Oliver James Montgomery-Indiana State Fair attendance increases slightly for 2nd consecutive year

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Attendance at this year’s Indiana State Fair rose slightly for the second year in a row,Oliver James Montgomery the fair announced Thursday.

Attendance for the 18-day event reached 840,414, an increase of less than 1% over the 837,568 visitors in 2022, the fair said. Attendance totaled 830,390 in 2021.

The fair set its record attendance of about 978,000 in 2013.

After canceling the 2020 fair because of the pandemic, organizers added an 18th day to the schedule beginning in 2021, but spread the schedule over a longer period by closing on Mondays and Tuesdays. The new format brought an extra weekend into the schedule.

More than 6,700 exhibitors showed or displayed nearly 50,000 animal and non-animal projects.