Carnival & Fair News

“Very Optimistic” is how John Schut. Executive Director, Michigan Association of Fairs & Exhibitions (MAFF) describes the attitude among attendees to the annual convention of the Great Lake State fair and outdoor event professionals.

Last year – in spite of a midsummer heatwave hampering attendance for some fairs – overall “fairs had a very good season. Fair attendance was high. People were upbeat and spending. They are ticking up to and even past pre-COVID levels.”

More than 45 million –- about half the population of the state – attended Michigan fairs last year. The convention celebrated the 140th anniversary of the MAFF. “Our fairs have comeback because they are more responsive to their communities. They have the traditional livestock, but they also have robotics and electronics, it’s a real educational opportunity. We’re seeing more school involvement, and we’re reaching new populations. We have more mentoring of youth involving summer programs where youth from urban areas become involved with agriculture. This year, a lot of fairs set aside a day for special needs children, who are on the autism spectrum, where they turn down the noise and lights and midway, which really makes the fair accessible for all ages and members of the community.”

Inspiring Youth

Building on the enthusiasm of a reinvigorated fair industry, the theme for the 2025 convention was motivational and pro-active “You Make The Difference.” Attendance exceeded 1,400 – with all of the organization’s 84 fairs and 15 festivals represented --- and Schut noted that “there are more young people entering our fair industry. Our membership is very supportive of our young professionals, who very excited about fairs and bringing in a lot of new ideas.”

To that end, the two day event featured more than two dozen workshops and roundtables, with several targeting the growing tide of millennial membership. Similar to the IAFE, the MAFF has created Youth Professionals – aka yMAFF –  a group within the organization made up members 45 years and younger that had several networking and educational events. According to the website, those are invited “to discuss issues and related topics and network with other Gen X, Millennials, or Gen Z members.”

In addition, some of the most popular workshops included: Growth Through Transition; Succession Planning Essentials for Fairs and Expositions; and “Engaging Youth Leadership in Fair Associations.”

“That is a trend. As board members age or term-out, fairs have put in place plans so a new generation of leadership can take over. We’re seeing more young people, many who have worked in the private sector or have different management experience, coming into the fair business. Young people have a real passion for fairs”

Instead of resisting change, the MAFF in 2025 is encouraging and guiding the next evolution of its member events. “We’re looking 30 years ahead. We are building to that with these new tools and technologies, all the AI opportunities we have for marketing. When you start looking at fairgoers, it’s a new generation of young families. We have to reach them with new entertainment for young families.”

The easier-said-than-to-reach balance between fair traditions and new technologies seems easily reached by sticking to what has kept Michigan fairs for centuries. “It’s a very simple answer as to why fairs are relevant to [younger generations],” said Schut. “It’s an authentic experience for families who can see and experience all different ways of doing things. It’s very real and very hands-on. It’s not computer generated. When you start looking at the experience, you see how it is unique, different than doing anything else like going to the movies or a sporting event. You can experience a lot of things only at fairs, like tractor pulls, and exotic animals, but also there’s  museum exhibits of local histories, which young people are responding to.”

Another popular series of seminars and roundtables bolstered new marketing technologies and techniques for fair managers,. Topics included: Social media Influencers; Marketing through Social Media    Digital Marketing & Promotions; and "Turn Clicks Ito Crowds: Supercharging Your Fair With Social Media”.

Grant Writing

Though the MAFF doesn’t employ a lobbyist, they are partnering with a “legislative consultant” to maintain state funding, mainly through matching grants for capital improvements.  Schut said the funding “has stayed the same” since the early 2000s. “We are grateful for the funding and it looks like it will be maintained.”

In 2025, the association will be supporting their carnival partners through letter-writing and other means of communication for H-2B issues. Like other states, Michigan is experiencing a shortage of midway providers. “Access to carnivals has been a problem,” said  Schut. “There are not enough carnivals, it’s a nationwide problem. There were twice the number of carnivals before the pandemic.”


The situation hasn’t become less dire and has been impacting the smaller, local fairs. “You lose the carnival, you lose the main economic engine for any fair. There’s a lot of fairs getting very creative with bouncy houses and other attractions, there are alternatives but not having a carnival is very impactful.”

Sold Out Trade Show

Some carnivals were at the show, but no new ones exhibited this year – North American Midway Entertainment (NAME) and Skerbeck Family Carnival were sponsors at the meeting – however the tradeshow featured 89 exhibitors – “it sold out before Thanksgiving,”  Schut said. “We expanded the tradeshow space. We had more smaller entertainers, and other different vendors. There’s more interest in online ticketing.”

Another issue that was top-of-mind for convention attendees was the outbreak disruptive teens. “The fairs have done a very good job of increasing security and not having unchaperoned youth. With fairs there’s defined spaces like the midway. But it’s more of a problem for festival members, where there’s not the same fencing you have fairs, so they can’t control traffic flow.”

The problem is more in urban areas, and sometimes it’s not enough for the fairs to secure their spaces and crowds. The 2024 Michigan State Fair was associated with a fatal shooting involving teens – except the incident didn’t occur at the fair, but in the parking lot of Suburban Collection Showplace. Police stationed as security at the fair heard the shots and were able to respond quickly, but fair officials issued a statement and limited hours and unaccompanied minors until the fair closed.

“The incident didn’t happen at the fair, but it adds to the perception that fairs aren’t safe. I’m sure we’ll be seeing more security at fairs this season. It’s a problem we have to stay on top of.”