Geddes, N.Y. — After 18 days, the New York State Fair went out with a whimper, attendance-wise. Despite a five-day extension from its usual run, fair attendance totaled just under 800,000 — about a 40% drop from the record-breaking 2019 fair and the lowest overall attendance in 36 years.
The last time fair attendance dropped below 800,000 was 1985 — but that year, the event only lasted 10 days with an average daily attendance of 72,172. The average daily attendance this year was 44,339, the lowest since before World War II.
But Dave Bullard, marketing and public relations manager for the fair, still called this year’s event a win.
“We were absolutely dark, silent and forlorn a year ago, in the middle of one of the worst parts of the pandemic,” Bullard said on the evening of the 2021 fair’s last day. “I think the biggest success this year is that we opened the doors, period.”
The 180-year-old fair was canceled in 2020 amid the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. Although the fair opened at full capacity this year, Bullard blamed uncertainty surrounding the delta variant for low turnout. People are cautious — with good reason — about being anywhere that draws big crowds, he said.
Dozens of vendors skipped this year’s fair, and some attendees posted photos online of walkways devoid of the usual swarms of visitors.
Still, Bullard said being able to open at all allowed the fair to serve as a symbol: We’re getting there. Life will return to normal eventually.
“The fair is about longevity, it’s about that line that runs through the generations, through friendships and through families,” Bullard said. “And to me, those are the things that mattered the most — that the families that wanted to come were able to come and keep their traditions alive.”
Among those families is the Luchsingers, who run Silver Spring Farm just west of Onondaga Hill. Chuck Luchsinger’s grandfather first showed the farm’s dairy cows at the 1921 fair, where he won a third-place ribbon. Since then, another three generations of Luchsingers have run the farm and participated in the fair.
Luchsinger said the fair looked “completely different” this year.
“It’s gotta be because of Covid,” he said. “I think the general public, they’re just not ready to go full-steam yet.” He expects the crowds to return to normal in the next couple years as people start to feel more comfortable.
One thing Luchsinger said he hopes changes next year: The length of the fair.
“Eighteen days is way too long. It stretches it out too much,” he said, adding that he’d like to see a return to 12 or 13 days.
Bullard said that’s on the table for next year, especially given feedback from vendors. In the end, fair officials will work with state policymakers to decide how long next year’s event will last.
The 18-day run did allow the fair to expand its music offerings, including bigger-name acts and a more diverse lineup. Bullard said this year’s concerts drew excellent crowds.
On Monday, those musical acts included Joan Jett and Cheap Trick, who drew large crowds in the fair’s waning hours. Fireworks ended the festivities for another year.
Got a tip, comment or story idea? Call or text Megan Craig at 315-925-7137, email her at mcraig@syracuse.com or send a direct message on Twitter @megcraig1.
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NY State Fair attendance drops 40% from 2019 amid delta variant fears - syracuse.com
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