COLUMBUS – More than 1 million people attended this year’s Ohio State Fair, which ran from July 26-Aug. 6, the Ohio Expo Center announced in its end-of-fair wrap-up on Aug. 8. That’s a record-breaking number for the 12-day fair. Overall fair attendance increased by 16.7% this year.
This year’s state fair also broke the single-day attendance record, set a decade ago. Single-day attendance on Aug. 5 was 119,660. Prior to 2023, the single-day attendance record was 115,288, set on Sunday, July 28, 2013.
Attendance was boosted by good weather throughout the fair’s run, said Ohio State Fair General Manager Virgil Strickler, in a statement.
“The great weather, coupled with increased entertainment, great concerts in the WCOL Celeste Center, outstanding exhibits, new partnerships and so many other factors, led us to breaking our attendance record with more than one million fairgoers over the course of the 12-day fair,” he said.
Midway and concessions sales both increased this year, over 2022 numbers. There was more than $3.2 million in total Midway (ride and game) revenue, an increase of 36.2%, and more than $8.2 million in total concessions (food and beverage) sales, an increase of 18.4%.
There were exhibitors and participants from all 88 counties in Ohio. Tickets purchased by visitors from all 50 states, as well as Canada and Mexico.
Fair food by the numbers
• 46,818 total scoops of Velvet ice cream sold in the Taste of Ohio Café and Dairy Products Building.
• 36,733 corn dogs or pronto pups sold throughout the grounds.
• 27,759 total hot dogs/hot dog varieties sold
• 25,284 total ears of corn sold.
• 22,986 total funnel cakes sold.
• 14,889 bourbon chicken bowls.
• 13,822 turkey legs sold.
• 9,678 cream puffs sold by Schmidt’s.
• More than 3,000 donut burgers sold.
• More than 2,100 maple bacon jalapeño deviled eggs sold by the Ohio Poultry Association. This was the most purchased deviled egg flavor. The booth also sold more than 1,300 cotton candy deviled eggs.
Next year, the Ohio State Fair will run July 24-Aug. 4, 2024.
