The Nebraska State Fair welcomed more than 150,000 guests during its opening weekend, fueled by some of the best weather the Fair has seen in years. From Friday through Sunday, fairgoers packed the grounds to enjoy livestock shows, food, rides, and new attractions, leaving the Fair in a strong position heading into its second week.
Overall attendance through the first five days of the Fair reached 154,464, with a handful of days remaining until the Fair concludes on Labor Day.
Vendors have reported record numbers during the opening weekend, with large crowds and steady foot traffic driving strong sales. “Saturday and Sunday were both incredible days out here at the Fair,” said Jaime Parr, Executive Director of the Nebraska State Fair. “Across the board the outdoor partners are experiencing an in increase in guest exposure while indoor partners celebrate business as comparable to, or up, compared to previous years.”
Parr said attendance was over 53,000 on Saturday alone – marking a 23% increase over first Saturday of last year’s event. Across the first 5 days overall attendance is up 19%, year over year.
“We saw a surge in sales opening weekend as weather delighted us with sunshine and 75-degree temperatures,” said Parr. “We don’t always get this lucky opening weekend, so our vendors and entertainers were ecstatic to have large crowds spending their entire day out here.”
Parr said she believes the increase in sales is likely attributed to the duration of time spent by guests at the Fair. The Fair reported an average duration of time of guests to be more than 6 hours each day through opening weekend, according to their guest survey.
Additional data gathered from their guest survey shows that 20% of guests who have attended the fair rated their overall experience 4 out of 5 stars while 65% rated their experience 5 out of 5 stars.
The Board of Directors credited the success to the efforts of staff and volunteers coming together to make opening weekend something folks looked forward to. “We’re incredibly proud of the teamwork that goes into making this event possible,” said Tom Schellpeper, Vice Chair of the Nebraska State Fair Board. “Nebraska is lucky to have so many dedicated individuals [superintendents, partners, volunteers, seasonal staff] that come back every year to make the Fair a fun place for families.”
With clear skies and cool August evenings helping set the tone, organizers are optimistic about continued strong attendance throughout the remaining five days. Guests can still look forward to a number of concerts, loads of kids activities and plenty of livestock as FFA takes the stage second weekend. The Fair wraps up on Labor Day at 7 p.m.
Heading into second weekend, guests can also look forward to Nebraska Lottery Outdoor Concert series which kicks off tonight (Aug. 28) with a free Sawyer Brown concert as well as a second drone and fireworks show after concerts on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
For schedules, ticket information, and more, visit statefair.org.