This year’s Minnesota State Fair smashed back-to-back attendance records on its opening two days — and despite a probable rainy week ahead, a sunny Labor Day weekend forecast could make for a busy end to the 2024 Fair.

Thursday was the busiest opening day in Fair history, as attendance reached 138,875 people, according to State Fair numbers. The next day was even bigger: 171,233 people showed up to the Fairgrounds, breaking the first-Friday attendance record set last year by nearly 6,500 people.

The Fairgrounds were still packed over the weekend, but not busy enough to break records. The visitor count on Saturday — 184,564 people — was lower than last year’s first Saturday, but higher than 2022. And at 134,644 visitors, the attendance tally on Sunday was well below both of the past two years and nowhere near the day’s record of 209,969, set in 1994.

The largest single-day attendance record at the State Fair was set in 2018, when 270,426 people showed up on the Saturday of Labor Day weekend.

Weather for the rest of the Fair

How will the rest of the 2024 State Fair shape up? If we look to previous years, weather will likely play a major role.

A slight dip in overall attendance last year, for example, was probably due to a scorching 2023 Labor Day weekend. Back in 2013, the fairgrounds saw a six-day streak of 90-degree temperatures — and, along with it, one of the lowest attendance totals of Fairs in the 2010s — but a spike in attendance over the holiday weekend when temps dropped back to the 70s.

On Monday, 16 Minnesota counties including the Fairgrounds were placed under an excessive heat warning by the National Weather Service as humidity rose and the heat index was forecasted to top 100 degrees. As of midday, the warning was set to last until 8 p.m. State Fair attendance numbers for Monday will be released Tuesday afternoon.

From here, things could get wet. As of Monday, the National Weather Service forecasts overnight rainfall Monday and a 40 percent chance of storms Tuesday afternoon. Wednesday looks sunny with temperatures in the upper 70s, but rain starts again overnight and will likely continue into Thursday.

However, Labor Day weekend forecasts appear to call for perfect State Fair weather: As of this writing, sunny conditions and temperatures in the upper 70s are projected to start Friday and continue through at least Sunday.

State Fair attendance has slowly been climbing back to its upward trajectory pre-pandemic.

Fairs in 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 each set successive all-time records, culminating in nearly 2.13 million tickets sold during the 12 days of the 2019 Fair. The Fair was canceled in 2020, and attendance hit a 40-year low in 2021 as the coronavirus pandemic continued. Since then, total Fair attendance has been diminished but still strong, with 1.84 million tickets sold in 2022 and 1.83 million sold in 2023 — still the 5th and 6th-busiest Fairs ever, respectively.

Related Articles

Berries, slushies and sweet wine: 2024’s new State Fair beverages reviewed

Hundreds of dairy cattle have their 12 days of fame at the Minnesota State Fair milking parlor

Grandstand review: Blake Shelton’s collection of country hits proves he’s still of strong voice

Grandstand review: Nate Bargatze entertains sold-out crowd with his everyman humor

From new classics to mixed up combos: Our rankings of the State Fair’s new foods for 2024