Carnival & Fair News

Ever since the lockdown fairs and other outdoor events have been gauging when attendance and revenues would return to pre-pandemic levels. The 2025 Central Florida Fair was one such event, with increased attendance and revenue over the 2024 edition, new promotions including a Pride Night that attracted more members of the community, and a commitment to ever improving the guest experience.

According to Michael Tipton, President/CEO, Central Florida Fair and Expositions Park, this year's fair was “Great! Had our best year since 2020.”
Typically, the event attracts more than 200,000 over its run. The fair didn't release exact attendance figures but compared to 2024, “Attendance was up.  The first Sunday of the Fair was the biggest it has been as far back as my current records go (2012).”

Fairgoer attitudes were upbeat and uninhibited by inflation, which Tipton said “Didn't seem to have any negative effects,” noting that “spending was definitely up.”

 

Midway Up

Although nominal price increases occurred that might have pumped dollar figures some, the revenue uptick far exceeded any inflationary influence. “ [The Fair was]…up 34 percent across the board – at gate, ride bands and concessions,” he said.

The factors engendering this bump can be attributed to a super-charged Wade Shows midway, a revamped, social media-driven marketing campaign, an array of family friendly fair attractions and special community-centric promotions, such as Pride Night.

And of course, the weather. Mother Nature proved benevolent to this Sunshine State tradition.  Tipton described the weather as “Fantastic! We had rain early on one day, but it cleared up.”



Wade Shows showed the biggest revenue increases over 2024 of any component of the fair, according to Tipton. The Wade Shows midway featured 42 rides, typical for the event. The midway also introduced two new rides. “We had the double decker Venetian Carousel and the Kraken which is the largest swinging pendulum ride east of the Mississippi.

Towering 80 feet tall and stretching its limbs to 147 feet high, the Kraken was actually expected for last year's Central Florida Fair, but shipping delays that have plagued the industry since the lockdown meant a postponement to this year's Central Florida Fair. It turned out the wait was worth it. Tipton said the highest grossing ride on the 2025 Wade Shows midway was “The Kraken.”

Affordable Family Fun

The Central Florida Fair eschewed a specific marketing tagline as it refocused its campaign to be Social Media dominant. “We actually decreased our marketing spend by almost $25,000. We did much less print marketing and much more social media marketing. We concentrated on working with more influencers.”



Building on that strategy was tweaking the fair's image so it emphasized both family values and value for your dollar, contrasting the unique Central Florida Fair experience to the amusement park destinations it competes with in the state. “We market the fair as “affordable family fun” in an effort to appeal to local families and individuals looking for a fun time but not looking for Disney or Universal prices,” he said.

The 2025 marketing initiative was selected to distinguish the fair economically. “It set us apart from the more expensive Orlando options.”

The fair's entertainment, attractions and other programming were also geared to find promotional resonance throughout social media platforms and the diverse range of influences with which the fair collaborated. Tipton said the fair's biggest draws were staples: Probably the Sea Lions, followed by the Turnaround Petting Zoo,” he said.



But the newer innovations were to see the fair more holistically, adding music to both new areas and new events within the fair. Case-in-point, “We expanded our Beer Garden to contain a live entertainment stage that was programmed every single night,” he said.

The Orlando market, which includes the counties of Lake, Orange (including Orlando), Osceola, and Seminole, is one of the fastest-growing regions in the United States. According to census data, the region gained more than 76,000 residents between  2023, and 2024, surpassing Florida's overall growth rate. The fair created a range of targeted “nights,” often collaborating with other community groups,  that drew in new segments of the region. 

Community Nights

“We added a Community Night sponsored by our local City Commissioner to engage our surrounding community and partnered with a local radio station and music festival to sponsor a Battle of the Bands opening weekend,” he said. “In addition we hosted a Military and First Responder night where those individuals received free admission along with an Educator Night to allow educational employees free admission. Next year we will have a sensory day where we open up early for individuals with sensory issues to attend the fair in a calmer setting. It's about offering opportunities for everyone to feel welcome and appreciated at the Fair.”



“We've also added the Pride Night as discussed, which brought in a new demographic.

“Pride Night is my favorite special event. It had been done in the past, but not in the same way. It was just vendors up front by the gates and the community felt heckled and harassed. I brought it back for my first Fair in 2023 and put the event in its own building. That first year we had about 600 people, the second year a little over 1,000 and this year close to 2,000 throughout the night.”

Between the fair's independent food concessionaires and the Wade Shows compliment of fair food stands, the fair had 34 food vendors. The most popular new food at the fair were egg rolls, made by Egg Roll Love. Other top new favorites this year were “Conch Creators Conch Salad, Meatball Bombs stuffed meatballs and Bryan's Concessions steak tips.”

The 2025 Central Florida Fair “far exceeded expectations” for Tipton, As his second year at the helm of this event, what has been key in achieving a successful 2025 fair. The secret is hiding in plain sight – fairgoer communication. “Listen to the feedback from your guests. Talk to people, find out what they like and don't like.”