The 2.5 million guests that attended the annual state fair held in Dallas was an increase of over 15% from the event's attendance in 2021
The State Fair of Texas has just recently been named the highest-attended fair in North America in 2022.
According to carnival and fair industry news publication Carnival Warehouse, the State Fair of Texas amassed a total of over 2.5 million attendees last year, which was a bit higher than the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo’s 2.4 million attendees during the same time span.
The 2.5 million guests that attended the annual state fair held in Dallas was an increase of over 15% from the event's attendance in 2021.
In an interview with Carnival Warehouse, Karissa Condoianis — the Senior Vice President, Public Relations, with the State Fair of Texas — says that a substantial reason why the Dallas fair was such a success was because of its full return to normal circ*mstances following the event's cancellation back in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This year, we added several new shows, additional rodeo performances, and brought back fairgoer favorites,” said Condoianis in an interview with Carnival Warehouse.
“While the 2021 State Fair of Texas was still celebrated by millions of people, we were emerging from the cancellation of the 2020 fair. This year's fair brought a degree of normalcy, reminiscent of pre-pandemic times, back to our community. This incorporates many facets of our organization, including both our entertainment and food lineup. By diversifying what live music, shows, and attractions we offer, in addition to the continued creativity of our food and beverage vendors, we are fulfilling our goal of providing a place where all Texans can find something for themselves, and in turn, we strengthen our fair.”
According to news publication The Dallas Morning News, despite being in operation since 1886, the State Fair of Texas only started tracking attendance numbers in 2016. Reps of the annual fair told the Dallas publication that the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo had a streak of higher attendance between 2016-2018.
In an email to The Dallas Morning News, State Fair of Texas spokeswoman Taylor Austin said that her team was thrilled with the news of the Dallas fair sitting atop the list.
Austin added that the success of the State Fair of Texas was due to the tourists and regular attendees that came to visit the event last year.
“It’s all thanks to our fairgoers that we are the No. 1 fair in the country," Austin said in an email to The Dallas Morning News.
