Doing More With Less in the Carnival & Fair Industry: The 2021 Year in Review
A Carnival Warehouse Round Table Discussion
Fairs are the great American tradition, spanning (almost) uninterrupted for generations. A nearly extinct species in 2020, fairs, carnivals and concessionaires were determined to turn merely ... [read more]
Marin County Fair Finally Plans an In-Person Return
It's baaack – or it's about to be — at last. According to the Marin County Department of Cultural Events, plans are being made to bring back the Marin County Fair in 2022, after two years ... [read more]
Achieving the Unexpected: Record Attendance & Spending for 2021 Arizona State Fair
Longer turned out not just to better for the Arizona State Fair, but enabled the event to achieve a rare accomplishment in the pandemic era – a record year.The fair added four days, making the ... [read more]
Inclusive Cultures & Infrastructure: Retiring Wisconsin State Fair CEO Reflects on Fairs & The Fair Industry
Kathleen O'Leary, CEO and Executive Director of Wisconsin State Fair Park retired from state service at the end of October. The State Fair Park board has appointed Shari Black, Director of Events, to ... [read more]
2021 Mississippi State Fair Reconciles Controversy Over Frontier Village Exhibition
Fair reports spending was up 25%
The Mississippi State Fair was one of a handful of fairs that didn't hold a drive-thru and/or virtual fair. Instead, the show went on and one that included an actual midway, one of the rarest ... [read more]
Coastal Carolina Fair Goes Back to Fun in 21 with Second Kiddieland & Robust Fairgoer Spending
While hundreds of thousands attended the 2021 Coastal Carolina Fair, lingering COVID concerns plus rainy days suppressed turnout, but not the atmosphere of fun and gratitude fairgoers excited to be ... [read more]
South Carolina Promises Fairgoers: It's Your Moment
Rain-free weather, enthusiastic fairgoers and a return to normalcy highlighted the 2021 South Carolina State Fair, overcoming a somewhat bizarre accident where thankfully no one was harmed. “We ... [read more]
Increased Revenue and Attendance Records - 2021 Topsfield Fair Rebounds Strong
For only the third time since its 1818 inception, the oldest continuing agricultural fair in the United States went dark in 2020. The 2021 edition of the Topsfield Fair strode the tightrope between ... [read more]
The Kern County Fair Kicked Off Late September Fun
From September 23rd to October 3rd, the Kern County Fair made a welcomed return after the pandemic put the event on hold in 2020. Attendance was up 24% over 2019, fair officials state, but the ... [read more]
2021 Top-50 Fairs: Pandemic Shakes Up Industry Rankings as Fairs Recommit to Communities
Last year was a reversal compared to 2020. When COVID first hit, like other sectors of the economy, the fair industry went on lockdown. About 90 percent of the fairs – including the vast ... [read more]
