the gates Tuesday, breaking the daily mark set in 2019 when 102,953 people attended.Nine of the fair's 11 days this year had higher attendance than the corresponding day in 2023.The fair returns next year Aug. 7-17. Dates for 2026 are Aug. 13-23 and for 2027 are Aug. 12-22.» See all of our Iowa State Fair coverage here.The 2025 Iowa State Fair will be from Aug. 7-17. Tickets will go on sale before Christmas.2024 Iowa State Fair attendance compared to last two fairsDay 1, Thursday: 2024: 90,822 2023: 87,380 2022: 82,862 Daily record: 101,262 in 2008Day 2, Friday: 2024: 109,854 2023: 101,177 2022: 103,556 Daily record: 115,703 in 2001Day 3, Saturday: 2024: 128,732 2023: 118,286 2022: 113,012Daily record: 128,732 (new); Previous record was 127,277 in 1991Day 4, Sunday: 2024: 115,048 2023: 114,937 2022: 110,661 Daily record: 115,048 (new); Previous record was 114,937 in 2023Day 5, Monday: 2024: 92,920 2023: 100,214 2022: 87,599 Daily record: 105,522 in 2017Day 6, Tuesday: 2024: 105,384 2023: 101,244 2022: 99,965 Daily record: 105,384 (new); Previous record was 102,953 in 2019Day 7, Wednesday: 2024: 99,281 2023: 98,751 2022: 97,901 Daily record: 109,323 in 2019Day 8, Thursday: 2024: 102,510 2023: 101,475 2022: 99,715 Daily record: 107,449 in 2015Day 9, Friday: 2024: 111,591 2023: 112,048 2022: 93,348 Daily record: 112,891 in 2019Day 10, Saturday: 2024: 126,142 2023: 112,732 2022: 128,298 Daily record: 128,298 in 2022Day 11, Sunday: 2024: 100,398 2023: 85,714 2022: 101,846 Daily record: 119,754 in 2012Total: 2024:1,182,682 2023: 1,133,958 2022: 1,118,763 Record: 1,182,682 in 2024 (previous: 1,170,375 in 2019)Iowa State Fair attendance recordsLast year's fair was the second-biggest with more than 1,133,958 people attending. That's about 36,000 short of the all-time record of 1,170,375 set in 2019.Top 10 biggest fairs 2024: 1,182,682 2019: 1,170,375 2023: 1,133,958 2018: 1,130,260 2017: 1,130,071 2022: 1,118,763 2015: 1,117,398 2008: 1,109,150 2012: 1,097,142 2021: 1,094,480 Highest daily attendance all-time First Thursday: 101,262 in 2008 First Friday: 115,703 in 2001 First Saturday: 128,732 in 2024 (previous: 127,277 in 1991)2024's attendance on the first Saturday, Day 3, is the all-time single-day record First Sunday: 115,048 in 2024 (previous: 114,937 in 2023) Monday: 105,522 in 2017 Tuesday: 105,384 in 2024 (previous: 102,953 in 2019) Wednesday: 109,323 in 2019 Second Thursday: 107,449 in 2015 Second Friday: 112,891 in 2019 Second Saturday: 128,298 in 2022 Second Sunday: 119,754 in 2012
DES MOINES, Iowa —
It's official: The 2024 Iowa State Fair is the biggest in the fair's 170-year history.
According to fair officials, total attendance of the 11-day event is 1,182,682. That's 12,307 more than the previous record of 1,170,375 in 2019 and 48,724 more than 2023 (1,133,958), which was the second-biggest.
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Other attendance records broken this year:
- Saturday, Aug. 10 (Day 3): Attendance on the first Saturday was an all-time single-day record — 128,732. That broke the previous all-time daily record of 128,298 from 2022. It's also more than 1,500 over the record for Day 3 and 10,000 more than the same day last year.
- Sunday, Aug. 11 (Day 4): 115,048 people attended the first Sunday, breaking the previous Day 4 record (114,937) set last year by a margin of just 111 people.
- Tuesday, Aug. 13 (Day 6): 105,384 people went through the gates Tuesday, breaking the daily mark set in 2019 when 102,953 people attended.
Nine of the fair's 11 days this year had higher attendance than the corresponding day in 2023.
The fair returns next year Aug. 7-17. Dates for 2026 are Aug. 13-23 and for 2027 are Aug. 12-22.
» See all of our Iowa State Fair coverage here.
The 2025 Iowa State Fair will be from Tickets will go on sale before Christmas.
2024 Iowa State Fair attendance compared to last two fairs
Day 1, Thursday:
- 2024: 90,822
- 2023: 87,380
- 2022: 82,862
- Daily record: 101,262 in 2008
Day 2, Friday:
- 2024: 109,854
- 2023: 101,177
- 2022: 103,556
- Daily record: 115,703 in 2001
Day 3, Saturday:
- 2024: 128,732
- 2023: 118,286
- 2022: 113,012
- Daily record: 128,732 (new); Previous record was 127,277 in 1991
Day 4, Sunday:
- 2024: 115,048
- 2023: 114,937
- 2022: 110,661
- Daily record: 115,048 (new); Previous record was 114,937 in 2023
Day 5, Monday:
- 2024: 92,920
- 2023: 100,214
- 2022: 87,599
- Daily record: 105,522 in 2017
Day 6, Tuesday:
- 2024: 105,384
- 2023: 101,244
- 2022: 99,965
- Daily record: 105,384 (new); Previous record was 102,953 in 2019
Day 7, Wednesday:
- 2024: 99,281
- 2023: 98,751
- 2022: 97,901
- Daily record: 109,323 in 2019
Day 8, Thursday:
- 2024: 102,510
- 2023: 101,475
- 2022: 99,715
- Daily record: 107,449 in 2015
Day 9, Friday:
- 2024: 111,591
- 2023: 112,048
- 2022: 93,348
- Daily record: 112,891 in 2019
Day 10, Saturday:
- 2024: 126,142
- 2023: 112,732
- 2022: 128,298
- Daily record: 128,298 in 2022
Day 11, Sunday:
- 2024: 100,398
- 2023: 85,714
- 2022: 101,846
- Daily record: 119,754 in 2012
Total:
- 2024:1,182,682
- 2023: 1,133,958
- 2022: 1,118,763
- Record: 1,182,682 in 2024 (previous: 1,170,375 in 2019)
Iowa State Fair attendance records
Last year's fair was the second-biggest with more than 1,133,958 people attending. That's about 36,000 short of the all-time record of 1,170,375 set in 2019.
Top 10 biggest fairs
- 2024: 1,182,682
- 2019: 1,170,375
- 2023: 1,133,958
- 2018: 1,130,260
- 2017: 1,130,071
- 2022: 1,118,763
- 2015: 1,117,398
- 2008: 1,109,150
- 2012: 1,097,142
- 2021: 1,094,480
Highest daily attendance all-time
- First Thursday: 101,262 in 2008
- First Friday: 115,703 in 2001
- First Saturday: 128,732 in 2024 (previous: 127,277 in 1991)
- 2024's attendance on the first Saturday, Day 3, is the all-time single-day record
- First Sunday: 115,048 in 2024 (previous: 114,937 in 2023)
- Monday: 105,522 in 2017
- Tuesday: 105,384 in 2024 (previous: 102,953 in 2019)
- Wednesday: 109,323 in 2019
- Second Thursday: 107,449 in 2015
- Second Friday: 112,891 in 2019
- Second Saturday: 128,298 in 2022
- Second Sunday: 119,754 in 2012