FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. — Attendance at the 2024 Minnesota State Fair had more ups and downs than a roller coaster in the Mighty Midway, ultimately coming up significantly short of an all-time record.
Despite closing with a strong Labor Day crowd of 175,889, this year's Great Minnesota Get-Together had a total attendance of 1,925,904 - a step up from both 2023 and 2022, but more than 200,000 guests short of the record mark of 2,126,551, set in 2019.
Three days in particular were detrimental to 2024 fair attendance: Sunday, Aug. 25, when it was hot as blazes - Monday, Aug. 26, when it was even hotter and severe storms blew in for the evening hours - and Thursday, Aug. 29, when another powerful storm system elbowed its way in. On the two storm days attendance barely exceeded the 80,000 mark.
Still, when KARE spoke with vendors on the final day of the fair on Monday, they were satisfied with the amount of business they were able to drum up despite the weather woes.
"Friday, Saturday, Sunday, we literally made up for everything," reflected Charlie Torgerson, owner of RC's BBQ. "I mean, there were so many people here and yesterday was the nuts. I've never seen that many people at this place. I don't even know what the attendance was."
The fair sure does. Sunday attracted 256,015 guests, the second most in the event's long history.
Comparing the numbers from 2024 to the two previous years, attendance showed a steady climb, suggesting that the Minnesota State Fair - while a 165-year-old, venerable institution - is still a "must-do" end-of-summer adventure.