Twenty-two presidential candidates, increased consumer confidence and a strong grandstand lineup helped the Iowa State Fair garner record attendance this year.
“It was an excellent, excellent fair,” said Iowa State Fair Manager Gary Slater.
Although two out of 11 days saw rain, the unaudited figures estimate that 1,117,398 people visited the 2015 Iowa State Fair, up 9.9 percent compared to 2014, according to fair officials.
It’s also the highest figure the fair logged since the economy tanked in 2008 when the fair boasted 1,109,150 people.
The fair ran from Aug. 13 to 23, bringing an uptick of business across the board, Slater said.
On the first Saturday of the fair, which was also the busiest with 115,595 visitors, Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders visited the grounds, sending the Iowa State Fair into a social media frenzy.
“That afternoon, we were trending on Twitter,” Slater said. “I’m sure the presidential candidates had something to do with that notoriety.”
The Des Moines Register had a political soapbox set up where presidential candidates scheduled times to speak to various crowds throughout the fair.
“We were up this year for a lot of reasons, that being one of them,” Slater said. “The economy helped us this year in terms of Iowa having one of the lowest unemployment rates in 10 years.”
Top of the industry musicians also gained traction at the fair, with nearly four out of five headlining bands selling out, including Carrie Underwood, Def Leppard and Reba.
Alabama just missed the sellout mark, and Meghan Trainor was supposed to perform but blew a vocal cord the week prior, Slater said.
“It ended up raining that night anyway,” he said.
Aside from the A-list talent, the fair also hosted free shows, spending $500,000 on 38 acts, Iowa State Fair Marketing Director Mindy Williamson said in an email.
Concessions were also up over previous years, but parking revenues were down just a bit due to the five inches of rain that fell two of the days.
“With the rain, it gives you more expenses, because you’re bringing in rock or mulch for the mudding areas,” Slater highlighted.
The carnival midway provided by Belle City Amusements was a huge draw at the fair, but attendance was flat, if not down slightly because of the rain, said Charles Panacek, president of Belle City Amusements. He declined to give revenue figures.
“We saw a lot of politicians. We saw Jeb Bush on the midway,” Panacek said, noting that although the politicking probably helped the fair attendance, it didn’t provide much of a boost for the carnival.
Slater and other fair officials won’t have the exact 2015 Iowa State Fair revenue calculated until the end of October, he said.
The theme this year was “Tour the Fair” where a horse, pig and sheep were tour guides. Audio tours were also available on podcasts for those who wanted to learn the grounds electronically, Slater said.
Next year’s Iowa State Fair is slated for Aug. 11 to 21. Revenue and solid attendance figures will be released after everything is tallied, Slater said.
Following the fair, daily attendance estimates are set aside and an actual count of tickets including daily sales, advance sales, exhibitors, concessionaires, campers, children, credentials, half price, etc. is made to determine the final total attendance, states the fair’s website.
Interviewed for this story: Gary Slater, (515) 262-3111; Charles Panacek, (407) 399-1831.