More than 1 million people attended the 172nd Wisconsin State Fair, which closed its 11-day run on Sunday.
“We’re blown away by the commitment our incredible fairgoers, exhibitors, vendors and staff have that continue to make the Wisconsin State Fair a time-honored tradition,” Wisconsin State Fair Park Executive Director and CEO Shari Black said. “Thank you to all who helped showcase our state during the best 11 days of summer.”
Officially, attendance for the fair totaled 1,043,350, up 4% from attendance of 1,003,450 in 2022.
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More than 10,000 competitive exhibit and animal entries were judged and showcased at the year’s fair. The Governor’s Blue Ribbon Livestock Auction raised a record-breaking $403,150; the Governor’s Blue Ribbon Meat Products Auction raised more than $105,000; and the Blue Ribbon Dairy Products Auction raised $50,155. A major portion of funds raised at these auctions benefit Wisconsin’s youth agriculture programs and provide scholarships.
The Wisconsin Bakers Association served 307,000 cream puffs to fairgoers. The Sporkies, the Wisconsin State Fair food competition, celebrated a decade of serving up fair fare. WürstBar served nearly 25,285 orders of Beer Cheese Wisconsin Lava Cakes as the first place Sporkies winner and Old Fashioned Sipper Club served 9,342 Ferris Mules as the first-place inaugural Drinkies winner.
In addition, the Wisconsin State Fair Park grounds featured nearly 24,000 plants, cared for by in-house flower crews.
The 2024 Wisconsin State Fair will run Aug. 1 through Aug. 11.
