State Fair a Record Breaker

It was a record-breaking 2019 Illinois State Fair.

The Grandstand set records in tickets sold and ticket revenue with acts like Dan + Shay, Snoop Dogg, Shinedown and Reba drawing the largest crowds. The grandstand ended up bringing in nearly $2.275 million while selling 63,513 tickets to nine shows.

The Grandstand wasn’t the only highlight. This year’s Governor’s Sale of Champions saw nearly $170,000 spent between the commodities and livestock auctions. The Grand Champion Steer bested last year’s price by $15,000, selling to First Lady MK Pritzker for $75,000.

Governor J.B. Pritzker said, “My family and I had a great time these past eleven days at the Illinois State Fair. From the packed grandstand to the crowded barns where the future of agriculture was shining bright, our state had an amazing party to wrap up the summer.”

The final numbers are not in yet for attendance or total revenue generated from this year but judging by the grandstand numbers and vendor sales fair officials are expecting an uptick from the last few years.

“I have had vendors come into my office and comment on how much traffic they have seen at their booths this year,” said Illinois State Fair Manager, Kevin Gordon. “I think lowering admission costs Sunday-Thursday made it more affordable for people to come out and enjoy all the fair has to offer. The great talent we’ve had on the grandstand hasn’t hurt either.”

As soon as calculations from Sunday are tallied state fair officials will get to work on the final numbers from this year's fair.